This fascinating book focussed on unusual and sometimes disturbing themes. Set following the turn of the previous millenium, the book is set around the life of Radegunda, the anchorite of the title, and the convent she is walled up in. I hugely enjoyed the book, though found the details of anchorite life a little too detailed!

This was a wonderful read! The writing is good and draws the reader in. Here, O'Faolain succeeds in making the early Middle Ages accessible to the reader. Somehow the outer political struggles of Gaul soon after the fall of the Roman Empire as well as the daily intrigues of nuns in a convent in Gaul manage to be made relevant to the reader. To clarify, I should point out that while Radegunda (former queen of Gaul)is a very important character, she is not the actual anchorite of the book. In addition, the book is set in the sixth century, not the 12th as the other reviewer noted. I would highly recommend reading this book both to enjoy some good writing and to gain a greater understanding of what conditions were like in the earliest portion of the Middle Ages. Fascinating read!

it's a very hard peace of paperwor