Daughters of the Grail

This is really one of the best books I have ever read. It's not Gone With the Wind or the Far Pavilions, but it's pretty darn close. So much of the historical fiction I read is centered in England, Scotland and Wales, and I enjoyed reading about this period in history in southern France and about a religion I knew nothing about (having not yet read The DaVinci Code). This was an exciting tale of Cathars, Knights Templar, evil priests, Bridget and her daughter Magda - descended from Mary Magdelene, all battling the Roman Catholic Church that is bent on destroying them, and finishes with a heart-stopping page turning, can't put it down until it's done finish. It always astounds me the evil that men will do in the name of "god", and that it continues to this day. I had found this book used in the US last year, and the first time I read it I knew nothing about Simon DeMontfort (the second) and what he tried to accomplish for England before his tragic end. Although I know the part he plays in this novel, with his illegitimate half brother Dominic, is just a story, it was nice to see some glimpses of him in a minor role as a young boy and then a young man. To learn more about this incredible man, please read Sharon Kay Penman's Falls the Shadow. As always with Chadwick's books, the way she brings the medieval period to life in such a graceful and effortless way, be it the sights, sounds, smells, food, clothes and battles is just awesome. Five stars.

Elizabeth Chadwick brings the Albigensian Crusade, and the demise of the Cathars at the hands of over-zealous Catholics, to life. The book opens in Languedoc during 1207 and closes in England in 1245. It covers the crusades lead by Simon de Montfort, the 5th Earl of Leicester, who died in 1218. The story covers two generations of Cathars. It centers around the lives of Bridget (a woman who claims to be descended from the Magdalane), Raoul (Catholic in name, but sympathizes with the Cathars) and Claire (Raoul's wife who later becomes a Cathar). Later, it introduces other characters important to the story - Magda (Bridget and Raoul's daughter), Dominic (Claire's son, resulting from her rape by de Montfort) and Guillaume (Claire's and Rauol's son). The horror of de Montfort's zealotry is what sticks in my mind most after reading the book. The relentless cruelty with which he pursued the Cathars seemingly knew no bounds. Those who read Sharon Kay Penman's Falls the Shadow will come to understand where the Simon de Montfort (son of the 5th Earl of Leicester) of that story got his religious views. Woven lightly into the Cathar-Catholic story is the thread of the Magdalane and the bloodline of the Holy Grail. This is very much a secondary theme. It provides the only avenue for a happy ending. A definite 5-star read!

This was a fascinating tale of two female descendants of Mary Magdalene with special powers and the Catholic crusade against the Cathars led by Simon de Montfort (Sr., the father of the one in the Penman books). Full of action, intrigue, mystical powers, and a bit of romance, this is another bullseye from Elizabeth Chadwick. Highly recommended!

I maintain that Dan Brown, who wrote the Da Vinci Code, got all his ideas from this book. Not that's bad, since this a great book with many intriguing ideas. I just wish everyone who was so thrilled with the Da Vinci Code would read this for comperason... This book tells the story of Bridget, who is a descendent of Mary Magdalene and Jesus's brother, and is living in southern France in the 1200's. Because she is constantly being sought and attacked by the Catholic Church she hides out with Templar nights and Cathers, a religious sect of the time who believe in a god of light. Bridget is a pagan worshiper of the goddess, but she believes in Cather ideals of being kind to one another. Bridget knows she must have a daughter to carry on her line. She chooses a man, Raoul de Montvallant, who is all ready married to father her child. They have one night of passion and Bridget moves on to give birth to a girl, Magda. Meanwhile, Raoul's wife Claire is captured by Simon De Montfort (the elder, not the one who lived in England and rebelled against Henry III) and raped by him. She gives birth to a young boy who is raised by Montfort's spiteful wife and monks. He is named Dominic. Dominic and Bridget's daughter Magda are meant to be together. But as the Crusade against the Cathers gathers strength and traps hundreds of faithful, among them Raoul, Clair, Bridget, Magda and Raoul's and Clair's son (from before she was raped) in a mountain stronghold. It's up to Dominic to save his beloved...and the bloodline that is the Holy Grail. This book is thrilling, romantic, very intelligent and informative and by far the best of Chadwick's novels I have read to date. It is out of print, but not difficult to find at all and well worth the effort to locate.

Elizabeth Chadwick is the premier medieval author! Her characters come to life, and you walk every step with them.In Children of Destiny, she tells the tale of the Cathars in medieval France. It starts out in 1207, when Raoul de Montvalland and Claire d'Agen are married. For Raoul it is the fulfillment of his lifelong dream, but for Claire, there is conflict between marital happiness and her yearning to embrace fully the Cathar Faith.In 1209 a crusade is launched by the Pope against the heretic Cathars and Simon de Monfort sets about devastating Cathar strongholds in the South. Raoul, Claire and Bridget, a Cathar woman, whom Raoul is strangely attracted to, are pulled apart by the conflict, which will affect future generations.A great story, rich in historical detail, you can't put it down!