Anchoress of Shere - Hardcover

Moorcraft, Paul L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590580117 ISBN 13: 9781590580110

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Pr, 2002

Synopsis

In 1329, a beautiful Surrey woman is walled up alive in the village church of Shere. The Anchoress’ story is taken up late in this century by deranged Catholic priest Father Michael Duval.Gradually, two separate sagas unfold: the world of the Middle Ages centered on Christine’s entombment, and the 1967 abduction of a young woman from Guildford.In a series of exotic twists, the medieval world of knights, debauchery, peasant uprisings and civil war merges into a modern hunt for a serial killer. The tragedy of the anchoress is based upon historical facts, yet it is also an exploration of the most dramatic themes of today: sexual freedom, and the power of belief, spiritual bondage and the individual search for self-fulfillment.Above all, this is a gripping adventure story of a love so obsessive that it spans more than 600 years.

About this title

Review:

"A remarkable picture of village life in medieval Surrey." -- Eric Newby
"Very well written. Compelling...a tale of substance, dramatically, intelligently and clearly told." -- Arnold Wesker "First published in Britain, this intense, fascinating look at religious dementia is based on a medieval legend.... Strongly recommended for most collections." -- "Library Journal" "This exceptional thriller from British author Moorcraft, a film producer and former war correspondent, exhibits a rare quality of intelligence and imagination, with a remarkable depth of feeling for the book's characters and their predicaments. Be forewarned that there's nothing cozy, or comforting about this engrossing, subtle historical, which centers on a spiritual quest into Christian mysticism and smoothly alternates between past and present...The resultant suspense will keep the reader riveted to the very end of this brilliantly original tale." -- "Publisher's Weekly," Starred review

"This is not a book for the squeamish. Both eras offer up examples of man's inhumanity to man, although Duval's depraved, yetemotionless, brutality seems far more terrible than the actions of the 14th century peasants who passionately tear into the drawn-and-quartered remains of a hated lord. Yet, as terrible as those scenes are, this is a book for the mind, an intelligently told story that seeks to find answers to the unanswerable." -"- Denver"" Post"

About the Author:

Dr. Paul Moorcraft has been a professor, policeman, film producer and political pundit as well as a Whitehall warrior and a war correspondent. The author of over 20 books of fiction and non-fiction, his autobiographical Inside the Danger Zones: Travels to Arresting Places (2010) is available in paperback and in e-book version.

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Pr
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1590580117
• ISBN 13: 9781590580110
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 341