The Priest, the Witch & the Poltergeist

by Barbara Wade Rose

The story of the 1851 Cideville witch trial lies buried in history. A witch named Thorel Felix, in revenge for the jailing of his coven leader, pronounced a hex upon two adolescent boys who lived with Father Jean Lariat in Cideville, France. Soon strange noises began in Lariat's parsonage. First he forced Felix to apologize to the boys. A local seigneur, Robert de Saint Martin, devised experiments to determine the poltergeist's source. Then Lariat and another priest tried an exorcism without success and a well-known occultist, the Marquis de Foursin, performed séances. Finally Father Lariat, half-crazed by the relentless noise, went to the farm where Felix was a shepherd and beat the witch to the ground. He thought he had won. But Felix struggled to his feet and pronounced upon Lariat the most modern of hexes: "I sue you. I sue you for slander and assault." What followed may be history's only trial where a witch was the plaintiff, not the defendant. The Priest, the Witch and the Poltergeist is a novel based on this incredible story. It brings to life the battle between Felix and Lariat and tells of the witch's meeting maid Eve Thérigny of the seigneur's estate, who fell in love with his subversive courage. And it just may be that the causes of the poltergeist are stranger than anyone living during the Industrial Revolution could foresee.

Genres: Historical Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2010

About the author

BARBARA WADE ROSE is a former journalist and winner of the Magazines Canada Gold Award and the Science in Society Journalism Award. She worked as San Francisco correspondent for Maclean's magazine and has written for the Globe and Mail, the New York Times, Saturday Night magazine, Chatelaine, Books in Canada and many more. She is the author of MARABEL OR, THE GREAT EXCEPTION (finalist in the Whistler Independent Spirit Awards) and THE PRIEST, THE WITCH & THE POLTERGEIST (quarter-finalist in the Coverfly Cinematic Book Competition). Both books are available as audiobooks on Audible.com. She lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Barbara Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

London's The Beat: Arts and Entertainment, September 2010: 'The twists and surprises such as the parish priest beating a witch keep it sizzling through to the end.'


LFinnegan, Canada, posted on Barnes & Noble: 'A lively circus of a novel, animated by a most intriguing cast of characters. The story is truly bizarre and engaging --- at turns suspenseful, humorous, unsettling, even poignant --- and rips along at a brisk and entertaining pace. It is richly imagined, well-told, and made even more compelling by the element of truth. I loved the mayhem of the trial scene, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire book.'

[Beth (bibliobeth) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting and intriguing story based on an actual event where a poltergeist terrorizes a parish priest and his two young charges. The trial of the witch accused of creating the noisy occupant was an added bonus I wasn't expecting although the dialogue felt stilted at time.

Please see my full review at http://bibliobeth.wordpress.com

[Barbara Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary tale, based on true events, that had me mesmerized.

Father Jean Tinel, curé of the 19th century village of Cideville, writes to his superiors for directions in dealing with a local witches’ coven, whose leader Tinel recently sent to prison.

One of the witches, Thorel Felix, confronts Tinel’s young students, Gustave and Bunel, frightening them. Tinel’s neighbor, Robert de St. Victor, an amateur scientist, see Felix as harmless, but Tinel considers Felix an evil threat, and when ghostly noises begin to haunt the rectory, he blames Felix for introducing a poltergeist.

Tinel conducts an exorcism, but the noises persist, growing more ferocious, and an atrocity is committed. A poltergeist hunter, the Marquis de Mirville, arrives and conducts a séance during which the poltergeist seems to respond to his questions.

A tense trial is convened. Various witnesses give testimony. And hellish events ensue.

The author's elegant prose is crafted with intense precision, illuminating the rich inner lives of these characters.

Recommended!

[LaLaLa Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her book, The Priest, the Witch, and the Poltergeist, Barbara Wade Rose writes of a true incident that takes place in the small town of Cideville, France during the 1850's and weaves it into a narrative. A local witch, named Thorel Felix, puts a hex on two young students who reside with a priest named Father Jean Lariat. This hex is an act of retaliation against the priest who recently had a hand in imprisoning the leader of Felix's coven. After this, a poltergeist takes hold of the Lariat household. There were many failed attempts and experiments to rid his small country home of the poltergeist, including an exorcism.

The beginning of almost every chapter begins with a diary entry of Robert de Saint Martin, a seigneur and good friend to Lariat who attempts to help him expel the poltergeist. These entries had the feel of the diary narrative from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Diary entries in horror novels can make the story more chilling because the reader is going through the journey with the character, and neither knows what is going to occur next.

Then the novel takes a surprising turn, and becomes almost like a legal drama with some courtroom action. Felix sues Father Lariat for assault and slander. Unlike any of the witch trials recorded in history, this case is one of the few, if not the only one, where the witch was the plaintiff rather than the defendant, and he certainly has the right to sue.

