The Cloister and the Hearth

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The big kerfuffle about flebotomy. An interesting topic that Reade must have been just waiting to give a platform to. Denys fights with Gerard about the efficacy of the procedure for a good while. Memory escapes me as to why I ever thought I wanted to read it. Perhaps I thought the forbidden romance between a priest and his lady love sounded intriguing, or maybe it was because the main character is an illuminator and I love that type of detailed art. The important question to ask is: Was it worth it? The answer is not a very simple one. I came away feeling that if I had known how miserable a tale it would be, I would not have begun to read it in the first place. I really didn’t get much from the story personally. Every possible obstacle was put in the characters’ ways and the story dragged on and on. It is quite an unfortunate tale of love and loss and waiting against hope, of death and despair and the subjugation of comfort and affection. Not a day passes over the earth, but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words, and suffer noble sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers and martyrs, the greater part will never be known till that hour, when many that are great shall be small, and the small great; but of others the world's knowledge may be said to sleep: their lives and characters lie hidden from nations in the annals that record them. The general reader cannot feel them, they are presented so curtly and coldly: they are not like breathing stories appealing to his heart, but little historic hailstones striking him but to glance off his bosom: nor can he understand them; for epitomes are not narratives, as skeletons are not human figures." It is said that speech is the familiar vent of human thoughts, but Life is an intermittent fever, and there are emotions so simple and overpowering that they rush out not in words, but eloquent sounds. In the longer journey of it, there are days that come by with passions and perils, by fits and starts, and as it were, in clusters. And yes, I would candidly confess, this novel also made me sob single-mindedly. It is indeed a glorious book, it has all, all in all together, and especially vivid unforgettable adventures, marvellous occurrences, that can hardly be ever dismissed from human’s fancy :) I am surely one of his greatest fans now! Firstly, because under the historical outline of the novel there is painted a true story. That’s because I say so :D As most of the synopsis were telling the same I refer to mentioning the famous scholar Desiderius Erasmus von Rotterdam as being the child of the tragic pair on which the story gravitates I have really enjoyed how the author used his imagination to extend from a couple of lines that was assumed to be written by Erasmus about his parents, and tell the strange history of a pair that loved each other truly and deeply, but couldn’t enjoy their earthly happiness as a normal married couple. To keep it simple, whatever story I do myself believe through the author’s words is true to me. This tale not only found a place in my heart whilst reading it, but I feel it’s going to remain there indefinitely, especially the tale of those two sore-tried souls…

THERE IS AN ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THIS TITLE WITH LINKED TABLE OF CONTENTS WHICH MAY VIEWED AT EBOOK Leave this pilgrimage, and instant return to Rome. Penitence abroad is little worth. There where we live lie the temptations we must defeat, or perish; not fly in search of others more showy, but less lethal. Easy to wash the feet of strangers, masked ourselves. Hard to be merely meek and charitable with those about us.'" --chapter LXXV If the crowd runs after the false, it must neglect the true. The intolerable "Romola" is praised; the admirable "Cloister and the Hearth" is waived aside.There were always priests, monks and other clergy to be found, and they were either ascetic or corrupt – rarely anything inbetween. Women could be lewd, shrewish, strong-minded or virginal, but essentially dependent on their menfolk. Taverns and prostitutes were a-plenty. Aristocrats were noble or dishonest, not much else. Poor people were subservient and loyal. The Cloister and the Hearth is certainly erudite, perhaps too much so. Reade makes the error that has become common in writers of the last few decades who wish to be taken seriously. He constantly makes a display of his factual knowledge of every aspect of medieval life, with the result that the story frequently grinds to a halt while we can hear some arid discussion about art or clerical disputes. In "The Decay of Lying," Oscar Wilde praised the novel as Reade's "one beautiful book", after which he "wasted the rest of his life in a foolish attempt to be modern." [5]. Conversely, George Orwell wrote, "Since Charles Reade's books are published in cheap editions one can assume that he still has his following, but it is unusual to meet anyone who has voluntarily read him. In most people his name seems to evoke, at most, a vague memory of 'doing' The Cloister and the Hearth as a school holiday task," going on to write, "Reade wrote several dull books, and The Cloister and the Hearth is one of them," after which he praised his modern productions Foul Play, Hard Cash, and It Is Never Too Late to Mend. [6] Screen adaptation [ edit ]

NOV 2014 - I must admit I was torn about how to rate this book. Initially, I felt certain it was 5 stars. Then in the middle and in other places, we got bogged down with the novels-within-novels, the contrivances, and the theological dissertations. That put the book at a good, solid 3. Well, having completed the reading (and crying lots of tears at the ending), I rewarded The Cloister and The Hearth 5 stars. The story is about two lovers, Gerard Eliassoen and Margaret Brandt. Gerard is training to be a monk, but he soon becomes enamoured by Margaret, the daughter of a herbalist. Faced with serious opposition that leads to his arrest, Gerard decides to flee the country and to meet with Margaret in Italy.Love thwarted by the machinations of a spiteful burgomaster and Gerard's greedy brothers, Gerard sets out for Rome, determined to make his way in the world and provide for his secret bride. Adventures ensue. Many adventures. He befriends Denys, a woman-crazy but good-hearted arbalestrier (a crossbowman--I had to look that one up) who becomes his boon companion. Adventures and more adventures. I won't give anything away, but the part where Gerard and Denys are beset by bandits at an inn, and the way Gerard cleverly uses his talents to gain the upper hand, is one of the coolest things I've ever read.