Salvation: Scenes from the Life of St. Francis

From the award-winning author of Property and bestselling author of Mary Reilly--＂a bold retelling of a familiar, beloved story＂ (Los Angeles Times), inspired by the fresco cycles that depict the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Drawing from myriad sources and moving in reverse chronological order, she begins in the dark, final days, with a suffering Francesco on the verge of death, then shows us the unwashed and innocent revolutionary, unafraid to lecture a pope on Christ’s message. We see his mystical friendship with Chiara di Offreducci, a nobleman’s daughter who turns her back on the world to join him, and finally, the frivolous young Francesco on the deserted road where his encounter with a leper leads him to an ecstatic embrace of God. Salvation is at once an illuminating glimpse into the medieval world and an original and intimate portrait of the man whose legend has resonated through the centuries.

Valerie Martin is the author of six novels and two collections of short fiction, including Italian Feverand Mary Reilly, and a biography of St. Francis, Salvation. She resides in upstate New York.