The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy

Excelent service, I appreciate the small bookstores as they have a more personalized approach, the book is great too

A lot of the newspaper reviewers seem to focus on the author's previous modelling/acting career ("Gee she's gorgeous, but can she write" syndrome.) Let me assure you that Ms. Craig is the real deal. She evokes a 14th-century French village and its inhabitants in such luscious detail that you'll find yourself thinking about the characters at odd times. She details the minutiae of religious differences between Church and heretics without bogging down, and propels the story along smartly. I was hooked by page three. I think this would be an enjoyable read not just for medieval history buffs, but for anyone.

Not only was this very historically accurate, but ranks in the top 10 books I've read just for its story. I don't know if Ms. Craig has written more; I hope so! I'll buy all of them. This book about the Cathars was superb.

This is a beautiful, heartfelt and engaging story. I loved this book and intend to keep it in my library because I know I will read it again.

This is a fantastic book. A fascinating novelized story of real accounts of the inquisition.

This novel of 13-14th Century heresy in France carries a message of isolation. The female characters, from Marquise to Fabrisse to Echo, fend for themselves in a hostile world, existing in their narrow circumstances of birth and at the mercy of indifferent men. Of the predominant male characters, Bernard, the Dominican orphan and Chief Inquisitioner, and Pierre Clerque, the wayward reverend, orbit each other as opposing forces of "good" and "evil". Bernard has never known a mother other than Mother Church, and is driven by a sense of "otherness", his only personal dialogue with God alone. And the twisted body and soul of Pierre Clerque, a priest unable to quell his body's lust for women and his attraction to heretical doctrines, pursues his pleasure with abandon. All of these disturbed souls meet in the village of Montaillou, in an era rife with superstition, where the Roman Church rules with an iron will, torturing and burning any accused of heretical beliefs.The moral rectitude of the Inquisition, which began in France in 1206 and continued into the 14th Century, presents a conundrum of sorts, one that is demonstrated the lives of the villagers. For the most part illiterate, the humble are particularly vulnerable to superstitious assumptions. Only the priests and friars are literate and serve as intermediaries between God and such simple folk. The villagers are rendered incapable of didactic reasoning in spiritual matters, especially with the abundance of belief systems passed through the countryside. The quality of life in the 13-14th Centuries doesn't allow for subtlety and the Church is threatened by any deviation of established doctrine. So, in a way, the peasants are the victims in a clash between philosophies, as sheep led to graze from one field to another. As well, the villagers protect the heretics, who are often treated with as much reverence as Church officials. It is a pitched battle for the minds and souls of uneducated men. Like a great spider, the Church wields its power to maintain control and collect tithes.The intolerable plight of medieval women impacts the story, in stark relief against the machinations of men, at a time when women are less than chattels, servants to the men who dominate their intractable and dreary days. Without the shelter of family, these women, especially Fabrisse and her daughter, have few resources for daily survival, often with nothing left to barter but their bodies. They cling together, keening in despair, unseen and irrelevant in their identities.Craig's writing is precise, often that of an observer, much like the Inquisitors themselves, distanced by calculation. As tormented as some of the characters are, particularly Pierre Clerque and Arnaud, the cobbler, we are aware of their fragile humanity, although Pierre's actions seem without benefit of conscience. Throughout, the book is burdened by a lack of hope, as ignorant and superstition-riddled peasants cringe before the rage of the Inquisition. In contrast, one young woman, Echo (a.k.a. Grazida, daughter of Fabrisse) renounces a life of victimization, marries Arnaud and bears a daughter, Merce. It is this nurturing union that allows Echo to stand accused before the court of the Inquisition.The novel struggles under the weight of everyday brutality, as well as the passionless Church officials who burn and imprison the ignorant with impunity and without mercy. There is no evidence of Christian compassion or forgiveness for the village people. The Good Men is a powerful indictment of a Church that allows slaughter in the name of religion. More than a black mark against the history of the most powerful church in Christianity, the Inquisition is a blight on civilization, an unforgettable travesty that cannot be forgotten. Luan Gaines

I really enjoyed Craig's writing, the scenery of Medieval France in a small mountain village, the characters and the plot. It does get dark in some spots, with greed, rape and murder being a few things that happen. It was the Church, or people belonging to the Church who carried out most of these horrible things, so if you don't like such darkness, I don't recommend it.But history was bloody, unjust and despicable, no different from modern times. I very much enjoy authors who don't sugar coat novels, ones that tell the truth of historical events.Craig is among those on a short list, and I wish she would write more. From what I see, this is her only book. 4 stars.

This author is brilliant. Do prepare to make this book a priority, and absorb the content. Not an easy read on various levels, very good.

On the evidence of this book, Craig cannot do empathy as an author. It is obvious 700 years after the period this book is set in that the Inquisitors tormenting heretics were themselves heretics, hypocrites and cruel misguided people, so what was Craig's point in writing this tome, other than justify years of research? She wants to examine a heroine's experience being examined for heresy in medieval France. She does, but it is so detailed that good connective page-turning story and prose suffer. It is like reading an Agatha Christie where the characters are ciphers but the plot is everything that rewards the reader's trust; but the plot here is so-so and sometimes unclear, and the characters are historical characters that you struggle to care deeply about. If you love this sort of thing it is worth a read but it is like reading an short story that was to be about a "good" woman in a "bad" age that got overblown and is about everything, so nothing.

good - as described