Godric by Frederick Buechner

If you like medieval language and religiosity, you'll love this novel about St. Godric. The rhythm of Beuchner's sentences, the use of archaic English, the subtle rhyming and assonances combine to evoke the feeling of a medieval ballad. The story is true to its historical roots, tracking what is known about St. Godric (c.1065-1170). Overall there is more of the earthly than of religion, but Godric's desire for absolution and redemption colors everything. His religion is standard medieval Christianity, and although he is a hermit, he doesn't seem at all a mystic; his is an intense but conventional approach to religion.