Manda's Bookshelf: The Burning Time by Robin Morgan
I am the daughter of a bargain shopper, and although I can’t stand clothes shopping, the principle of looking for a good deal transcends scouring the racks at Macy’s and applies just as well when scouring the shelves at bookstores. Bargain book bin? I’m there, digging to the bottom in the hopes of discovering an abandoned or ignored treasure of literature. Sales, coupons, clearance - these are my my friends. And as Karen from Will & Grace would say, I love a used bookstore like a two-dollar hooker.
All of this is to say, that when a bargain hunter like me pays full price for a book there’s usually a damn good reason. Either its for the latest book in a series that I already love, its come with a *very* high recommendation from trusted friends who know my reading habits, or (far more unlikely) the book looked so good when I picked it up in the store that I actually wanted to pay full price so I could read it right then.
The Burning Time by Robin Morgan was one of those books, and happily I was not disappointed with my purchase.
Culled from actual historical records of Ireland during the time of the Inquisition, Morgan tells the story of Irish noblewoman, Lady Alyce Kyteler and her fight against Bishop Richard de Ledrede who accuses her of witchcraft.
There’s been an interesting revisionist shift over the last few years/decades to cast familiar stories as more than they were. Thus Maid Marian becomes a sword-wielding kickass fighter in the new Robin Hood. I’m not saying that’s a *bad* thing, just that it’s happening a lot. When I first started reading, I had the sinking feeling that the author was going to go down that path. I was pleasantly surprised to find the author managed to avoid that trope fairly well.
Dame Alyce is smart, eloquent, and generous to her peasants unlike most of the other nobles, treating them more like friends than subjects. She is also the high priestess of her Coven, following the old religion - the pagan religion - which up until that point had lived in peace (mostly) and had been ingrained into the Catholic Church. (For instance, Brigid, the Irish name for the Earth Mother/Goddess was adopted into the Catholic Church as St. Brigid as it was easier to incorporate her than tell an island full of people their goddess was heresy.) Bishop de Ledrede unfortunately is just as smart, just as eloquent, and looking to gain enough of a reputation in Ireland so that he can be recalled to France on the Pope’s staff. And in the middle of these two powerhouses are the Irish peasants living on Kyteler land who favor the pagan religion, but acknowledge enough of the Catholic traditions to (up to that point) have kept the Church happy enough.
The first meeting between Alyce and de Ledrede does not go well. She’s dismissive and abrupt. He’s haughty and overly-pious. She leaves underestimating him. He leaves vowing to himself to convert Alyce Kyteler and bring her to heel.
Their next meeting is even more disastrous as de Ledrede and his group of ultra-conservative priests show up at the Beltaine festival (May Day). A full out brawl ensues between the pagan worshipers and the priests after a priest strike a woman, and although the pagans win, the victory is short-lived as de Ledrede accuses Alyce of heresy. What ensues in this aftermath is a political game of chess as de Ledrede and Lady Alyce maneuver around each other using Irish and Church law.
As I said, I expected at the beginning for this book to turn into a revisionist glorification of the heroine as completely above reproach versus the evil religious Bishop. Thankfully, the book never goes quite that far. Yes, de Ledrede is the villain here and for good reason - the book isn’t titled The Burning Time for nothing - but happily enough, Lady Alyce doesn’t get off scot-free either. She has flaws, honest, real flaws - the chief being hubris, which nearly brings her to a complete falling out with her most trusted peasants, and does end up costing her her son. She isn’t a revisionist hero, she’s an actual hero, which oddly enough makes her more human and the story even more tragic for those involved.
Plot points aside - and I won’t ruin the ending, which is both bittersweet and surprisingly unexpected - Robin Morgan’s prose is lyrical and manages to tap into a vein of storytelling that seems wholly Irish. The only thing that bothered me is her reliance on forwarding the story through long, *long* stretches of dialogue, mostly Alyce’s as she regularly works through a problem verbally. At times, Morgan breaks that cardinal rule of “show, don’t tell” with heavy handed dialogue exchanges between the characters, but over all the writing is well-spun and effective.
I know I’ve mentioned this in reviews before, but I am again rather amazed by the level of detail and research that went into re-creating some of the pagan rituals. At times, it’s a bit much and Morgan could’ve used a heavier editing hand, but it also is helpful to set the environment. America in 2010 is a long way from Ireland in 1342, and at times we forget the daily struggle to store enough food and prepare for winter when there’s a Safeway five minutes down the road. What we also forget, easily enough, is how much of a battle Catholic Christianity had against the pagans. Until the Church gained enough wealth (and its own Army) to have legitimacy, often times it was easier to incorporate local gods/goddesses and traditions than decry them and try to force the people to give them up.
Another element that some take for granted now is the relative well being and power of women in society. I’m speaking generally here, of course, but one of the most impressive moments in the book is when Lady Alyce, forgoing her pride and her own sense of social mores gives in and seeks out help among the other nobles. She can’t address them as she normally would in homespun dresses and comfortable hemp sandals - no, for her to have legitimacy she has to adorn herself with literally pounds and pounds of material and dressings and jewelry befitting a noble woman. Her title and land mean nothing absent the trappings of her office and appearances. In a way, much hasn’t changed since 1342.
The verdict? I’d pay full price for this book again.
Manda’s rating? A solid 4 Kermits.
Good plot, good writing, plus it’s about Ireland which automatically makes it better than most books. (I’m Irish…. It’s *possible* I’m biased.)
Coming up Next...
How the Irish Saved Civilization. Yes, I’m on an Irish kick. It’s better than the religious kick I almost went on. Really, you don’t want me quoting scripture. lol
And as always...
Statler (waking up Waldorf) - Hey, you old fool! You slept through the show.
Waldorf - Who's a fool? You watched it.