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Catherine LeVendeur #8
Heresy
A Catherine LeVendeur mystery
Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of twelfth-century France. Her life is a mirror of that time but she is a unique spirit, determined to make her way in the world and armed with a keen mind and a curiosity that often puts her in peril. Her life is both a reflection of the bonds placed upon a woman in her society and the ways in which a strong personality can triumph and succeed in spite of those strictures. Catherine is fiercely loyal to both her faith and her family . . . and this loyalty is sometimes sorely tested because of a dreaded family secret. Raised a devout Catholic, she knows that if her family's Jewish roots are exposed, all she loves will be destroyed.
But how far will she go to protect that secret? When her dearest friend in the world, Astrolabe, the son of the fabled theologian Peter Abelard and Heloise, flees wrongful prosecution for the vicious murder of a young woman, Catherine's family takes him in to hide. But there are darker forces than murder at work here. Someone wishes to use Astrolabe to complete the destruction of his father's fame in the name of faith . . . and there are those who would see the destruction of the very order of Christian life.
And Catherine's family is caught right in the middle of the conflict. While she has experienced love and loss, her life is committed to preserving what peace she can for those she loves. How far will Catherine go to save her friend, and what will this sacrifice do to her family's future?
Heresy is the eighth title in Sharan Newman's critically acclaimed Catherine LeVendeur medieval mystery series. Sharan Newman has used extensive research to give us a fascinating panorama of twelfth-century France that is rich in historical detail, and she puts flesh to bone by creating portraits of people who are not so different from ourselves. Filled with fascinating details of medieval life and the intricate interplay between the Christian and Jewish cultures of the time, Heresy is a compelling mystery and a riveting historical rolled into one.
Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of twelfth-century France. Her life is a mirror of that time but she is a unique spirit, determined to make her way in the world and armed with a keen mind and a curiosity that often puts her in peril. Her life is both a reflection of the bonds placed upon a woman in her society and the ways in which a strong personality can triumph and succeed in spite of those strictures. Catherine is fiercely loyal to both her faith and her family . . . and this loyalty is sometimes sorely tested because of a dreaded family secret. Raised a devout Catholic, she knows that if her family's Jewish roots are exposed, all she loves will be destroyed.
But how far will she go to protect that secret? When her dearest friend in the world, Astrolabe, the son of the fabled theologian Peter Abelard and Heloise, flees wrongful prosecution for the vicious murder of a young woman, Catherine's family takes him in to hide. But there are darker forces than murder at work here. Someone wishes to use Astrolabe to complete the destruction of his father's fame in the name of faith . . . and there are those who would see the destruction of the very order of Christian life.
And Catherine's family is caught right in the middle of the conflict. While she has experienced love and loss, her life is committed to preserving what peace she can for those she loves. How far will Catherine go to save her friend, and what will this sacrifice do to her family's future?
Heresy is the eighth title in Sharan Newman's critically acclaimed Catherine LeVendeur medieval mystery series. Sharan Newman has used extensive research to give us a fascinating panorama of twelfth-century France that is rich in historical detail, and she puts flesh to bone by creating portraits of people who are not so different from ourselves. Filled with fascinating details of medieval life and the intricate interplay between the Christian and Jewish cultures of the time, Heresy is a compelling mystery and a riveting historical rolled into one.
Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
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About the author
Sharan Newman
52 books194 followersSharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.
Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.
For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.
The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.
Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.
The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.
On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.
This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.
Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.
She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.
(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )
Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.
For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.
The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.
Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.
The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.
On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.
This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.
Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.
She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.
(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 28, 2011
Catherine and a few friends end up at the Council of Reims to help Astrolabe fight an accusation of both murder and heresy. This was another fascinating entry in this historical series. Newman is a master of creating characters you believe in and weaving historical details (especially religious beliefs and their effects) into fairly plausible mystery plots.
April 27, 2017
This is the eighth in the Catherine LeVendeur mystery series. Overall, the series is fabulous. It is fabulous not only because of the depth and accuracy of the historical research but also because the series depicts the lives and conditions of Jews during the Middle Ages. This interesting (and often heartbreaking) perspective is unusual, especially for a mystery series, and fascinating. The author doesn't presume to apologize for the attitudes she describes (and, indeed, there is no apology needed--facts are facts), nor does she attempt to modernize the characters' outlook.
This particular mystery is interesting because one of the main characters is Astrolabe, the son of Abelard and Heloise. As someone whose mind is not suited to deep philosophical or theological debate (which I discovered when reading Abelard's writings for a college course many years ago), I was relieved to learn that neither was Astrolabe's. :)
The mystery itself is not the strongest part of this particular book (historical mysteries often have this issue), but the discussion about the religious factions, Astrolabe (and Heloise's) places in the world, and the ramifications of the Crusade are knowledgeably described and well-integrated into the story.
The main character, Catherine herself, is a delightfully imperfect person, and the secondary characters--all of whom you have gotten to know throughout the series--continue to grow and deepen.
I highly recommend this series and this book. The series is best read in order.
This particular mystery is interesting because one of the main characters is Astrolabe, the son of Abelard and Heloise. As someone whose mind is not suited to deep philosophical or theological debate (which I discovered when reading Abelard's writings for a college course many years ago), I was relieved to learn that neither was Astrolabe's. :)
The mystery itself is not the strongest part of this particular book (historical mysteries often have this issue), but the discussion about the religious factions, Astrolabe (and Heloise's) places in the world, and the ramifications of the Crusade are knowledgeably described and well-integrated into the story.
The main character, Catherine herself, is a delightfully imperfect person, and the secondary characters--all of whom you have gotten to know throughout the series--continue to grow and deepen.
I highly recommend this series and this book. The series is best read in order.
