Review of 'I, Julian'

 


Rachel Burdett CJN writes....


'Claire Gilbert has clearly spent many years walking beside Julian in her devotional reading of The Revelations Of Divine Love, because in I, Julian, written in the first person and giving a fictional account of the whole of Julian’s life, she creates what feels like Julian’s authentic voice. From the child Julian we meet at the beginning of the novel, we hear the beginnings of her relationship with a God who is loving rather than wrathful and vengeful, and the first expressions of her theology. While nothing is known about Julian and her life before the anchorhold, there is much historical evidence of the Norwich she would have known, and Ms. Gilbert weaves a life which rings true to that time and place. It is a skilfully written and inspiring novel, which gave me a lot to ponder while not disturbing my relationship with Julian’s voice through my own reading of her RevelationsI, Julian leads us through the whole of Julian’s (imagined) life, giving us a fresh perspective and different ways to consider the life Julian had lived while she was writing her book, and the woman she was. Ms. Gilbert has given us a great gift.'

Rachel Burdett CJN

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