This book examines the ideas of Margaret Fell (1614–1702), one of the founders of Quakerism. Historians have been fascinated by Fell's contributions to the early Quaker movement, but few have examined her theology in depth. Bruyneel argues that even though Fell was not an original thinker, she was a practical theologian whose ideas shed light on the development of the early Quaker movement.

After a brief chapter that outlines Fell's life story, Bruyneel argues that Fell's radical eschatology is the key to her thought. Fell supported Jewish settlement in England, women's spiritual equality, and the peace testimony because of her conviction that Christ's second coming had already begun.

This book will be useful to scholars of Quakerism, but it is too specialized for classroom use. In the beginning of the book, Bruyneel criticizes other historians for studying Fell in order to contribute to “some other scholarly end” instead of “Fell scholarship per se” (12). Yet because of her narrow focus, Bruyneel misses a valuable opportunity to ask broader questions about seventeenth-century women's history and religious history.