The Priest's Madonna [Hardcover]

Amy Hassinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2006

For readers of The Birth of Venus, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and The Other Boleyn Girl, a historically lush, lyrical, and thoroughly enthralling novel about the forbidden love between a woman and a holy man and the moral and spiritual struggles of faith.

In 1896, the priest in a small village in southern France suddenly came into possession of immense wealth. This much is true. What no one knows for sure is where his money came from. The history of the region suggests that he may have stumbled upon clues to a hidden treasure of the Knights Templar. An even more tantalizing possibility is that he discovered coded documents hidden in the structure of his church, documents so threatening to the Catholic Church that he was paid to keep silent. At his death under mysterious circumstances in 1917, his secrets died with him.

Yet there is one other person who may have known all-Marie Dernanaud, the priest's housekeeper and, some say, his lover. Interweaving the history of France at the turn of the twentieth century, scenes of ancient Judea, and the romantic and religious journey of a spirited and intense heroine, The Priest's Madonna gives Marie a chance to tell her version of what transpired-as well as her own story of belief, doubt, and illicit passion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A historical romance that mixes literary heft and pop-fiction indulgence, Hassinger's ambitious second novel (following Nina: Adolescence) makes for a busy, derivative read. Marie Dernanaud, raised a religious skeptic, is immediately attracted to Bérenger Saunière, the devout, charismatic priest who takes over the parish of her small town, Rennes-le-Château, in the 1890s. While hiding their dangerous affection for each other behind arguments over religion and revolution, Marie, who narrates, and Bérenger oversee their church's renovation, which turns up some curious artifacts: a map, a book and an ancient stone carving that might hold a Da Vinci–esque code. (Wearyingly, the stuff does in fact have its origins with the Knights Templar.) With the help of the enigmatic mayor's wife, Madame Simone Laporte, Marie tries to piece together the mystery of the church, but Bérenger has confessed that he's being fed a steady diet of cash by a powerful financier who wants access to whatever they find—including possible proof of a bloodline (here's Simone's interest) descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Hassinger believably conveys Bérenger's transformation from gentle clergyman to angry, corrupt doubter, and mixes in some tantalizing ancient doings in Judea, but all the competing interests sap the dynamism from Marie, who never achieves a distinct voice.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In the late nineteenth century, parish priest Berenger Sauntiere--whose longtime servant, companion, and rumored lover, Marie Denarnaud, was known as the priest's madonna in their village of Rennes-le-Chateau--mysteriously came into wealth as he was renovating his church. Hassinger has transformed this true story into absorbing historical fiction, as told by Marie. Sixteen years Berenger's junior, she struggles with her faith, her attraction to the priest, and her guilt at attracting him, as her feelings are reciprocated. The two settle into a loving relationship that is chaste at first, with Berenger, drawn to the secular life, eventually feeling that his God has abandoned him. Interspersed with Marie's tale is that of Mary Magdalene, here portrayed as the bride of Christ who bore his daughter, a theme tied to the primary story as Marie and Berenger search for the hidden accounts of a local women who claimed that her family descended from Jesus. Hassinger brings historical characters to life in this vivid and affecting account of love and faith. Michele Leber
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399153179
• ISBN-13: 978-0399153174
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,732,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an east coast transplant who's been living in the midwest for almost seven years, and I'm still getting used to it. Things I like: slower pace, affordability, friendly people. Things I miss: ocean, good museums and restaurants, abundance of options on a weekend (music, theater, dance, etc.), family. I have one daughter (4) and a son on the way, due in May 2006. Also a sadly neglected dog. And husband, not quite as neglected as the dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - Fascinating Story, May 13, 2006

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Priest's Madonna (Hardcover)

Brought up Catholic the young nine year old Marie Dernanaud had no reason to doubt her beliefs and was in awe of the handsome, jovial friend of her mother, Father Berenger Sauniere. When at sixteen, a fire destroyed their home, Marie and her family moved to the beautiful village of Rennes-le-Chateau where their welcome was less than warm. Soon a new priest was assigned to the local parish bringing their old friend back into their lives Father Berenger and into their home.

At about that same time the very curious Marie had formed a friendship with the enigmatic Mayor's wife who in lending her books opening up a new world and a difference of opinion over certain doctrines taught by the church. Adding to the Marie's confusion and increased physical feelings for Berenger, were Berenger's new-found wealthy patron and their religious debates over church doctrine.

