A Saint, More or Less

by Henry Grunwald

When Nicole Tavernier, a mysterious healer, arrives in Paris in the mid-1500s, the lives of ordinary citizens, religious leaders, and members of the aristocracy are utterly transformed. Taken under the wing of the pious and politically influential Acarie family, Tavernier pursues her mission under the watchful eye and religious guidance of Barbe Acarie, a woman much admired in the Catholic community.

When Nicole comes to the attention of Henry of Navarre, the future king of France, Barbe grows to distrust the younger woman, whose past is cloaked in secrecy. One of these two women is a candidate to become a saint–but which is the true one? An intense, silent struggle between them leads to scandalous charges and an explosive confrontation, as each woman confronts issues of doctrine, faith, and belief, as well as her own nature–and questions about religion and society that are still relevant today.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Religion

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finally decided on five stars for A Saint, More or Less because I so appreciate what the author, Henry Grunwald, has done here. For millennia, hagiography has suffered from extremes. On the one hand you have saints with near Divine qualities and on the other, a populace so corrupt you wonder how a saint could be born from it. Not every biography of a saint, of course, but more often than not hagiographers were set on contrast, i.e., between the saint and the rest of us. It was heavily emphasized, just so we could be sure who was who. THIS is a saint, and THIS is not.

Grunwald ignores those rules. Instead, he challenges his readers to dig into and consider what role History has; in this case the fascinating time immediately following the Reformation, called the Counter-Reformation or the wars between the Catholics and Protestants. It was a bloody time, with Christian brethren doing unspeakable things to each other, behaving as un-Christlike as ever they have done. At least a passing familiarity with this time period is helpful to an overall appreciation of the novel. France had held the title eldest “Daughter of the Church” since 498 A.D., when Saint Rèmi baptized King Clovis. However, with large groups of Protestants crossing over from Germany and settling in France, the future of Catholicism was none too certain at the close of the 16th century.

In the middle of this religious-political drama, live the two women of this story. The first, an aristocrat and mystic, Barbe AVRILLOT (2/1/1566 – 4/18/1618), wife of Pierre ACARIE and mother of six was extremely intelligent and devout*. The second, Nicole Tavernier, an unknown Catholic from Reims came to Paris in 1594. Her skills as a healer, preacher and devotion to the poor attract a following. She is introduced to, and becomes fast friends with, Barbe Acarie, who was also more influential than her husband, Pierre, though he was a leader of the Holy League (fighting to prevent the rise of Protestantism in France). Their friendship is further strengthened when Henry Navarre becomes King, converts to Catholicism and drives the zealous Catholic League—and Barbe’s husband along with them—out of town.

However, when Barbe thinks Nicole oversteps the limits of acceptable behavior for a mystic, she lays a trap which the girl falls into.

Near the end of her life, Barbe, now a widow who helped found a number of Carmelite monasteries and ultimately went into one herself, has had the time and experience to regret her judgement of Nicole and asks one of the men involved in Nicole’s trial to try to find her, that Barbe may apologize and make amends.

The people, names and basic events of this story are factual. Some of the details have been created by the author to fill in information where it was lacking. The author is not Christian, but he deals with the beliefs, actions and yes, the sins and crimes of Catholics and Protestants factually. Some reviewers here on GRs commented on the dryness of the book. It is my personal opinion that Mr. Grunwald was doing his best to write about an extremely controversial subject in as diplomatic manner as he could. If that happens to come across as a little dry, then so be it.

*She became a Carmelite after her husband died, taking the religious name Marie of the Incarnation and was beatified in 1791 just as the French Revolution was getting under way.

[Nick Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, well written, kept me coming back for more after I’d finish a chapter. This was my first religious political drama I’ve read and can say it’s made me consider reading another in the near future. all in all I would recommend it as a quick read if you can’t find anything else at the time

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

digging into my to-read pile and wondering how that came to be in the pile. Very dry writing style, very uninspiring

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting story, but badly flawed in execution. It's set in late 16th & early 17th-century France, in the wake of the religious wars, the St. Bartholomew's Massacre, & the ascension of Henry IV (after his conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism). The story focuses primarily on two saintly women, both real historical characters; one's story is well preserved, the other is known mostly by references in the other's story. It's a story of faith, faith in service to the poor & sick & orphaned, religion in politics, & politics in religion. But the dialog is wooden, & the author never adequately & plausibly conveys the characters' faith. The last sentence of the "Confession" with which he begins & ends the book may suggest why: "As for me, I believe [Nicole Tavernier, the lesser-known character:].

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a non-religious person, I seem to read plenty of books about religion. This novel is a fictionalized account of Barbe Acarie and Nicole Tavernier, two women in late 16th century Paris who were both highly regarded and even venerated religious figures. However, while Barbe Acarie was later beatified, Nicole Tavernier was eventually reagrded as a fraud, and was even exorcised as a victim of diabolical possession. Grunwald uses their stories and their relationship to explore issues surrounding faith and sainthood. Despite the weighty questions addressed, Grunwald is not at all confrontational about the issues. He asks the questions, but doesn't try to convince the reader to adopt specific answers.

[Bobbie N · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMMARY: During a time of deep divisions, even war, between Protestants and Catholics, a young woman arrives in Paris and quickly gains a reputation as a healer and preacher. She is taken under the protective wing of the religiously and politically influential Acarie family, and persues her mission under their patronage, joining Madame Acarie in her charitable work among the poor and sick. But as jealousy and distrust grows between the two women, charges of demonic possession and witchcraft are brought, and each woman must face the truth about the other as well as herself. COMMENTS: Grunwald fills in the gaps of historical fact as he takes the reader on a journey that intertwines religion and politics, faith and doubt, saint and sinner. A thoroughly fascinating story; highly recommended.

[Ann Busbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading this book, I was reminded of the atrocities perpetrated in the name of God and religion. Sadly, things haven't changed all that much - religious wars continue to this day. Realizing that Nicole's story was partly speculation, I still enjoyed the historical aspects of those transitional times.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suprising that I liked it. Historical novel with some good characters.