The story is set in the thirteenth century within the confines of a stone cell measuring seven paces by nine. The Anchoress tells the story of Sarah, only seventeen when she chooses to become an anchoress, a holy woman shut away in a small cell at the side of the village church. Fleeing the grief of losing a much-loved sister in childbirth and the pressure to marry, she decides to renounce the world, with all its dangers, desires and temptations, and to commit herself to a life of prayer and service to God. But as she slowly begins to understand, even the thick, unforgiving walls of her cell cannot keep the outside world away, and it is soon clear that Sarah's body and soul are still in great danger.
The idea of an anchoress and her place in the religious life of a village is hard to grasp and a disturbing concept in this modern time. The basis of the story is fascinating but it left me wondering how the idea of inflicting these situations on women came into being in the first place.
The book is written in the first person and I wasn't sure I wanted to read the book through. I did. My opinion of this religious practice did not change but I found the writing readable and descriptive and worth the perseverance.
No comments:
Post a Comment