The Woman in the Cloak

This is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. While a work of fiction, it is faithfully based on the life of Blessed Margaret of Costello a 13th century Dominican laywoman of incredible sanctity. While the setting is 13th century Italy, it will be fresh and relevant to anyone in any place today. Unless your heart is made of stone, you WILL be moved by the life of Bl. Margaret of Castello. A woman born blind and lame, Margaret was abandoned by her parents and taken in by the beggars in the Town of Costello. She became a Dominican tertiary and influenced the lives of hundreds in her day. She is still impacting lives today. I think it is great for anyone, but youth will really learn a lesson about physical imperfections, moral standards and overcoming obstacles of life. Read this book!!

This book is a novelization of an actual historical figure, St. Margaret of Castelo. She was born a blind, hunchbacked dwarf with a withered leg. Despite these infirmities, and the rejection by her parents, she never feels cursed by God. Rather, she spends most of her relatively short life helping the poor of the small city of Castello. She lives with the beggars and the working poor, offering her help as a midwife, a free nanny and someone who is willing to go beg for food for the destitute. Margaret joins an order of Nuns, but they are not very serious about their vows and she is soon expelled as a troublemaker. So, she joins the Order of Penance of St. Dominic, a mostly male Order. There, she returns to her work on the streets. Eventually, her health fails her and she dies of a hacking, bloody cough. Up to this point, I found this story interesting and moving - here's a lady with the deck stacked against her in so many ways but she still finds a way to help others and give her life great purpose. However, the book veers into a part of Catholic theology that I am very uncomfortable with (probably due to a lack of proper understanding on my part) which is the act of praying to saints for healing. Margaret's bones become a sort of holy icon - pray to it or touch it and you'll be healed. Nevertheless, it is an interesting read. I'll knock down the grade a bit for stilted conversation. The change in spelling in Margaret's name (Margheret to Margaret) without any explanation is also troubling.