Fruit of the Orchard: Reading Catherine of Siena in Late Medieval and Early Modern England

"Brown has written a very well researched work. On the basis of twenty-one manuscript and printed excepts or complete copies of works by and about Catherine, she has constructed a plausible picture of how Catherine became known in England between 1400 and 1700, who read her and why."

Hugh Feiss, Journal of British Studies

"[Fruit of the Orchard] is a fascinating study of English piety that clearly will interest specialists in women’s visionary culture. [Brown’s] close readings of specific texts add to our understanding of their creation, transmission, and reception. Scholars investigating connections between gender and spiritual authority, as well as the discourse between Latin and vernacular texts in an era of increasing literacy and print culture, will come away with new questions to pursue."

Lezlie Knox, Marquette University, Early Modern Women

"Fruit of the Orchard has been a decade in the writing: it was worth waiting for."

Luke Penkett, The Julian Centre, Norwich, Spiritus

"One of the several impressive aspects of this book lies in the extremely careful attention given to detail in manuscripts and printed sources relevant to the transmission of Catherinian texts in England. Jennifer N. Brown has thoroughly teased out the finest textual details and placed them within a carefully considered framework of considerations relative to the nature and effects of gendered readership, female history, religious culture, and the roles of authority and reform in the late medieval and early modern periods."

George Ferzoco, Department of Religion and Theology, University of Bristol

"Learned and careful, Fruit of the Orchard takes us through a jungle of reworkings and offers many valuable insights. The readings of specific manuscripts and printed editions are detailed and convincing. Jennifer N. Brown’s work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of late medieval devotional culture and its relation to book history."

Andrew Taylor, Department of English, University of Ottawa