- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st ed edition (17 Oct 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007156375
- ISBN-13: 978-0007156375
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 14.8 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
342,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #69 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > British Heads of State > Elizabeth I
- #74 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > British Heads of State > Henry I
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More About the Author
Product Description
The Spectator
'vivid and moving...Hogge is brilliant at evoking the climate of suspicion and fear'
Waterstones Quarterly
'a compelling and at times harrowing story...beautifully told...Hogge's eloquent account of religion, desperation and extremism is unexpectedly timely'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent, very well-written book, transporting the reader into 16th and early 17th century England and the real-life adventures of priests on the run, Catholics who hid them and sometimes died for them, and a Government which saw all priests (and especially the Jesuits) as agents of a foreign power. A balanced presentation, with impressive research but always readable - in fact, a page turner for anyone interested in the religious situation at the time of Elizabeth and James 1st. It's impossible not to admire the bravery of these hunted men and the ingenuity of the hiding places constructed in so many stately homes across the country, and to puzzle over the dilemna faced on both sides of the religious divide. How were Catholics, under persecution, to live in loyalty to both their King and their religion ? How was the government to deal with genuine dangers from abroad, without severe injustice to those many English Catholics who were no danger at all ? The book ends with some brief and interesting thoughts on the Muslim community and the Western response to 9/11. We are reminded that the governments of Elizabeth and James "both preached regular sermons on their own essential decency and reasonableness (in contrast to what they perceived as the king-killing doctrines of Rome), both endorsed State-sanctioned acts of inhumanity, forced internments, show trials, revenge punishments, and the erosion of the common law." Aren't we fortunate that this couldn't possibly happen today ?!! This really is a good book, making me want to read more about the Jesuits and this period of history, and to visit the many country houses and historic buildings of London which play their part in the story. Highly recommended.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I wanted to read this book because I have never been able to understand why people would risk their lives for their faith and go to the stake for their religious beliefs. This is not only because I am not a religious person myself, but also because I find it hard to imagine the overwhelming influence the church had over peoples' lives in the 16th century. I have also been quite puzzled at the strength of anti-Catholic feeling that still seems to exist in some parts of the UK even today, and wanted to get a better understanding of what causes this sort of intolerance. I wanted to understand why Catholics were viewed as traitors.
I have read quite a lot of Tudor history over the years but most of it is very pro-Elizabeth, so it was very refreshing to read this book and get a different perspective. That is not to say that it was one-sided, but it certainly gave me an insight into the strength of feeling that made people risk their lives, as well as the determination of the authorities to suppress it.
I think the author has written a very well researched book and I would recommend the book to anybody who is interested in Tudor history and how it still affects us today.
I have read quite a lot of Tudor history over the years but most of it is very pro-Elizabeth, so it was very refreshing to read this book and get a different perspective. That is not to say that it was one-sided, but it certainly gave me an insight into the strength of feeling that made people risk their lives, as well as the determination of the authorities to suppress it.
I think the author has written a very well researched book and I would recommend the book to anybody who is interested in Tudor history and how it still affects us today.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
From the purely historical point of view the book is not by, but tells of, the losers. It explains how the norm (Catholicism) became despised, suppressed, hated and exploited.
You see can how
- one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter
- civilised, democratic laws can be distorted or abandoned, depending on political aim
and, as the author herself put it
- `Our defence of the majority good ..... gives unwarranted scope for majority fear to dominate the process of moral reasoning'
These points also ring more modern bells.
You see can how
- one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter
- civilised, democratic laws can be distorted or abandoned, depending on political aim
and, as the author herself put it
- `Our defence of the majority good ..... gives unwarranted scope for majority fear to dominate the process of moral reasoning'
These points also ring more modern bells.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
secret agents and official spin
This is a detailed and thorough account, with care taken to inform the general reader of the specialist contexts and terminology used by historians as the narrative progresses. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Les Fearns
Elizabethan history with a message highly relevant to our time
A time when some of an English queen's subjects are suspected of divided loyalties; when the faith of a minority is bolstered by teachings from overseas viewed by the state as... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jeremy Bevan
Boys Own stuff - but what made them tick?
Idealistic young men, devoted to their faith, not just willing but desperate to suffer martyrdom, and a government hastily drawing up draconian laws to try and deal with... Read more
Published 15 months ago by davidT
Well researched and balanced
A very well researched and balanced account of the activities of Catholic priests in the England of Elizabeth I and James I. Read more
Published 22 months ago by John Hopper
History at its Best
Alice Hogge is to be congratulated for a well-researched and well-balanced look back in history at the time of Elizabeth I and James I of England. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2006 by Mary M.
Gods Secret Agent
I am sorry to say that this book was a bit of a disappointment.
On the negative side I found the book disjointed, difficult to be engaged by and often repetitive. Read more
On the negative side I found the book disjointed, difficult to be engaged by and often repetitive. Read more
Published on 14 April 2006 by David Mccormick
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