Rumours of her prophecies soon spread beyond the walls of the convent and into the city where, in the turbulent time of a weak and wretched king, her admonitions were given credence. Some called her the mad nun of Clerkenwell, but many others revered her as the blessed maid of Clerkenwell. The bishop's exorcist conducted several interviews with her, but he found her distracted and contradictory. "The sweetness of Christ's Mother has pierced my heart," she told him on one occasion. "To me she came and bade me to sing, O Alma Redemptoris mater.""But Dame Agnes tells me that you dream only of the damned. Or so you said to her."
"I can no more expound in this matter. I learn my song, but I have small grammar."
A very well written historical novel based in England at the beginning of the fifteenth century. The author uses characters and a structure similar to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. A mysterious plot moves the story along, but this book is more about the people and the times than the underlying story. Ackroyd is able to write with a blend of modern and old English to create text that is easily read, but evokes the historical times. There are lots of intriguing and humorous pieces of this long lost time period. If you have an interest in these times, you will enjoy the descriptions of people's lives in this book. I found myself getting lost in the historical details and fascinating tidbits and losing the central mystery that is trying to be solved. Overall, this was a fun read that displays a depth of well-displayed research.
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