The Heretic's Wife
St. Martin's Press
April, 2010
"Cardinals and bishops, servants and merchants, ship captains and noble-born ladies and lords: it's a marvel of authorial engineering that Vantrease can keep so many characters separate while she is at the same time weaving together their stories into such a comprehensive and complex whole. There's an elegance to Vantrease's writing, a sense of great respect for the history she explores, coupled with a determined, truth-seeking creativity. In The Heretic's Wife, she renders for her readers a world as fully realized and alive as it is for the characters--both real and imagined--of whom she writes." --from a review by Lacey Galbraith in Chapter16.org, reprinted in The Nashville Scene.
" , , , full of discussion potential for book clubs, this solid historical will appeal to Vantrease's fans and attract new readers intrigued by the Tudors." --from a review by Mary K. Bird-Guilliams for Library Journal
"Tudor fans will be pleased and excited by this fresh approach." Publisher's Weekly
A spellbinding tale about the power of love and the perils of faith.
Vantrease tells an engaging story . . .
a vivid picture of 15th-century
Europe. . .
--Publishers Weekly.
The Mercy Seller is a feast for the soul and for the heart.
--Bookreporter.com
The Mercy Seller is bigger, broader and even better than its predecessor [The Illuminator]
--The Nashville Scene
Any one with an interest in European or Church history, religious movements or book arts will find this novel addicting.
--Bookpage
[An} engrossing follow-up to The Iluminator
--Kirkus Reviews
The same lovely period detail and attention to historical realities of the first book [The Illuminator] are here maintained.
--Library Journal
The Illuminator
"A wonderful novel--a tumultuous panorama of Wycliffe's and Chaucer's England, with an absolutely compelling and irresistible heroine. This is historical fiction in the grand epic manner, beautifully felt and written." --Max Byrd, author of Shooting the Sun
"In her elegant novel, The Illuminator, Brenda Rickman Vantrease breathes light into the dark corners of feudal England, laying bare the consequences of political and spiritual oppression, and illuminating the power of both love and the written word to save."--Charmaine Craig, author of The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy
"A very absorbing and masterfully-written novel that twines two stories together--a personal one of life on a manor in 1379 and a political one about the undercurrents that led, eventually, to the Reformation. Impressive new talent Brenda Rickman Vantrease has created a cast of characters that stand out as individuals you want to follow." --Margaret George, author of The Autobiography of Henry VIII
"Brenda Rickman Vantrease's The Illuminator is one of the most engaging books I've had the pleasure to read in many years. Extraordinary characters of an extraordinary period in history are portrayed with passion that only an accomplished writer can deliver…. This is simply a wonderful book."--Terry Kay, author of The Valley of Light
"A rich and original debut novel. Brenda Rickman Vantrease writes with a strong voice, imaginative scope and an audacious reach about complex characters during a fascinating historical period."--Valerie Miner, author of The Low Road
"The Illuminator is a novel with something for every reader. It has young love, older love, political plot and intrigue, and religious and philosophical conflict presented as grand adventure…..Each detail is telling, pitch perfect, important. The relationships are complex, engrossing. Vantrease's feel for time and place is natural. This book absolutely glows."--Frances Sherwood, author of The Book of Splendor
Buy Brenda's books.
French edition of The Illuminator
