{"product_id":"rapture-by-emily-maguire","title":"Rapture by Emily Maguire","description":"\u003cp\u003e A fierce, feminist, sexy retelling of the life of the first and only female pope \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLonglisted for the Stella Prize\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year award\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A complex heroine who wrestles with the demands of faith, lust and ambition... A forceful wonder'The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A gripping, gorgeous story of faith and feminism... A rapturous read'Daily Mail\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Mesmerising from beginning to end'Glamour'A spectacular story of shape-shifting, love and faith . . . It enthralled me'Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist and The House of Fortune\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Astonishing . . . a scorching vision of a book'Charlotte Wood, Booker-shortlisted author of Stone Yard Devotional\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A fierce, sexy, heady maelstrom of a book. It sucked me in from the first page'Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe legend is only the beginning . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNinth-century Mainz, in the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. Agnes is the motherless child of an English priest - a wild and brilliant girl. But when tragedy strikes, she is forced to choose between what is expected of her and the freedom she has always dreamed of.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdopting a bold disguise, she secures a place at the revered Fulda monastery and begins life anew as John the Englishman. A matchless scholar and celebrated teacher, by her middle years she has dazzled the Church hierarchy in Rome, finding herself at the centre of power and intrigue. But in a city where gossip is currency, a secret like hers is dangerous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd when the only person who knows her true identity arrives in Rome, she will risk everything to be known - and loved. More praise for Rapture\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'All the hallmarks of a great thriller - such tension - mixed with the quiet, confident beauty of Agnes' voice - her fury and her love 'Evie Wyld, author of The Echoes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Bold and unexpected, Rapture buzzes with life and energy . . . Extraordinary' Rosanna Pike, instant Sunday Times bestselling author of A Little Trickerie\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Emily Maguire has created an earthy, visceral, and sensual tale, full of devotion, intrigue and passion . . . A stunning novel'Victoria MacKenzie, award-winning author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA note from the author-'Rapture is inspired by a thousand year-old story about a clever girl who dresses as a man to follow her lover to a monastery where she becomes a brilliant scholar and teacher, and eventually ends up - still in careful disguise - the most powerful person in Rome. I feel like this is the book I've been working towards for my whole writing life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of an ambitious woman in a world where women are supposed to be modest. A woman whose mind refuses to accept a small life, and whose body is reviled while remaining, for her, a source of great joy. A woman, who, like so many oppressed people throughout history, finds a way to subvert and resist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo be who she is without permission or approval. In Rapture this legendary, much-argued over figure is a flesh-and-blood woman of ingenuity, purpose and passion. Her name is Agnes, and I'm excited for you to meet her.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat:Paperback \/ softback 320 pages, None\u003cbr\u003ePublisher:Hodder \u0026amp; Stoughton\u003cbr\u003eImprint:Sceptre\u003cbr\u003eISBN:9781399731096\u003cbr\u003ePublished:26 Mar 2026\u003cbr\u003eClassifications:Modern \u0026amp; contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Myth \u0026amp; legend told as fiction, Historical fiction, Religious \u0026amp; spiritual fiction, Fiction: special features\u003cbr\u003eWeight:224g\u003cbr\u003eDimensions:196 x 129 x 23 (mm)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wave of Nostalgia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63918695809373,"sku":null,"price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0934\/8838\/2301\/files\/9781399731096.jpg?v=1773925318","url":"https:\/\/waveofnostalgia.co.uk\/products\/rapture-by-emily-maguire","provider":"Wave of Nostalgia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}