Tween Book Review – The Book of the Maidservant

The Book of the Maidservant was inspired by the fifteenth-century text The Book of Margery Kempe, the first autobiography in English. In this book, debut novelist Rebecca Barnhouse tells the story of a religious pilgrimage from the point of view Johanna, the maid servant – an unenviable position if there ever was one. As a serving girl to Dame Margery Kempe, Johanna has little choice but to follow her mistress as they set out across hard roads on a pilgrimage to Rome. Johanna’s lot is a hard one and she faces hunger, cold, bandits and the scorn of her mistress. In fact things go from bad to worse, to even worse. The book prevents an unvarnished view of medieval times – no princesses here. And though we feel for put-upon Johanna, it’s apparent that she brings some of it on herself. In the end, though Joanna finds a place and a sense of peace and understanding about her choices and how to live her life going forward. With no easy answers, the book is an interesting and compelling (what will happen to poor Johanna next) and chronicles Johanna’s painful journey through fear, anger, and physical hardship to ultimate redemption.