The She-Apostle
Price:
$39.95 (06)Description
Here is the full-length biography of Luisa de Carvajal (1568-1614), possibly the first female missionary of modern times. Born into a great Spanish family, Luisa suffered an abusive childhood, dreamt of martyrdom for the Catholic Church and smuggled herself into England in the year of the Gunpowder Plot. The book explores her courageous intrigues on behalf of the Catholic cause in Protestant England, from distributing banned books to preserving and distributing the bodily remains of executed priests. She risked imprisonment and execution for these activities, a fate she miraculously managed to avoid in spite of being arrested on a number of occasions. This vividly written biography, the first to give equal treatment to her double life in Spain and England, is based on Luisa's own autobiographical writings, her sparkling collection of poems and letters, and the detailed reminiscences by dozens of people who worked with her. The book contains Luisa's biting--and often humorous--descriptions of the cost of living in Shakespeare's London, the poor quality of food in the capital, as well as the weekend rowdiness of the English.Features
- The full life of Luisa de Carvajal, possibly the first female missionary of modern times
- An intriguing story of a woman who dreamed of martrydom for the Catholic cause and smuggled herself into England in the year of the Gunpowder Plot
- Tells the story of her courageous intrigues on behalf of the Catholic cause in Protestant England--from distributing banned books to preserving and distributing the bodily remains of executed priests
- A unique insight into the singular life of a determinedly independent woman in a man's world
Reviews
"Redworth has pulled off a literary coup."--Redworth, Sunday Times (UK)
"The She-Apostle is hugely enjoyable and has a vividness that never tips over to the garish. A gripping tale very well told.... Pure joy."--Professor John Morrill, University of Cambridge
"An artfully reconstructed life of an astonishing noble woman from her abused childhood in Spain to aspirant Jesuitess and foiled martyr in Jacobean London." --Dame Olwen Hufton
"[I]n this well-researched and highly readable book, Redworth has captured Luisa's life and times very effectively." -- American Historical Review
"[An] extraordinarily well-researched book... [E]minently readable." --Catholic Library World
About the Author(s)
Glyn Redworth is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Manchester and the author of In Defense of the Church Catholic: The Life of Stephen Gardiner.
