book review

The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse - this short and adventurous story follows Johanna, a young maidservant, on the pilgrimage she takes as maidservant to her mistress, Margery Kempe. Margery is a very religious woman, taken to preaching, crying and making a great show of her piety. Johanna is not sure she wants to go all the way to Rome, but she must, or become a runaway.

The story follows the trials and tribulations of a hard-worked, lonely and often frightened girl, who sees strange new sights, meets new people and has many adventures. Her descriptions of her world, her place, and her time are very realistic, but understandable. Johanna is a moving, believable character whom I very much enjoyed sharing a few days with. If you liked the Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman, or Jinx's Pagan series, I think you'll enjoy the Book of the Maidservant. (By the way, Margery Kempe was a real person who wrote a real biography of her religious pilgrimage, and she did have a servant named Johanna whom this tale is loosely based upon).