Anneli Rufus takes the reader on a jaunt through Europe, creating "word paintings" of medieval times juxtaposed with modern attributes of the cities which house the specific relics discussed in the book. It is difficult for the mind to grasp the researched histories and vignettes that tell the story of each relic! We find ourselves both horrified and intrigued at once. Many of the behaviors of the sainted women portrayed are highly suggestive of anorexia nervosa, misdirected and/or suppressed eroticism, self-destructiveness, and obsessive compulsive disorder and would be viewed very differently in our modern world. I highly recommend this to any reader who is interested in the offbeat and the early history of the Catholic Church and its traditions.