Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous! ... but what's Fabio doing on the cover??, April 27, 1998
This review is from: The Sword and the Miracle: A Novel (Hardcover)
As a long-time follower of Melvyn Bragg's literary works (as well as an admirer of his illuminating yet refreshingly non-combative interview style on the South Bank Show), I first read "The Sword and the Miracle" a year ago under its British title, "Credo". It captivated me -- not only because of the author's exquisite use of the English language, as always, but because he achieves the near-impossible: He pulls characters from an ancient, largely undocumented age and imbues them with contemporary human qualities. In fact, I sometimes had to chide myself, sitting smugly on the cusp of the 21st century, for presuming to feel angry at Bega in her ferocious struggles against the sin of desire. I kept feeling tempted to use words like `denial' and `self-fulfillment' ... modern-day arguments that would easily have convinced this girl, naturally, to ride off with her prince, turn her back on the sometimes fanatical and cruel Christianity of her time and place! But, of course, the princess Bega lived and died in those times, not these. And Melvyn Bragg does not write feel-good stories for the genre market. Hence, I believe the editors and marketers at Random House did this novel a great disservice by re-titling it to sound like an Errol Flynn swashbuckler, and by encasing it (the version I received, anyway) in a slick dust jacket with a Fabio look-alike on the cover! I have to wonder how many readers of serious historical fiction were driven away, and how many attracted who simply needed bed-table escapism after a tough day of board meetings; the latter were consigned to disappointment and the book to a lukewarm reception. I admit I'm baffled by a marketing plan designed to repel those most likely to appreciate the product being marketed. This novel is not one long history lesson, however. There are great battles depicted in furious detail, and barbaric characters of epic proportion, and a horrific rape described in such clinical slow motion that it could be a scene out of de Sade's own chambers. Although what lies between is not always easy reading, in the end we walk away having been not just observers but enlightened travelers through a dark time in history. Title notwithstanding, I found "Credo" / "The Sword and the Miracle" to be a powerful portrayal of life and people in an era when Celtic mysticism was engaged in a losing war with Christian martyrdom, and Bragg does a masterful job, particularly in the prickly encounters between Bega and the pagan priestess Reggiani, of leaving us with the question: Did we take the right turn 1,200 years ago? "The Sword and the Miracle" -- or whatever name it bears -- is one of Melvyn Bragg's most imposing achievements, both intellectually and creatively. Regarding his other works, for historical romance on a more traditional scale, read "The Maid of Buttermere", based on a true-life scandalous affair in early 19th century England. Or for more contemporary settings: "A Time To Dance", about a convention-shattering love between a staid, aging banker and a young working-class girl; and "Crystal Rooms", with plotlines that course through modern-day London, from political heights to a Fagin-like character and his boy-slaves. And you wouldn't want to miss the author's special facility with erotic passages. Although his myriad pursuits could probably qualify Melvyn Bragg as a Renaissance man, I continue to be drawn mostly to his fiction -- as the purest manifestation of the mind and spirit behind the whole body of work.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Pagan 7th century Britain under attack from Mad Christians, July 11, 1999
This review is from: The Sword and the Miracle: A Novel (Hardcover)
Melvyn Bragg's "The Sword and the Miracle" (or "Credo" as it is known in Britain) is astonishing. It is so well researched and so well written that the characters live in your head long after you have closed the pages for the last time. It's a classical battle; between the Pagans and the Christians, and between the Christian Celts and the Christian Catholics, set in a violent and turbulent period of history. What makes this book is such memorable characters: Bega, the devout christian, destined to become a saint; the pagan woman whom Bega so despises, yet who is so human, Bega's "man", who's love she is prepared to forgo to persue her love affair with God. The strength of this book is that the characters react, not with 20th century eyes, but as you'd imagine them to in the 7th century. This is not a historical novel. It is, at least to me, a biography! I cannot recommend it highly enough Read this book. It will change your outlook on life, love and religion. It is wonderful.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Saints Preserved, March 4, 2008
This review is from: The Sword and the Miracle: A Novel (Hardcover)
This novel reads like a sort of Christian saint's sword and sorcery. The description of the Irish king's keep got me: the very primitive characterizations of the warriors was almost as good. The Irish always blame the English for their backwardness, but it may have been a result of their cultural problems? I had read before of a Celtic Christian sect that remained independent of the church of Rome, but I never knew it had to do with when Easter is celebrated. In this book the saints have real visions and fasting is taking to an unhealthy end. Reading this book gives you a real insight into the 600th century in England.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
