One of the most important works of historical fiction in some time.
Mohrman, a well-established scholar, adapts the medieval saint's Life of Christina of Markyate to the form of a novel. A controversial story for its realism concerning sexuality, the Life was never finished, but survived in partial form, along with a psalter thought to be made for Christina.
The prose is effective and pleasant, and while "Gold of Pleasure" builds slowly in early chapters, it blossoms into a delicate retelling of one of the most compelling stories of the Middle Ages. Here is a story not about kings or archbishops, but a recluse who loved God and shaped the lives of those around her. Mohrman does Christina justice, and that is no small thing to say.

“I really enjoyed Gold of Pleasure and found it a perhaps unlikely page turner! The writer has capitalised so well on the suspense potential in the original story that it was hard to take any break between the sections. The novel is beautifully written and brings to life details of the material and natural context of her story in ways that also provide insight into a complex and conflicted personality. I found the book so beautifully, in many ways, elusive, with so many discussable ambiguities.” 

“Ruth Mohrman writes superbly. She conjures up her world in terms that are both medieval and modern, evoking not only the texture of political intrigue and everyday life in twelfth-century England but also Christina’s mix of self-assuredness and vulnerability as she negotiates the social and familial pressures that threaten her.”