The legend is only the beginning . .

Ninth-century Mainz, in the heart of the Holy Roman Empire.

Agnes is the motherless child of an English priest - a wild and brilliant girl with a deep, visceral love of God. But when tragedy strikes, she is suddenly forced to choose between what is expected of her and the life she has always dreamed of. Determined to find her own freedom, she disguises herself as a man, securing a place at the revered Fulda monastery and forever altering the course of her existence.

Thus begins the life of John the Englishman: a matchless scholar and scribe of Fulda, then a charismatic heretic in an Athens commune and, by her middle years, a celebrated teacher in Rome. There, she dazzles the Church hierarchy with her knowledge of the old and new languages of Europe, theology and Church law, and finds herself at the heart of political intrigue in a city where gossip is a powerful - and deadly - currency. And when the only person who knows her identity arrives in Rome, she will risk everything to once again feel what it is to be known - and loved.

'A spectacular story of shape-shifting, love and faith . . .It enthralled me'Jessie Burton, multi-million bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The House of Fortune'Astonishing . . .a scorching vision of a book'Charlotte Wood, Booker-shortlisted author of Stone Yard Devotional'A fierce, sexy, heady maelstrom of a book. It sucked me in from the first page'Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies'What an incredible book Rapture is. It has 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 'Bold and unexpected, Rapture buzzes with life and energy .. . Extraordinary'Rosanna Pike, instant Sunday Times bestselling author of A Little Trickerie'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

Format:Hardback 320 pages, None

Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton

Imprint:Sceptre

ISBN:9781399731065

Published:27 Mar 2025

Classifications:Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Myth & legend told as fiction, Historical fiction, Religious & spiritual fiction, Fiction: special features