She was a saint, a mystic, a reformer, a legend, and she was a fascinating and complex woman. This is the first full-scale biography of Saint Teresa of Avila from a human, nonconfessional point of view. Victoria Lincoln immersed herself thoroughly in all of Saint Teresa's writings, including her extensive correspondence. She has reconstructed the inner life of this rigorous reformer of the Carmelite Order and disciplined explorer of mystical experience. The relation between Saint Teresa's inner and outer life is defined with new insight and profundity.