Carcasona, 1357. En tiempos del Papa Inocencio VI, en el sur de Francia, reina la peste y la Inquisición. La abadesa Marie Françoise va a ser juzgada bajo los cargos de herejía y brujería por haber realizado sanaciones mágicas y haber atentado contra el Papa. Para unos santa y para otros bruja. El monje escriba Michael es el encargado de obtener su confesión antes de que sea condenada a la hoguera. Sin embargo, a medida que la abadesa avanza su relato, Michael se ve sumergido en un mundo mágico donde se enfrentan el bien y el mal, y ante sus ojos y en su corazón va creciendo la imagen de una mujer santa, valiente y noble.

Fieldnotes:
Carcassonne, 1330s-1350s

1 Goddess-Chosen Woman
Her Loving Wise-Woman Grandmother
Her Powerful Jealous Enemy
Her Noble Strong Beloved
So Much Pining
2 Maternal Betrayals with Surprisingly Little Emotional Fallout

1 Ambivalent Inquisitorial Scribe
1 Involved "Confession"
Too Many Burnings
Magic (Including Miraculous Healing, Charms and "Seeing")

1 "Message" About the Harm Caused by Fear Hit Over and Over Again to make sure it is Drilled into Readers' Skulls ( )

Not bad. Well written historical novel set in France in the mid-1300's during the plague and Inquisition. This is a world where magic exists through pagan practitioners who worship the Goddess.

I took a History of Witchcraft class in college. The entire White Goddess theory was debunked. Yes, there were pagans in medieval times, but they did not all have the same practices. Italian paganism is different than French paganism, etc. Also in France one could not be charged or convicted of witchcraft unless it could be shown that the witch directly killed someone or committed some other criminal act. France was probably the best place for pagans to be because of this.

The paganism described in the book is modern neo-paganism. I was disappointed. Had the book been set in some other world and not ours, I could have accepted it, but setting this is our world--it just pulled me out of the story. The book also ended in a way leading me to think there is to be a sequel. That makes this book a very long prologue.

Wiccans might enjoy this book because the practices will be very familiar to them.

I'm not inclined to seek out other books by this author. ( )

En el tiempo de las hogueras

, valiente y noble
La Abadesa Marie Francoise, va a ser juzgada bajo los cargos de herejía y brujería por haber realizado sanacionjes mágicas y haber atentado contra el papa. Para unos santa, para otros bruja.
A medida que el notario va recogiendo el testimonio , su confesión, se va sumergiendo en un mundo mágico donde se enfrenta al bien y al mal y en su corazón irá creciendo la imagen de una mujer santa, valiente y noble.

While I didn't think this was a good as the previous books I have read by this author I still found it fairly gripping.
I really wanted to know if Michel would help the Abbess and if she would escape being burnt at the stake. ( )