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The Bones You Have Cast Down
Inspired by a true story, The Bones You Have Cast Down will transport you to a medieval village and a lush Renaissance court, to long ago times not unlike our own, when the keepers of faith conspired against the faithful, and the rich and powerful embraced war and corruption even while fostering works of artistic brilliance revered to this day.
In 1447, Taria is swept from a convent orphanage into the glittering retinue of the duchess of Milan. Lowborn in a highborn circle, she has never felt so alone. Then a small, mysterious painting of a female pope carries her back 150 years to the joyous circle of a holy woman, worshipped in her time, mysteriously obscure in Taria’s time.
The duchess believes the journey is only a vision, yet she orders Taria to learn more. Reviving the holy woman’s fame could bring badly needed prestige to the noble family. But Taria conceals a devastating the saint and her followers are despised by the Inquisition.
As jealousy wrecks her romance and poisons her closest friendship, Taria shuns the present and embraces the holy woman’s circle as the family she has always craved. And the Inquisition closes in.
In 1447, Taria is swept from a convent orphanage into the glittering retinue of the duchess of Milan. Lowborn in a highborn circle, she has never felt so alone. Then a small, mysterious painting of a female pope carries her back 150 years to the joyous circle of a holy woman, worshipped in her time, mysteriously obscure in Taria’s time.
The duchess believes the journey is only a vision, yet she orders Taria to learn more. Reviving the holy woman’s fame could bring badly needed prestige to the noble family. But Taria conceals a devastating the saint and her followers are despised by the Inquisition.
As jealousy wrecks her romance and poisons her closest friendship, Taria shuns the present and embraces the holy woman’s circle as the family she has always craved. And the Inquisition closes in.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2016
12 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Jean Huets
14 books24 followersJean Huets is author of the book With Walt Whitman, Himself, acclaimed as "a true Whitmanian feast” by Whitman scholar Ed Folsom. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Kenyon Review, The Millions, Ploughshares, On the Seawall, and Civil War Monitor. Other published works include The Bones You Have Cast Down, a novel set in late medieval Italy and inspired by the true story of the Popess tarot card, and The Cosmic Tarot book, based on the tarot deck by German visionary artist Norbert Loesche. She co-founded Circling Rivers, an independent press dedicated to literary nonfiction and poetry. Visit her at www.jeanhuets.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 1, 2017
Renaissance Italy came to life! What I enjoyed: well-drawn characters, great storytelling, the mysticism, the history, and the beautifully descriptive writing. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, especially Renaissance fiction. Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy; this was my unsolicited and honest review.
November 3, 2016
“A part of me grieved for myself.”
A storytelling treasure. Huets transports the reader into the mind of a young fifteenth century Italian with all the assurance and intimacy which one expects of a modern bard. The sights, smells, feel of Renaissance Italy seep from every pore of the story. The Inquisition lurks in the shadows. Speculative elements are deftly melded into the mix.
“For a more virtuous person, no doubt, friendship would have trumped rage. Not for me.”
The fifteenth century was a seedbed for religious innovation, mostly aimed as real or imagined abuses practiced by the Roman Catholic Church. The Inquisition zealously sought the heretics; usually the civil authorities meted punishment. The contemporaneous history of the Cathars, Waldensians and Hussites underscores the vigor with which Rome crushed dissenters. Thought provoking as well as entertaining.
“Bad things happen fast; good things take a long time. Yet miracles will break through.”
Simultaneously fun and thought-provoking. Nice word plays, such as “hot and damp as laundry” “pulled to and fro like a rag between curs”
“If you can’t have a friend, at least don’t make everyone your enemy.”
Modern evangelical Christians may recognize the described heresy as akin to their doctrine of redemption by faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Likewise this era produced the popular legend of a female pope. Similarly several oblique references to turning Fortune’s wheel call to mind Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, which influenced western thinking then. Tarocchi (tarot) gaming cards are mentioned; their use for divination was several centuries in the future. A Tibetan even appears.
