First published 2023
Teresa sits at her writing desk, dreading the correspondence that awaits her. She would rather pen another book than face these letters, yet she picks up her quill anyway. From 1546 to 1577, she writes to family members, fellow religious, theologians, nobility, and merchants across Spain. Her pen moves freely, unburdened by the censors who will scrutinize her published works. She shares worries that keep her awake, celebrates small victories in founding new convents, mourns setbacks that threaten her reforms. To her brother she reveals family concerns. To her confessors she admits spiritual struggles. To powerful patrons she balances diplomacy with honesty. Each letter captures a moment in time, sometimes written in haste between meetings, other times composed carefully over days. Teresa finds letter writing more exhausting than traveling Spain's rough roads in harsh weather, yet she continues because these relationships sustain her work and her heart.
Genres: christian, historical, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: epistolary, found-family
Setting: Spain
Period: 1546-1577
330 pages · Paperback · Legare Street Press