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The Fire and the Light: A Novel of the Cathars and the Lost Teachings of Christ

par Glen Craney

Autres auteurs: Greg Spalenka (Artiste de la couverture)

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394640,287 (4.38)1
As the 13th century dawns, an ancient scroll hidden in the French Pyrenees is rumored to hold shocking revelations about Jesus of Nazareth. To preserve this lost evidence of His teachings, a charismatic Cathar holy woman must defy Rome. Christianity is about to enter its darkest hour and emerge forever changed.Set during the religious persecution and political rivalries of the Albigensian Crusade, this is a fictionalized interpretation of the life of Esclarmonde de Foix, a revered leader of a heretical sect of pacifist mystics called Cathars, or 'Pure Ones.' As the Viscountess of Foix, Esclarmonde ignites the enmity of Pope Innocent III by challenging the Church's venality and corruption. When her fame grows after public disputations with the legates of Rome, the Church retaliates by launching a brutal forty-year war in Occitania that culminates with the nine-month siege of Montsegur, the Cathar Masada.Here is a rich tapestry filled with poignant love stories, monastic corruption, Templar intrigue, troubadour espionage, mysteries of the Holy Grail and the Tarot, and epic siege battles that reshaped the kingdom of France and paved the path to the Reformation. This timely novel about the Cathar Joan of Arc offers a cautionary tale for those who insist that militant theocracy and terror in the name of God could never take root in the modern West. It also challenges traditional beliefs about the origins of Christianity and the controversial role of women in the priesthood.… (plus d'informations)
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4 sur 4
I went back and forth between really enjoying this book and wanting to throttle the author. In the end, I liked it well enough to buy my own copy after returning my reading copy to the library.

I've put this on my "historical fiction" shelf here on GoodReads, but the story is actually a myth: one person's vivid reconstruction of what might have happened to central figures in an evocative but myseterious sacred story. There is truthfulness in the tale, even if many of the facts are lost to history and even -- as one Amazon.com reviewer accused -- the author took significant liberties with the known facts.

The positive elements of the book are its strong characterizations, gripping story, and vivid writing. I cared about these characters and was deeply moved by their suffering.

The negative element is also the writing. Craney obviously put a great deal of effort into being descriptive, but he went overboard. I don't have the book in front of me to give specific examples, but when someone with a graduate degree has to pick up a dictionary to know what color a character's eyes are, the author has gone too far. Likewise, a description of a sunrise does not need three different, unrelated metaphors in a single sentence. The manuscript could have been pruned of these excesses and been stronger for it.

( )
  jsabrina | Jul 13, 2021 |
The Fire and the Light is a fictional account of the Cathars and the fall of Montsegur. It is the time of the Courts of Love, originated by Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the troubadours. Mr. Craney has taken an aggregate of several women named Esclarmonde and created Esclarmonde de Foix, an Occitan noblewoman who becomes intrigued by the new religion sweeping the south of France. He weaves her story into the history of the Cathars ending with the fall of Montsegur, a fortress occupied by the Cathars just north of the Pyrenees near Carcassonne.
The author concentrates on the love story between his heroine and a renegade Templar knight named Guillhelm though he also covers the story of the wars the French king and the Catholic Church wage against the Cathars. Elements of the Cathar's secrets covered by books such as The DaVinci Code are also covered here. The writing is dense and covers a lot of material. It is a good fictional account for readers who don't know much about the Cathars and want some background. ( )
  N.W.Moors | Nov 13, 2017 |
I couldn't put this amazing historical novel about the Albigensian Crusade down. It has everything: adventure, romance, poetry, mysticism, theological debate, and, of course, history -- as close to what must have happened as possible. Highly recommended. ( )
  maggiespringer | Jan 20, 2016 |
I have a raging fascination with the history of religions so when presented with books, fiction or non fiction, I dive right in. The historical fiction tomes send me off to the google to figure out the reality from the story but when it comes to a sect like the Cathars who tried to co-exist with the might and power of the Catholic Church at the height of its reign well – we all know that history is written by the victors and what they write is often skewed. So what do we really know about this band of religious rebels? Not nearly enough to truly understand them but certainly enough to create a novel worth reading.

The author admits in his note that he extrapolates from history and from what I could learn he does play a little fast and loose with timelines and real people but that is the purview of “poetic license” I suppose. The book is part love story part war story as Pope Innocent III embarks on the destruction of a sect he feels is a danger to his power base.

The book is well written with engaging characters. There’s a lot of war and the subsequent description thereof but you can’t have war without it now can you? History tells us the outcome of the Cathars but Mr. Craney gives them life for another century to appreciate. ( )
  BooksCooksLooks | Jun 8, 2015 |
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Glen Craneyauteur principaltoutes les éditionscalculé
Spalenka, GregArtiste de la couvertureauteur secondairetoutes les éditionsconfirmé
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As the 13th century dawns, an ancient scroll hidden in the French Pyrenees is rumored to hold shocking revelations about Jesus of Nazareth. To preserve this lost evidence of His teachings, a charismatic Cathar holy woman must defy Rome. Christianity is about to enter its darkest hour and emerge forever changed.Set during the religious persecution and political rivalries of the Albigensian Crusade, this is a fictionalized interpretation of the life of Esclarmonde de Foix, a revered leader of a heretical sect of pacifist mystics called Cathars, or 'Pure Ones.' As the Viscountess of Foix, Esclarmonde ignites the enmity of Pope Innocent III by challenging the Church's venality and corruption. When her fame grows after public disputations with the legates of Rome, the Church retaliates by launching a brutal forty-year war in Occitania that culminates with the nine-month siege of Montsegur, the Cathar Masada.Here is a rich tapestry filled with poignant love stories, monastic corruption, Templar intrigue, troubadour espionage, mysteries of the Holy Grail and the Tarot, and epic siege battles that reshaped the kingdom of France and paved the path to the Reformation. This timely novel about the Cathar Joan of Arc offers a cautionary tale for those who insist that militant theocracy and terror in the name of God could never take root in the modern West. It also challenges traditional beliefs about the origins of Christianity and the controversial role of women in the priesthood.

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