“I do not even begin to contemplate what would become of the world if redemption were … free.”
(Full disclosure: Jean and I are members of a writers group, and she gave me this early copy.)
A storytelling treasure. Huets transports the reader into the mind of a young fifteenth century Italian with all the assurance and intimacy which one expects of a modern bard. The sights, smells, feel of Renaissance Italy seep from every pore of the story. The Inquisition lurks in the shadows. Speculative elements are deftly melded into the mix.
“For a more virtuous person, no doubt, friendship would have trumped rage. Not for me.”
The fifteenth century was a seedbed for religious innovation, mostly aimed as real or imagined abuses practiced by the Roman Catholic Church. The Inquisition zealously sought the heretics; usually the civil authorities meted punishment. The contemporaneous history of the Cathars, Waldensians and Hussites underscores the vigor with which Rome crushed dissenters. Thought provoking as well as entertaining.
“Bad things happen fast; good things take a long time. Yet miracles will break through.”
Simultaneously fun and thought-provoking. Nice word plays, such as “hot and damp as laundry” “pulled to and fro like a rag between curs”
“If you can’t have a friend, at least don’t make everyone your enemy.”
Modern evangelical Christians may recognize the described heresy as akin to their doctrine of redemption by faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Likewise this era produced the popular legend of a female pope. Similarly several oblique references to turning Fortune’s wheel call to mind Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, which influenced western thinking then. Tarocchi (tarot) gaming cards are mentioned; their use for divination was several centuries in the future. A Tibetan even appears.
“I do not even begin to contemplate what would become of the world if redemption were … free.”
(Full disclosure: Jean and I are members of a writers group, and she gave me this early copy.)
November 22, 2016
Feminism and Redemption in Renaissance Italy
In this exquisite first novel by Jean Huets, an orphaned seventeen-year-old girl named Taria, leaves the convent on a chill day in 1446 to join the retinue of ma donna Bianca Maria Visconti, daughter of the Duke of Milan. The lowborn and meek Taria becomes the protégée of a married girl with child, Polidora, who entrusts her with a small painting of a woman in nun’s robes. The author has embroidered this compelling tale over the sparse bones of the true story of a female pope, whose memory is threatened by the Inquisition. Taria finds love and visits the past—or is she dreaming? Perhaps not. Just as the author has drawn from history to enrich her novel, her protagonist visits earlier times to learn about the woman in the small painting and discovers heartening teachings about acceptance of her fellow man.
In this exquisite first novel by Jean Huets, an orphaned seventeen-year-old girl named Taria, leaves the convent on a chill day in 1446 to join the retinue of ma donna Bianca Maria Visconti, daughter of the Duke of Milan. The lowborn and meek Taria becomes the protégée of a married girl with child, Polidora, who entrusts her with a small painting of a woman in nun’s robes. The author has embroidered this compelling tale over the sparse bones of the true story of a female pope, whose memory is threatened by the Inquisition. Taria finds love and visits the past—or is she dreaming? Perhaps not. Just as the author has drawn from history to enrich her novel, her protagonist visits earlier times to learn about the woman in the small painting and discovers heartening teachings about acceptance of her fellow man.
June 19, 2023
Very good read. You find yourself in Italy at the time when initial Tarot decks were designed. Jean is not only a good writer, she is also an expert in history and specifically Tarot history. Her understanding of Tarot is unique in that she maps major arcana (trumps) to the people and communities of the time.
Even if Tarot is not your thing, the book is an excellent read - I could not put it down.
Even if Tarot is not your thing, the book is an excellent read - I could not put it down.
April 19, 2022
I LOVED this book. Seriously. I learned so much, and truly felt immersed in the time periods. I have given it to my sister to read before passing it to my mother. It's too excellent to not share.
