The Catholic Book Club discussion

Jean Marie Latour's real name was Jean Batiste Lamy. Joseph Vaillant's real name was Joseph Projectus Machebeuf. Do you think it's OK that their names have been changed? Why?

However, other historic characters appear with their real names, as José Manuel Gallegos, priest of Albuquerque and Antonio José Martínez, priest of Taos (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio...), and they are spoken against because they confronted Lamy.

Interesting that it's the villains whose real names are given; perhaps the author is more respectful and diffident about her heroes.

Jill wrote: "Interesting that it's the villains whose real names are given; perhaps the author is more respectful and diffident about her heroes."

One possible answer: she probably thought nobody would discover that Martínez, Lucero and Gallego had really existed. She didn't foresee the Wikipedia :-)

I mean as she didn't have access to Wikipedia, there is a chance that this is just her honest knowledge about these people without the intention of slander.

Sebastian wrote: "I mean as she didn't have access to Wikipedia, there is a chance that this is just her honest knowledge about these people without the intention of slander."

True, that's a possible interpretation.