Stages on the Road

A fascinating collection of saints' lives, a prophetic critique of modernity, and a surprisingly contemporary take on being Catholic—in particular a Catholic woman—in a sometimes-hostile secular world, from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Kristin Lavransdatter.

Stages on the Road is a series of essays about the relationship between the Church and the modern world. In the spirit of G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, Undset points to inconsistencies, hypocrisies, and blind spots of the modern secular mindset by introducing readers to the stories of somewhat-forgotten Catholic figures like St. Angela Merici and the English martyrs Margaret Clitherow and Robert Southwell—people who stood fast to their faith in the face of both intellectual and political hostility. Undset tackles such topics as religious freedom, Christian/Muslim relations, and the vocation of women.

"An energetic, passionate voice—one that urges the faithful onward, and onward still, through brambles of history and passing modern trends, toward a Truth that is startlingly alive." —Elizabeth Scalia, Blogger at The Anchoress

"In Undset we find the consummate Catholic author, seeing life both steadily and whole, and unveiling for us its deep and ultimate meaning as we read." —Jeffrey A. Mirus, President, Trinity Communications