February 28, 2021
Review: Heresy (Catherine LeVendeur #8) by Sharan Newman) Years ago, there was a bookshop in Portsmouth (N.H.) which was uniquely for mystery lovers, and that is when I began the series of Catherine LeVendeur stories. Somehow I never finished the last three I had! This series is set in 12th century France, a time of plague and Crusades and so forth. I am a French medieval fan, so I find these fascinating, and Sharan Newman is deeply versed in the time period. Catherine always manages to be involved in the murders, even after she had married and begun family life. This particular installment is not an easy read for those who know nothing about the period and who haven't read the preceding books (I recommend doing them in order), and especially the story of Abélard and Héloïse, a love story between a priest philosopher and a nun who eventually founded the Paraclete religious house. Past stories also inform you as to the complicated background of both Catherine (whose father was Jewish but who hid the fact in a time when...although when wasn't there at time?--that being Jewish was heretical and dangerous and her husband Edgar who is English in origin and has become a successful merchant. A pregnant Catherine and her two children are sent away from Paris when another illness begins to spread; she takes refuge at the Paraclete and crosses paths with Astrolabe, the son of Abélard and Héloïse, who is being sought out by enemies of his former father for heresy because he spent time with a madman in Britanny who believed he was the reincarnated Christ. All the strands come together in Reims, where the pope has come to important council meetings. All the various substrands of politics and feudal powers are occasionally overwhelming in this book, but still, I felt sublimely immersed in another time and place and enjoyed the novel a lot.
December 2, 2019
A History Lesson
Very confusing in some ways of one one is not an historian...still, well written and so well researched....I love some of the main characters so much I want to know where this author is going to take her characters and her readers on this very complicated and compelling journey! On to the next one...
Very confusing in some ways of one one is not an historian...still, well written and so well researched....I love some of the main characters so much I want to know where this author is going to take her characters and her readers on this very complicated and compelling journey! On to the next one...
June 27, 2018
A good one. I liked the mystery and the intrigues which centre around the council of Reimes. Lots of good writing and a solid setting with lots of the detail and fun that these books offer.
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February 16, 2010
#8 Catherine LeVendeur historical mystery set in France. Catherine, once again pregnant, sets out to help her friend Astrolabe, son of the infamous Heloise and Abelard. He became entangled with a group of heretics and is being pursued by an old enemy of his father's who hopes to frame him for the murder of a nun. Edgar and Solomon are off to Spain on a business trip and Catherine and the children are off to the Paraclete with Astrolabe disguised as one of their guards, and eventually end up attending a conference in Reims.
While I do enjoy this series and have come to be quite fond of the characters, I find the endless struggles with various religious factions, heretics, discussions about Heloise and Abelard and Catherine's father's family being secretly Jewish and all that to have become somewhat tiresome. So many of these stories tie back to the same issues over and over again. The endless waffling about them has gotten old.There are two books left in the series and I will finish them, but I do hope there will be something new and different or that several of these threads will be tied up and resolved.
While I do enjoy this series and have come to be quite fond of the characters, I find the endless struggles with various religious factions, heretics, discussions about Heloise and Abelard and Catherine's father's family being secretly Jewish and all that to have become somewhat tiresome. So many of these stories tie back to the same issues over and over again. The endless waffling about them has gotten old.There are two books left in the series and I will finish them, but I do hope there will be something new and different or that several of these threads will be tied up and resolved.
December 20, 2015
I love this series- I read the first 7 volumes several years ago, and return to it after a long break. Catherine, Edgar and Solomon are like old friends. This book does not disappoint. This is a very well researched series set in a fascinating, but not well known period of medieval history- the mid twelfth century in France (with forays into neighbouring countries). The characters are like old friends- and well drawn with all their complexities. I like that despite the religious controversies of the time, and the books must of necessity focus on these given the premise of the series- there are good and not-so-good people of all faiths. I like the way that the stories of Heloise and Abelard and their son are tied in to the series.
The mystery was interesting, and I did not foresee the ending.
The mystery was interesting, and I did not foresee the ending.
November 9, 2011
I loved the Council of Reims setting, the focus on Astrolabe (oddly named son of Heloise and Peter Aberlard) and some other new characters, and the fact that we had a reprieve from the Jewish/Christian conflict . . . in the form of an orthodoxy/heresy conflict. (Truly: it's nice to have something different once in a while). Newman's fiction is a very enjoyable history lesson.
November 16, 2014
Heresy, conspiracy and a good romp through Riems are part of Catherine's adventures in this novel. There's little about Jews and much about Christian heresy here. Edgar and Solomon are traveling and trading so there's only Catherine, her friend Astrolabe, and all their friends to stir the pot and foil the conspiracy. Best of all, there are more adventures in store for all of them
November 30, 2015
Much better than the previous book, but I feel that there isn't anything left to say about these characters. I no longer have any curiosity about their lives, with the possible exception of Margaret.
December 18, 2015
Much better. This book is as good as the first three. A little different focus, from Jewish/Christian to heresy in the church and more about Astrolabe instead of all the focus on the children and sister.
Good history and engaging story.
Good history and engaging story.
July 26, 2007
Another good addition to a favorite series.
May 25, 2008
This book was a little slow. But I learned a lot of history from it. I would read another book in this series.
April 14, 2009
interesting so far...
April 26, 2011
This is my first book by this Author. It's a different genre than I usually read, but so far it is interesting and I think I'll finish it.
May 4, 2012
I have always enjoyed these books by Sharan Newman and wish there were more. The historical detail is wonderful.
May 20, 2013
Another decent installment in the series. It held my attention mildly well but was never gripping. I read these books to see what will happen to Catherine and her family not for the mystery.
October 3, 2013
Loved it
December 21, 2016
The weakest in the series. Took a long time to finish, I felt it dragged a bit.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews