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In the fifteenth century, with religious intolerance spreading like wildfire
across Europe, English-born Anna Bookman and her grandfather, Finn, earn a living
in Prague by illuminating precious books, including forbidden translations of
the Bible. Finn subscribes to the heresy that people ought to be able to read
the Word of God for themselves, without having to pay a priest for the privilege,
but holding that belief is becoming more and more hazardous. When the authorities
start burning books and slaughtering heretics --- including the man Anna was
to marry --- Finn urges her to seek sanctuary in England, but her passage abroad
will be anything but easy.
In London, Friar Gabriel dutifully obeys church doctrine by granting pardons
. . . for a small fee. But then he is sent undercover on a spying mission to
France, where Anna has set up a temporary stall as a bookseller. Anna has no
way of knowing that the wealthy young merchant frequenting her stall is actually
a priest --- just as Gabriel does not know he has met the woman who will cause
him to doubt his vows.
As Anna continues her journey to England, where the movement to stamp out heresy
is growing ever fiercer, Brenda Rickman Vantrease brings us a richly imagined
and immensely rewarding novel of love, faith, and dangerous secrets.
THE MERCY SELLER © Copyright 2008 by Brenda Rickman Vantrease. Reprinted with permission by St. Martin's Press. All rights reserved.
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CRITICAL PRAISE
THE MERCY SELLER
"The many readers who liked Vantrease's debut, The Illuminator , set in 14th-century England, will be pleasantly surprised by this satisfying sequel.... The same lovely period detail and attention to historical realities of the first book are here maintained...Recommended."
—Library Journal
"Female scribe finds heretical love in Vantrease's engrossing follow-up to The Illuminator (2005).... Will Gabriel discover the secret of his birth and its curious parallels to his current dilemma? Will he meet Anna again...? Readers will agree that answers, and the Reformation, can't come soon enough."
—Kirkus Reviews
THE ILLUMINATOR
"A bold first novel, blending a sweeping portrayal of the distant past
with intricate family drama . . . Apart from the rich period atmosphere, the
story is ample in romance, mystery, and adventure; its characters are full of
life and energy."
—The Boston Globe
"An absorbing, expertly told tale . . . embroidered with plenty of homespun
detail."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A remarkable first novel . . . Vantrease . . . depicts this complex period
with imagination and care."
—Library Journal (starred review)
"A remarkable debut novel."
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A richly detailed story . . . [Vantrease’s] details and deft storytelling
create a luminescent and very readable portrait of a dark time in history."
—Booklist
"A fabulous historical work of fiction that brings to life a pivotal moment
in the history of England."
—Midwest Book Review
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