When renovations in the church uncovered clues as to long held rumors of the existence of a woman claiming to be descended from the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, Berenger becomes guarded with each new discovery even as his illicit relationship with Marie intensifies.

*** On the heels of a certain best-selling made into movie book, I find that a lot of authors seem to be jumping on the bandwagon in researching and creating their own theories on the possibility of the Jesus and Mary Magdalene connection. From the authors copious notes at the back of this book this author has certainly done her research in blending a large amount of historical fact into her fascinating well-written and highly imaginative fictionalized story.

Running parallel with Marie and Berenger's story, the author weaves in Mary Magdalene's story as a follower of Jesus by representing them as they would have been addressed in the ancient Hebrew/Aramaic language of Yeshua (Jesus) and Miryam (Mary). Unconventional yes, but it seems to work in this body of work. Whether the insinuations of Jesus' bloodline are true or not, with Mary Magdalene - prostitute or not; wife or not; or another virgin conception - only God knows! Fascinating? You bet!

The author did her homework in discovering that Berenger Sauniere was indeed a parish priest in the village of Rennes-le-Chateau (1885-1917) where during the church renovations he did, in fact, become extremely wealthy. Also, his longtime servant and companion, and rumored lover Marie Dernanaud, was known in the village as the priest's Madonna. The story is fascinating, bravely done and one that should hold the readers attention throughout! If Hollywood were looking for a sequel to that other well known about to be released movie this just might be the ticket!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gorgeous novel, July 5, 2006

By 

J. Nowak (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Priest's Madonna (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully written book. An absorbing, well-researched novel filled with mystery, romance and touches of humor.

Set in southern France in the late 19th century, the novel tells the story of young Marie Dernanaud and her life in the village of Rennes-le-Chateau, her family, friends and fervent love for Father Berenger Sauniere.

The forbidden romance between Father Berenger and Marie is believable and is one of the most striking aspects of this book. Their relationship was not an easy one, but rather full of confusion, anxiety and guilt. Beneath these struggles, however, was an unyielding love that neither could deny. This moved me significantly. Together, they embark on a journey of faith that leads them to question the bond between the divine and things of worldly origin.

Entwined with the story of Father Berenger and Marie is a narrative of Mary Magdalene set at the time of Christ. Here, the author appears to jump on the current bandwagon of considering a royal bloodline originating from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. I am Roman Catholic and do not take the notion of such a bloodline seriously. However, it is with this fictional aspect that the author neatly ties in the mysteries in the village of Rennes-le-Chateau.

It is worth mentioning that Father Berenger Sauniere and Marie Dernanaud are not complete works of fiction. Though their legacies are interspersed with rumor and mystery, they indeed lived in Rennes-le-Chateau in the 19th century.

The Priest's Madonna is a captivating read. Very few books will I consider rereading, but I will most certainly revisit this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Literary Page Turner, June 28, 2006

By 

Brad S. Rutledge (East Lansing, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Priest's Madonna (Hardcover)

Do you like a good mystery? A love story? An historical novel? A theological inquiry? In "The Priest's Madonna" Amy Hassinger manages to give us all of these in a well-paced and lush novel that never suffers from an identity crisis. This book deals with some of the same themes as Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code," but in a very different way. While Brown's book satisfies in the way an order of salty French fries satisfies after a night of overindulgence, "The Priest's Madonna" satisfies like a five course French meal with an excellent bottle of wine. Sophomore novelist Hassinger writes with a maturity that is extraordinary. She uses parallel and paradox to unfold the stories of Marie (and Berenger) at the end of the 19th century and Miryam (and Yeshua) at the time of Christ. Her female protagonists have that same quality of combined strength and vulnerability with which Margaret Atwood imbues many of her most interesting female protagonists. At times I found that I wanted a bit more development of Berenger's and Yeshua's characters, but in the end I concluded that because Marie's story was told from the first person and Miryam's story was told from the personal third person, the development of the male characters was just right to evoke that sense of mystery that the female protagonists found attractive in them. Reading this book left me with the same feeling and question I had years ago when I read "Snow Falling on Cedars" - how can a book that is so descriptive and literary make me want to turn the pages so fast?