"A Vision of Light" was an accurate historical fiction novel that indeed kept my attention. It had several religious undertones that while relevent to the plot of the book is oftentimes overdone and slightly boring.

I also found myself skipping or skimming over the parts about "Brother Greggory" wanting to get back to the story of Margaret and her life which was the real meat of the book and the most interesting part.

All and all, I liked this book and will more than likely read the rest of the trilogy.

Judith Merkle Riley is one of my favorite writers. Her novels are rich with details of times in which they are set as well as extremely engaging. They are all entertaining to read and A Vision of Light is no exception. I will read this book over again, perhaps more than once not only for its wonderful characters but also to absorb the flavor of the period in which it is set. Kudos to this writer for giving us such an anjoyable heroine and intriguing set of characters. The plot is really fine too! Altogether a great read.

Having read Judith Riley's very fine "The Oracle Glass" and the overly complicated but entertaining "Master of Desires", I looked forward to reading "A Vision of Light". To say I was bored throughout most of the book is an understatement as I found myself skipping pages and pages of dribble dialog, only to find some worthy parts scattered here and there, and finishing (finally!)with a very disturbing ending.

I believe this was Riley's first book and her writing improves with her later works, although she fails throughtout all of them to take a breath and FEEL what she's writing. Riley is apparently is endowed with a great force of mind but it's my opinion she needs either to be edited down, or exercise some self discipline in overburdening her reader with endless language and plots, that weaken the emotional impact of her stories.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon a hardback version of this book many many years ago. It was my introduction to historical fiction. One of the most appealing aspects of the story is that it centers around a female character and depicts the life of women during that era. Some reviewers think Margaret is too perfect, but I see her as pure of heart. She has a gentle nature, preferring not to focus on suffering and material concerns, but to move beyond to something deeper. She is strong and perceptive despite a lack of education. I have always found her to be positive female role model.

I have gone on to read all of Riley's works and have been longing to complete the third book in the trilogy that has never been released in English. Riley inspired me to investigate the historical fiction genre that has increased over the years and led me to discover other great authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley (Mists of Avalon).

My mother loved the book so much she stole it from me and frequently lends it to friends, so needless to say I am happy that this is finally being reprinted. Overall, Riley has been a strong influence on my interest to read and opened a unique world to me.

A Vision of Light is the story of an incredible woman who has the misfortune to have been born in the fourteenth century. Margaret of Ashbury puts the reader in mind of Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich, two mystics who lived at around this time period who were writers as well.

Margaret is wed at the age of 14 to a cruel man whose first wife hanged herself from the rafters. When Margaret receives the plague, Lewis Small takes her away from home, telling her that he wants to preserve the life of his unborn son. Instead he abandons her in the woods, expecting her to die.

Miraculously, Margaret is rescued by a midwife, Mother Hilde, and nursed back to good health. What follows is s series of adventures that lead the two women to follow a troupe of jongleurs to London, starting a new life with them. Margaret takes up the practice of midwifery--until she is accused of witchcraft by Lewis Small himself

Accused of witchcraft a second time, Margaret (who seems to have nine lives, at times) miraculously escapes and agrees to give up her practice and marry. She marries the wealthy merchant Roger Kendall, many years her senior. However, it is a love match, and they live several years in happiness, with two daughters.

Margaret is blessed (or cursed, depending on how one looks at things) with a Vision. She has the ability to magically heal people, a skill that becomes useful in helping women to give birth.

The book goes back and forth between the past and present, where the illiterate Margaret hires a Carthusian monk, Brother Gregory, to help her write her memoirs. Because Gregory thinks the project is ridiculous, and that women are subject to flights of fancy, he is unwilling at first to take the project on; but the promise of money leads him to accept anyway. Brother Gregory's story is told alongside the main narrative; and, as the reader finds out, the two stories are not unconnected.

In all, this was a well-written book, though there were some parts that really didn't need to be here. For example, Roger Kendall's grown sons from another marriage suddenly appear at the end of the novel and take Margaret hostage, believing that she has hidden their father's true will. Even though I imagine that Riley was trying to re-create fourteenth century language, the dialogue of the characters is stilted and forced sometimes. I also thought that Margaret's Visions were too much a story of their own, one that the author didn't really elaborate on. Also, I thought the jumping back and forth in time really hurt the narrative. However, this was a first novel, and Riley improved in her writing style as she progressed through her literary career. Its good so see that the works of this great historical fiction novelist are being reprinted.