MarkGregoryPegg’shistoryoftheMiddleAgesopensandcloseswithmartyrdom,thefirstthatofayoungRomanmotherinaNorthAfricanamphitheaterin203andthesecondaFrenchgirlburnedtodeathbesidetheSeinein1431.BothVibiaPerpetuaandJeannelaPucellediedfortheirChristianbeliefs,yetthatforwhichtheywillinglysacrificedtheirlivesconnectsandseparatesthem.Bothweredivinelyinspired,butonebelievedherdeitysharedtheuniversewithothergods,andtheotherknewthatherCreatorruledheavenandearth.Betweenthem,acrossthecenturies,liveswereshapedbytheebbandflowofthedivineandthehuman.HereisthestoryofpeoplestrugglinginlifeandindeathtounderstandthemselvesandtheirrelationshiptoGod.Beatrice’sLastSmileinterweavesvividportraitsofsuchindividualstoofferasweepingandimmersivestory.Someareofenduringrenown--Augustine,Muhammad,Charlemagne,Heloise--andothersareobscure.AnEgyptianyouthfightingdemonsinthedesertasthefirstmonk;aBritonbecomesaholymanafterenslavementinIreland;anemperorinConstantinoplewatchesasrioterstorchthecity;aoldSyrianmonkadvisestheEnglishonsex;thesoulofaMerovingiannoblefliesthroughthenightskytoheaven;anIrishwarriorsurfsthewaveslikeadolphinashefleestheVikings;acrusader’sbootssquelchwithbloodonthestreetsofJerusalem;atroubadoursingsoflove;aMuslimlordexpressesadmirationoftheTemplars;apopeproclaimsthatChristendomencompassesalltimeandspace;abarefootFranciscanfriarvisitstheGreatKhanoftheMongols;aParisianrabbiarguesfortheholinessoftheTalmud;andapoetlamentsbeingaliveamidthehorroroftheBlackDeath.Together,theytakereadersfromthevastnessoftheRomanEmpiretosmallcommunitiesbetweentheMediterraneanandtheNorthSea,fromthenomadsoftheAsiansteppestothetriumphantChurchofLatinChristendom.Beatrice’sLastSmileoffersapulsatinghistoryoftheWest:thepassionatebeliefintheoldgodsthatyieldstoacosmosshapedbyone;thetransitionfromapenitentialculturetoaconfessionalone;theuniversalobsessionwithimitatingChrist.ThebookisnamedforthemomentinDanteAlighieri’sDivineComedywhenhislong-deadlove,Beatrice,smilesonefinaltimeatDanteinparadisebeforeturningawaytolooketernallyuponthefaceofGod.MarkGregoryPegg’sepicnarrativecapturesamillenniumwithinthatfleetingsmile,inwaysthatmodernreaderswillfindilluminatingandhaunting.
