Virtuous Magic: Women Saints and Their Meanings

Sara Maitland, novelist, and the lesser-known Wendy Mulford have written a most interesting account of various women they themselves have admire for their holy qualities. Many of the saints are recognised by the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, but many are not, though only a few (Mary Fisher) come from other Christian traditions. "Virtuous Magic: Women Saints and Their Meanings" is almost written as a kind of dialog, with Sara and Wendy tackling different parts of the book with a different viewpoint, as they say in the introduction (which I overlooked at first). This contrast does mean "Virtuous Magic: Women Saints and Their Meanings" is rather over-the-place and unfocused, but the mixing of poetic stories with actual texts or simple historical facts places us much closer to the authors' perspectives than we would otherwise be. The book indeed does have a sense of feeling that most religious books totally lack, even if this sense is not all that deep. The joy and fear so evident is the simple yet so touching lives of these women is merely shown clearly rather than felt in most cases, so that "Virtuous Magic: Women Saints and Their Meanings" does not qualify as an outstanding book. For an eccentric look at the meaning of holiness, this is a good read, however.