The Blessed Anne Catheine Emmerich is a respected and tormented figure in the Catholic church. She was bedridden for most of her life and was a stigmatic as well. Anne was a very supernaturally-affected person, and professed to have seen many visions in her life. These were recorded by a friend and published. Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary was uncompleted when the scribe died, and so was published as is. The book could be compared to Milton's Paradise Lost in theme as it is a "bringing to life" of the scriptures, in this case, the experiences of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Anne describes in vivid detail the events of Mary's life: the immaculate conception, her marriage, Christ's birth from Mary's perspective, and the events of Holy Week according to the Blessed Mother. Anne saw in her visions the most minute traits, exemplified by the description of Mary's wedding dress, hairstyle ("interwoven with white silk and pearls...a great net falling over her shoulders"), and ring. Whether or not Anne saw these visions is up for debate, but the descriptions are nonetheless entrancing. Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a revealing and creative look into the spirit of the Mary, the lauded mother of the church.

Abby Zwart
CCEL Staff Writer