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mightyfelix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
5.0
This book has everything. I loved it
jbrito's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
justasking27's review against another edition
4.0
A jaunty Romance, where every time it seems absolutely dire, some coincidence comes to save the day, and every time it seems like the happy ending is right there, something tragic happens. Full of long and detailed descriptions of such things as a siege of a castle, various modes of dress, inns and their customers, and dinner. I don't know how accurate the descriptions are but they are worth taking the time to read through.
booklearner's review against another edition
2.0
This is definitely one of the longest books I have tackled in a great while. Numbering 700+ pages and being 102 chapters. Ugh. I dislike long tomes so! But I know it is good to stretch myself out of my comfort zone every once in a while, and prove to myself that I can do hard things. And I completed this lengthy undertaking, even if it did me take 3 months and bribing the librarian to renew it past the amount of times you’re allowed {for the record though, I do that often}.
Memory escapes me as to why I ever thought I wanted to read it. Perhaps I thought the forbidden romance between a priest and his lady love sounded intriguing, or maybe it was because the main character is an illuminator and I love that type of detailed art. The important question to ask is: Was it worth it? The answer is not a very simple one. I came away feeling that if I had known how miserable a tale it would be, I would not have begun to read it in the first place. I really didn’t get much from the story personally. Every possible obstacle was put in the characters’ ways and the story dragged on and on. It is quite an unfortunate tale of love and loss and waiting against hope, of death and despair and the subjugation of comfort and affection.
However, after finishing the book, I felt I had a little better understanding of the different medieval civilizations of Europe—France, Germany, Italy, Holland. I read strange and unusual vocabulary words. And best of all I felt the satisfaction of finishing something hard.
I had a hunch that the length, ebb and flow of the action pacing signaled that it had begun in serial form in the 1800’s, and upon doing some research I learned that is correct. In which case, I think this very dramatic novel would make a good basis for a serialized audio drama.
I was surprised to come to the end of the book and find that this story is a very “supposed” account of two people who actually lived. This is a very Catholic story, but at the same time it takes place on the eve of the Reformation and Gerard has his own opinions on doctrinal issues. In actuality, it is the author's agenda that shows through in the end. I particularly appreciated his making the case for community to help overcome one's temptations, rather than isolation.
One of Reade's goals was to put flesh (or, a story) on the dusty bones of forgotten names in history, which is a very interesting idea. How many times do we read our own genealogies, only to just let the names glaze us over and we fail to grasp that these were living, breathing human beings at one point just as we are?
"Not a day passes over the earth, but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers and martyrs, the greater part will never be known till that hour, when many that are great shall be small, and the small great; but of others the world's knowledge may be said to sleep: their lives and characters lie hidden from nations in the annals that record them. The general reader cannot feel them, they are presented so curtly and coldly: they are not like breathing stories appealing to his heart, but little historic hailstones striking him but to glance off his bosom: nor can he understand them; for epitomes are not narratives, as skeletons are not human figures."
And after all of those chapters, descriptions, vocabulary &c. , I STILL could not ascertain whether Gerard and Margaret were ever legally married!! Does anybody have a clue?
Memory escapes me as to why I ever thought I wanted to read it. Perhaps I thought the forbidden romance between a priest and his lady love sounded intriguing, or maybe it was because the main character is an illuminator and I love that type of detailed art. The important question to ask is: Was it worth it? The answer is not a very simple one. I came away feeling that if I had known how miserable a tale it would be, I would not have begun to read it in the first place. I really didn’t get much from the story personally. Every possible obstacle was put in the characters’ ways and the story dragged on and on. It is quite an unfortunate tale of love and loss and waiting against hope, of death and despair and the subjugation of comfort and affection.
However, after finishing the book, I felt I had a little better understanding of the different medieval civilizations of Europe—France, Germany, Italy, Holland. I read strange and unusual vocabulary words. And best of all I felt the satisfaction of finishing something hard.
I had a hunch that the length, ebb and flow of the action pacing signaled that it had begun in serial form in the 1800’s, and upon doing some research I learned that is correct. In which case, I think this very dramatic novel would make a good basis for a serialized audio drama.
I was surprised to come to the end of the book and find that this story is a very “supposed” account of two people who actually lived. This is a very Catholic story, but at the same time it takes place on the eve of the Reformation and Gerard has his own opinions on doctrinal issues. In actuality, it is the author's agenda that shows through in the end. I particularly appreciated his making the case for community to help overcome one's temptations, rather than isolation.
One of Reade's goals was to put flesh (or, a story) on the dusty bones of forgotten names in history, which is a very interesting idea. How many times do we read our own genealogies, only to just let the names glaze us over and we fail to grasp that these were living, breathing human beings at one point just as we are?
"Not a day passes over the earth, but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers and martyrs, the greater part will never be known till that hour, when many that are great shall be small, and the small great; but of others the world's knowledge may be said to sleep: their lives and characters lie hidden from nations in the annals that record them. The general reader cannot feel them, they are presented so curtly and coldly: they are not like breathing stories appealing to his heart, but little historic hailstones striking him but to glance off his bosom: nor can he understand them; for epitomes are not narratives, as skeletons are not human figures."
And after all of those chapters, descriptions, vocabulary &c. , I STILL could not ascertain whether Gerard and Margaret were ever legally married!! Does anybody have a clue?
acejemmys's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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