One of the aspects I most enjoyed of the novel was watching the character development unfold. Upon first meeting Felix, he is truly a villain, while the priest and the two boys are his God-fearing victims. Yet as the novel progresses, many of Lariat's character flaws and ill intentions are revealed, and I lost much of the sympathy for him I initially felt. As for Felix, I did not see him as such a wicked character as the story moves forward; however, he didn't become a glorified entity either. I felt some sympathy for Felix when Lariat physically attacked him and I believed that he had the right to sue. Still, he remained a self proclaimed witch who did in fact put a hex on two young boys, so he did not become an innocent figure by the end of the novel. The characters are not black or white, good or bad, nor devil or saint. In fact, ultimately, you see how the priest and his students were more the victims of themselves than any hex a witch could have conjured.


The Verdict

Library Bag: Although I do not think it will be the next great contemporary classic, I do think it was an entertaining story featuring an obscure event in history.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Priest, the Witch, & the Poltergeist by Barbara Wade Rose has one of the most interesting reasons for existence I’ve ever heard. One routine day at the dentist, Rose picked up a book on the paranormal to take her mind off her upcoming procedure. She began to read about an 1851 trial in Cideville, France, and was inspired, through a ton of future research, to turn the events into a novel. What results is one of the most interesting books I’ve read in awhile about something I knew nothing about.

A suspected poltergeist is causing havoc in the Cideville parsonage and rattling Father Lariat and the rest of the inhabitants. After a failed exorcism and séance, Lariat is convinced that the poltergeist is the doing of a local witch, Thorel Felix. Felix and the rest of his coven are desperately trying to get their leader released from jail, but Lariat had a huge part in putting him there. After an altercation between Lariat and Felix, the person who is brought to trial isn't whom you would expect.

This book is filled with interesting characters, and you’ll probably feel sympathy for those who, in ordinary society, aren't usually considered “sympathetic”. Much to my surprise given the title, The Priest, the Witch, & the Poltergeist, I was not particularly filled with much suspense as I read (In other words, if you're looking to be scared, you should probably go elsewhere.). Even so, the events of 1851 are interesting enough in and of themselves to become the basis of a great work of historical fiction. So be glad Barbara Wade Rose had a dentist appointment that day!

MY RATING - 4

See this review on 1776books.net...

http://1776books.blogspot.com/2013/01...

[Book Lovers Never Go to Bed Alone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbara Wade Rose's latest work The Priest, the Witch & the Poltergeist is based on a very real and disturbing event in history. In 1851, a man named Thorel Felix was accused of witchcraft and of hexing two young boys in the village of Cideville. His motive was revenge over the imprisonment of his coven leader. Soon after, strange noises began in the local priest's parsonage. The story is a classic tale of witchcraft, including exorcisms and séances. There is a unique wrinkle to this tale however. When the local priest beats Felix, he sues Lariat in court. Sadly, much of this story is lost to history. Rose gives us a fictionalized account to fill in the gaps of the real events.

The real story is fascinating. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, this little French village seems like a place out of another time. Strains of Salem are everywhere and that was approximately 150 prior to this! Rose uses the actual court documents to structure her narrative and it gives an authenticity to the fiction. As a historical novel, it definitely works.

As a work of fiction however, The Priest, the Witch & the Poltergeist is less successful. Rose is a journalist and this often felt like an article filled in with a few characters here and there. The historical details were rich and the actual story compelling. Her interpretation of the characters was often flat and they felt lifeless. The invented dialogue was stilted and awkward. Conclusion: I loved the story, but did not care for the narrative. Mixed feelings on this one.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be something different than I expected it to be. The title alone made me want to read this book, and the cover certainly sealed the deal for me. I thought this would be a great historical fiction/horror mash-up, and, while it was sufficiently creepy, it had a much different tone than I thought it would.

The author based this work of fiction on accounts she read of the 1851 Cideville, France witch trials. In Rose's story Thorel Felix is accused of placing a hex on two young boys living in the home of Father Jean Lariat. Problems with poltergeists ensue, and Father Jean is pushed to his limit by the mayhem, as are most of the other villagers. Attempts to communicate with the poltergeist lead to more trouble for Father Jean and Thorel Felix, yet things are not always what they seem.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction. I loved the author's writing style and the story flowed well, making me want to read more. The characters were interesting and flawed and, again, not always what you expected them to be in the end. Hope to see more by this author.

[Richard Phinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read which will amaze you with its remarkable historical detail. Those simply interested in a glib page-turner should perhaps look elsewhere, but this unusual and suspenseful novel, full of surprising characters, is deeply rewarding. The interplay between religion and superstition and the mysteries of life are rarely explored in such an interesting way. Highly recommended.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun book to read. I love that it makes you jump back and forth with your opinion on the source of the poltergeist. Great historical fiction, well worth a chilly evening by the fire.

[Vincenza Sera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book! You will immediatley get immersed in the twists and turns of this true story. The characters, the setting and the premise make the novel an entertaining read. I loved it.

[Devin Lind]

I really wanted to read and like this book. Unfortunately, I didn't.

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