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| St. Martin's Griffin |
Brenda Rickman Vantrease
2008
The Summary
"In the fifteenth century, with religious intolerance spreading like wildfire across Europe, Englishwoman Anna Bookman and her grandfather, Finn, earn a living in Prague by illuminating precious books - including forbidden translations of the Bible. As their secret trade grows ever more hazardous, Finn urges Anna to seek sanctuary in England. Her passage abroad, however, will be anything but easy.
"Meanwhile, a priest in London, Brother Gabriel, dutifully obeys church doctrine by granting pardons...for a small fee. But when he is sent to France in disguise to find the source of the banned manuscripts finding their way to England, he meets Anna, who has set up a temporary stall as a bookseller. She has no way of knowing that the rich merchant frequenting her stall is actually a priest - just as he does not know he has met the woman for whom he will renounce his church.
"It is only in England, which is far from the safe harbor once imagined, that their dangerous secrets will be revealed."
"In the fifteenth century, with religious intolerance spreading like wildfire across Europe, Englishwoman Anna Bookman and her grandfather, Finn, earn a living in Prague by illuminating precious books - including forbidden translations of the Bible. As their secret trade grows ever more hazardous, Finn urges Anna to seek sanctuary in England. Her passage abroad, however, will be anything but easy.
"Meanwhile, a priest in London, Brother Gabriel, dutifully obeys church doctrine by granting pardons...for a small fee. But when he is sent to France in disguise to find the source of the banned manuscripts finding their way to England, he meets Anna, who has set up a temporary stall as a bookseller. She has no way of knowing that the rich merchant frequenting her stall is actually a priest - just as he does not know he has met the woman for whom he will renounce his church.
"It is only in England, which is far from the safe harbor once imagined, that their dangerous secrets will be revealed."
The Good
The Mercy Seller is a fascinating story. I love the way Brenda Rickman Vantrease portrays the troubling dynamic between the Catholic Church, an entity unto itself in fifteenth century England, and the Lollard movement, which opposed the Church, promoted an individualized relationship with God, and translated the Bible into English (among other increasingly radical things).
I found it emotionally draining, especially when things started to fall apart for Anna, but I thought it interesting to see history take shape on the pages. Vantrease does an excellent job of showing the political, religious, and social climate of the age. More importantly, she manages to make it feel personal, makes it easy to invest yourself in the characters.
Speaking of which, I liked Anna and Gabriel. I liked how their relationship initially shows the opposing views of the Lollards and the Church, how they are at one another's throats. Furthermore, they're both interesting characters: headstrong, inquisitive in their purpose and faith, and emotionally complex.
Gabriel, in particular, is subject to such emotional complexity as he struggles with his faith and his once stalwart belief in church doctrine. I found his evolution as an individual, his shift from questing and questioning to decisive action, particularly intriguing. Admittedly, his story captivated me more than Anna's.
But I'd be a liar if I said I didn't enjoy the romantic aspect of Anna and Gabriel's relationship. They have a difficult relationship, yes, but it has its sweet, soft moments too. It speaks something to the redemptive power of love. (Cliché, I know. I was a little sappy toward the end.)
The Mercy Seller is a fascinating story. I love the way Brenda Rickman Vantrease portrays the troubling dynamic between the Catholic Church, an entity unto itself in fifteenth century England, and the Lollard movement, which opposed the Church, promoted an individualized relationship with God, and translated the Bible into English (among other increasingly radical things).
I found it emotionally draining, especially when things started to fall apart for Anna, but I thought it interesting to see history take shape on the pages. Vantrease does an excellent job of showing the political, religious, and social climate of the age. More importantly, she manages to make it feel personal, makes it easy to invest yourself in the characters.
Speaking of which, I liked Anna and Gabriel. I liked how their relationship initially shows the opposing views of the Lollards and the Church, how they are at one another's throats. Furthermore, they're both interesting characters: headstrong, inquisitive in their purpose and faith, and emotionally complex.
Gabriel, in particular, is subject to such emotional complexity as he struggles with his faith and his once stalwart belief in church doctrine. I found his evolution as an individual, his shift from questing and questioning to decisive action, particularly intriguing. Admittedly, his story captivated me more than Anna's.
But I'd be a liar if I said I didn't enjoy the romantic aspect of Anna and Gabriel's relationship. They have a difficult relationship, yes, but it has its sweet, soft moments too. It speaks something to the redemptive power of love. (Cliché, I know. I was a little sappy toward the end.)
The Bad
Vantrease's novel is a work if historical fiction and, as such, spoilers are easy to come by. If you have any interest in history - or, heck, if you've ever had a high school class in English history - you can probably predict what will happen.
The Ugly
The Mercy Seller is very much a novel rooted in faith, specifically on the examination of Christian faith and division in the fifteenth century. These characters, based on historical figures, are motivated by their beliefs to the point of fanaticism. That fanatical faith frequently makes righteous decisions turn foul, leading to religious and social persecution (among other horrible things).
Dissidents, like Lollards, were often tortured and killed for their difference in faith. Although The Mercy Seller is fictional, it's based on actual events. While Anna and Gabriel may not have actually existed, events which they witnessed were unnervingly, startlingly true.
The Mercy Seller is very much a novel rooted in faith, specifically on the examination of Christian faith and division in the fifteenth century. These characters, based on historical figures, are motivated by their beliefs to the point of fanaticism. That fanatical faith frequently makes righteous decisions turn foul, leading to religious and social persecution (among other horrible things).
Dissidents, like Lollards, were often tortured and killed for their difference in faith. Although The Mercy Seller is fictional, it's based on actual events. While Anna and Gabriel may not have actually existed, events which they witnessed were unnervingly, startlingly true.
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