The Heretic's Wife: A Novel

by Brenda Rickman Vantrease

Overview

From the bestselling author of The Illuminator comes a magnificent tale about the power of love and the perils of faith

Tudor England is a perilous place for booksellers Kate Gough and her brother John, who sell forbidden translations of the Bible. Caught between warring factions—English Catholics opposed to the Lutheran reformation, and Henry VIII's growing impatience with the Pope's refusal to sanction his marriage to Anne Boleyn—Kate embarks on a daring adventure that will lead her into a dangerous marriage and a web of intrigue that pits her against powerful enemies. From the king's lavish banquet halls to secret dungeons and the inner sanctums of Thomas More, Brenda Rickman Vantrease's glorious new novel illuminates the public pageantry and the private passions of men and women of conscience in treacherous times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312573515
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/19/2011
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	802,888
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

BRENDA RICKMAN VANTREASE is a former English teacher and librarian whose bestselling debut, The Illuminator, was translated into over a dozen languages and chosen as a BookSense Reading Group Pick. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is a strong historical, showing another side of the tempestuous Tudor times. Boleyn and Henry VIII, often the focus of these stories, are sideline figures, and the common folk who truly suffered under the intolerance of the regime take center stage while the saintly More is given shockingly brutal treatment. Tudor fans will be pleased and excited by this fresh approach." —Publishers Weekly "Vantrease focuses her fascinating novel on commoners who suffered as their country went from Catholic to Protestant in the blink of an eye. This fresh approach to the era and intriguing characters will entrance Tudor fans."

—RT Book Reviews "Solid historical."

—Library Journal

Reading Group Guide

1. How would you define the word heresy? Who defined heresy during Kate's time, and who defines it today?
2. Who is the heretic of the novel? Are there more than one?
3. The word martyr has gained a negative connotation in recent years. Do you think there is such a thing as false martyrdom? What is the difference between being a martyr and being a victim? How does Kate's attitude about martyrdom change when she becomes a wife and mother to be?
4. How do you feel about John Frith's decision not to flee his captors when given the chance? How is this decision different from his previous escapes?
I5. Is dying for one's belief the only heroic choice when faced with oppression? Is Kate Frith made of "the stuff of martyrs?" What about Captain Lasser?
6. Why do you think popular history has not dealt more objectively with the dual nature of Sir Thomas More? Can an individual be both hero and villain? Although Thomas More persecuted the Bible men mercilessly for their beliefs, ironically he was later to die for refusing to sign the king's Act of Supremacy. Would you characterize his death as heroic?
7. Do you think there is ever an instance where the burning of books might be appropriate?
8. Kate Frith suffers great emotional distress as well as physical peril because of her husband's decision to die for his beliefs. Did women in centuries past suffer more and face more persecution because of the beliefs of their husbands than today's women?
9. What other women in the novel suffer because the men they love act rashly or hold unpopular beliefs?
10. What do you think of Kate's decision to marry a man so different from her first husband? Were there any similarities between the two men?
11. How is Endor's love for the captain different from Kate's love for John Frith? Does Meg Roper love her father any less when she finds out he is not the man she believed him to be?
12. Does history have any lessons for us about the separation of church and state? How can we safeguard our freedoms and yet preserve our cultural heritage and values?

Editorial Reviews

This is a strong historical, showing another side of the tempestuous Tudor times. Boleyn and Henry VIII, often the focus of these stories, are sideline figures, and the common folk who truly suffered under the intolerance of the regime take center stage while the saintly More is given shockingly brutal treatment. Tudor fans will be pleased and excited by this fresh approach.” —Publishers Weekly

“Vantrease focuses her fascinating novel on commoners who suffered as their country went from Catholic to Protestant in the blink of an eye. This fresh approach to the era and intriguing characters will entrance Tudor fans.” —RT Book Reviews

“Solid hististorical.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher

Tudor England is a dangerous place to harbor Lutheran sympathies, yet brave souls like John Gough and his sister Kate smuggle protestant bibles into the country and translate them into English for the common man. When Gough is arrested, he recants, but Kate continues on with the mission, falling in love with translator John Frith, who takes her with him into exile in Antwerp. Meanwhile in England, Henry VIII is drifting slowly away from the Catholic faith under the influence of his mistress Anne Boleyn, while Thomas More becomes more and more obsessed with burning heretics and keeping England in the bosom of the church. No one with protestant beliefs is safe, including Kate and her husband, who may pay the ultimate price for their heresy. This is a strong historical, showing another side of the tempestuous Tudor times. Boleyn and Henry VIII, often the focus of these stories, are sideline figures, and the common folk who truly suffered under the intolerance of the regime take center stage while the saintly More is given shockingly brutal treatment. Tudor fans will be pleased and excited by this fresh approach. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Set in Tudor England just as the momentous break with Rome is developing, Vantrease's third historical novel (after The Illuminator and The Mercy Seller) explores the religious and political consequences of the Bible's translation into English. The sale of the family Bible, translated by John Wycliffe, provides booksellers Kate Gough and her brother John cash to continue their printing business, which leads Kate to a meeting and marriage with John Frith, an Oxford scholar associated with Reformation leader and Bible translator William Tyndale. Meanwhile, Thomas More, who is fast approaching his own martyrdom in refusing to accept Henry VIII's establishment of a separate church, is fervently suppressing heretical writings and translations. The issues debated form the dramatic background to the central plot—a woman's story of love and faith. Glimpses of Anne Boleyn add extra interest for fans of that ever-fascinating story. VERDICT A bit quicker-paced than the author's earlier books and full of discussion potential for book clubs, this solid historical will appeal to Vantrease's fans and attract new readers intrigued by the Tudors. For another angle on the More family, try Vanora Bennett's Portrait of an Unknown Woman.—Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Wichita P.L., KS

Library Journal