February 20, 2017
Set in 1447 Milan, The Bones You Have Cast Down is the story of seventeen year old Taria, removed from an orphanage by the Duchess of Milan to become part of her retinue. While in the duchess’s home, Taria comes in possession of a small painting of Guglielma, who appears to be a female pope. When Taria holds the painting, she is transported back 150 years to the time when Guglielma was revered. The duchess wants to discover whether the woman in the painting should be recognized as a saint and why her notoriety and adoration died, and assigns Taria the task.
The Bones You Have Cast Down had an interesting premise but it was lost in subplots, such as love interests, political conflicts, the attention of the duchess’s husband, and tarot cards, which did very little to support the main plot. They actually worked against the main plot by lengthening the time from when Taria originally went back in time and then is given permission by the duchess to learn about Guglielma. Some scenes were also under developed. I sometimes found myself wondering what their meaning was and hoped they would be made clear as I continued reading.
The Bones You Have Cast Down immersed me in the religious fervor of the medieval town and the duchess’s court but could have either been tightened considerably or the subplots developed to support the main plot.
Reviewed for the Historical Novels Society
The Bones You Have Cast Down had an interesting premise but it was lost in subplots, such as love interests, political conflicts, the attention of the duchess’s husband, and tarot cards, which did very little to support the main plot. They actually worked against the main plot by lengthening the time from when Taria originally went back in time and then is given permission by the duchess to learn about Guglielma. Some scenes were also under developed. I sometimes found myself wondering what their meaning was and hoped they would be made clear as I continued reading.
The Bones You Have Cast Down immersed me in the religious fervor of the medieval town and the duchess’s court but could have either been tightened considerably or the subplots developed to support the main plot.
Reviewed for the Historical Novels Society
November 21, 2016
I loved this story as Huets takes the reader through the process of discovery in an era often written about, but rarely seen from this unusual perspective.. Huets created a perfect character to visualize and live the story while taking the reader with her. Taria is likable yet naive enough to go blindly into something she does not fully understand until the end. Whether the reader understands the history of the Renaissance period and the Inquisition, implications for people of faith or the art they produced because of the times, she feels involved and caught up in the story. That story includes all of the human emotions that have remained unchanged throughout the human existence: youthful anticipation, fear, love, jealousy and the wisdom that comes with maturity. The force of a female pope to drive the story particularly interested me as someone who grew up in the male-dominated Catholic Church. I highly recommend this book and commend Huets for taking me along on Taria's intriguing journey.
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November 15, 2016The Bones You Have Cast Down
by Jean Huets
If you’re a time travel fan like me, take note of this book by Jean Huets.
Reading “Bones” took me to 14th and then 13th century Italy to experience the Inquisition and its effects on the people of its time.
The characters were appealing and real to me but at times it was difficult to keep everyone straight. As all good main characters do, Taria and Micchele drew my interest and caused me consternation with their on-again, off-again relationship. And, as all good historical novels do, the book impelled me to go to the internet and history texts to learn more about the times characterized by Huets.
All in all, The Bones You Have Cast Down was an easy read which captivated my imagination.
Reviewed by Barbara A. Darling
by Jean Huets
If you’re a time travel fan like me, take note of this book by Jean Huets.
Reading “Bones” took me to 14th and then 13th century Italy to experience the Inquisition and its effects on the people of its time.
The characters were appealing and real to me but at times it was difficult to keep everyone straight. As all good main characters do, Taria and Micchele drew my interest and caused me consternation with their on-again, off-again relationship. And, as all good historical novels do, the book impelled me to go to the internet and history texts to learn more about the times characterized by Huets.
All in all, The Bones You Have Cast Down was an easy read which captivated my imagination.
Reviewed by Barbara A. Darling
October 28, 2016
I found this book riveting from several different perspectives. It is a fascinating work of historical fiction set in a country and time that I do not know as much about as I should. Also, despite the near constant warfare occurring around the protaganists, it is a paean to harmony amongst peoples of different beliefs and backgrounds. It also makes me want to do a little research into the Tarot. I found it fascinating. Thank you Jean Huets.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews