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Capuche
Capuche is an explosive historic fictional narrative grounded in factual events and personalities.
In England, at the dawn of the 1200s, a well-educated Welsh noble, Sir Morvran Llywarch, chooses a scholar’s life over knighthood. In his search for knowledge and the mysterious, he embraces the eternal esoteric Cathar teachings and becomes a leader known as Capuche.
In this feudal world of brutal suppression, corruption, and hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, the Gnostic ideology of the Cathars stand out as a beacon of hope--but is a thorn in the eyes of the Church, and witnessing their savagery Capuche sets out to take from the Church and even the scales.
When Morvran innovates bookmaking and falls in love with a nun, his life takes an irreversible turn. Their illicit love, his Cathar affiliation, and nightly raids provoke the terrifying wrath of the Church. But uncovering Capuche’s identity proves difficult, as the Cathars hide in plain sight, part of a population that loves and protects them.
Capuche is a tragedy, a story of hope, passion, and suffering--a mystical journey in search of the beyond, and of love under the most arduous circumstances.
In England, at the dawn of the 1200s, a well-educated Welsh noble, Sir Morvran Llywarch, chooses a scholar’s life over knighthood. In his search for knowledge and the mysterious, he embraces the eternal esoteric Cathar teachings and becomes a leader known as Capuche.
In this feudal world of brutal suppression, corruption, and hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, the Gnostic ideology of the Cathars stand out as a beacon of hope--but is a thorn in the eyes of the Church, and witnessing their savagery Capuche sets out to take from the Church and even the scales.
When Morvran innovates bookmaking and falls in love with a nun, his life takes an irreversible turn. Their illicit love, his Cathar affiliation, and nightly raids provoke the terrifying wrath of the Church. But uncovering Capuche’s identity proves difficult, as the Cathars hide in plain sight, part of a population that loves and protects them.
Capuche is a tragedy, a story of hope, passion, and suffering--a mystical journey in search of the beyond, and of love under the most arduous circumstances.
347 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 19, 2023
Difficult
This was a very difficult read. So many misspellings, typos, incomplete sentences and lack of punctuation made it incomprehensible at times. I doubt there was a proofreader involved at all. The author must have paid to have this published.
This was a very difficult read. So many misspellings, typos, incomplete sentences and lack of punctuation made it incomprehensible at times. I doubt there was a proofreader involved at all. The author must have paid to have this published.
May 5, 2022
I knew of the Cathars and of the bloody vengeance meted out to them, and later to the Templars, by the “Christian” Church, though few details. This faction novel gives an easily understood overview of the Cathars’ life-ethos while keeping the central thread focused on the two main characters who are both trying to come to terms with betrayal in their earlier lives.
The author does a fine job of portraying an unfolding friendship which morphs into love. In the semi-background of historical events, religious ideology fuels the self-righteousness of leaders who could not be held to account, and who would pardon all atrocities undertaken in its name. Details matter in a novel. The work of the parchmenter I found particularly fascinating. Subsidiary character, Ann, came across as a thoroughly contemptible individual – until what she had endured was revealed, when it all made perfect sense, on the personal level and as a mirror to society.
Although there are some slips in English usage, for the most part these support the ambience of the historical period portrayed, as did the use of early English place names. I applaud the short endnotes, something I didn’t expect to appreciate in a novel. Here they add to the veracity of the text. Some were eye-opening in themselves, others I spent time away from the story chasing down for more depth (hyperlinks would have been useful). What was shown was the collusion between State and Church, and the utter contempt for the lives of the common people.
This is not a novel with an overtly happy ending, but it has a satisfying ending. In trying so hard to crush dissent, the main characters were eulogised by the populace into a legend we know today, and the Catholic Church laid the foundations for the later, well-deserved, Reformation.
Read as an ebook via Kindle Unlimited.
The author does a fine job of portraying an unfolding friendship which morphs into love. In the semi-background of historical events, religious ideology fuels the self-righteousness of leaders who could not be held to account, and who would pardon all atrocities undertaken in its name. Details matter in a novel. The work of the parchmenter I found particularly fascinating. Subsidiary character, Ann, came across as a thoroughly contemptible individual – until what she had endured was revealed, when it all made perfect sense, on the personal level and as a mirror to society.
Although there are some slips in English usage, for the most part these support the ambience of the historical period portrayed, as did the use of early English place names. I applaud the short endnotes, something I didn’t expect to appreciate in a novel. Here they add to the veracity of the text. Some were eye-opening in themselves, others I spent time away from the story chasing down for more depth (hyperlinks would have been useful). What was shown was the collusion between State and Church, and the utter contempt for the lives of the common people.
This is not a novel with an overtly happy ending, but it has a satisfying ending. In trying so hard to crush dissent, the main characters were eulogised by the populace into a legend we know today, and the Catholic Church laid the foundations for the later, well-deserved, Reformation.
Read as an ebook via Kindle Unlimited.
June 23, 2022
This book grew on me the more that I read. The plot improved and the characters took shape. But three things really bothered me. One was the use of modern terms for characters living in the 12thC. The Cathars engaging in "outreach" is a bit far fetched, as is describing the air filled with "cannabis". Second, the language used by characters of low IQ sounded more like broken Italian than Middle English. Finally, the book's Cathars began to take on a psychological dimension that I'm not convinced was resident at that time.
Despite the problems described above, Capuche was an engaging book. The story line was plausible, and took some very interesting turns.
Despite the problems described above, Capuche was an engaging book. The story line was plausible, and took some very interesting turns.
April 21, 2022
Capuche - Worth Your Read
While the text requires editing, i found the story to be excellent. Well done. Intriguing description of the Catharsis and their trials at the hands of the Catholic Church in Medieval times.
While the text requires editing, i found the story to be excellent. Well done. Intriguing description of the Catharsis and their trials at the hands of the Catholic Church in Medieval times.
February 9, 2024
Difficult writing style to keep track of. Was it a history or historical fiction? Hard to discern. Came to the conclusion that even though it was a story about the Cathars it read like a Robin Hood Maid Marion story.
July 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this book!
Thank you for this...I almost could not put it down. You brought to life a time of hope and dispair, like few books I have read. Bringing history to life is a gift.
Thank you for this...I almost could not put it down. You brought to life a time of hope and dispair, like few books I have read. Bringing history to life is a gift.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews