Book Description
The late Eileen Power, a noted medievalist, wrote: "For history, after all, is valuable only insofar as it lives." Julian's Cell is history brought to life through the storyteller's art. It takes place in fourteenth-century England and is an earthy tale of "Katherine"--daughter of a stern and bitter mother--who is married at age sixteen to a man named Walter, but loses her husband and two children during the great plagues. She has visions of the passion of Christ and becomes an anchorite, "buried alive" in a cell attached to St. Julian's church. Ultimately she becomes known as Mother Julian or Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write in the English language and one of the greatest Christian theologians and mystics of all time.
This is a book of historical fiction about a woman who struggled to know and serve God, told by a 20th-century man who is struggling to know and serve God, and it is intended to help readers do the same. Most books on Julian tend to be academic studies of her writing--noted for its optimism and sensuality--and the times in which she lived, or translations of her work. This is a unique attempt to imagine her life as it could have been and revive her still-relevant spiritual odyssey.

About the Author
Dr. Ralph Milton is a storyteller. A former news broadcaster, open-line host, and church administrator, he is the author of nine books, including the very popular children's book, The Family Story Bible. On the Internet, Ralph edits the popular e-zine Rumors, which uses liberal doses of humor and story to communicate lively faith. He also hosts an on-line discussion group about Julian of Norwich, called Julian's Cell.A co-founder of Wood Lake Books, he lives with his wife Beverly, a retired church minister, in Kelowna, BC.