Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A long but worthwhile read, 4 Nov 2007
Daughters of the Grail is a very well written book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I've rewarded the marks not on how much I enjoyed this but more for how good a story it was and how well it was put together. I was engrossed at the start of this book but I rapidly discovered (as I have with other novels) that being set so far into the past is something I just can't get away with reading.
The characters are evocative and the descriptive narrative lends itself to an imaginative world. The novel is set in thirteenth-century France where Bridget has learned to master the gifts bestowed upon her from the ancestor, Mary Magdalene. The unbroken female lineage has allowed for her magical wisdom to remain alive. The Catholic Church at the time was against `witchcraft' and sought to kill those using the healing talents passed down generation to generation.
The story at the start shows us Bridget as a younger girl just at the time of her mother's death (this is not a spoiler, it happens within the first chapter). We then move through her life and finally the end of the novel is at the end of Bridget's life time. It is compelling to read and the characters are so beautifully depicted, it just sadly wasn't one for me. The quest Bridget undertakes to continue the bloodline leads her through and into some terrible times and it is where we are introduced to Raoul de Montvallant who for Bridget is what Mr Darcy is to Elizabeth Bennet. The relationship is sparky and exciting but Raoul is wed to Claire (this again is not a spoiler as it happens in Chapter 2).a beautiful girl, portrayed so vividly by fabulous narrative. Life is not kind to anyone in the novel but love, honour, justice and truth prevails in this piece of convincing historical fiction.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely magical - one of my favourites!, 27 Dec 2007
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and this is one of my favourite novels, on par with MISTS OF AVALON and PILLARS OF THE EARTH, if not in scope (this one is only 500 pages long) then in literary experience.
Set in 13th century France, DAUGHTERS OF THE GRAIL (also known as CHILDREN OF DESTINY) tells the story of the Cathar faith, a spiritual movement of Christian origins that opposed the corruption, violence and materialism of the Catholic Church. As the Cathar movements gains momentum, the Catholic leaders organize a bloody crusade (now known as the Albigensian Crusade) to wipe out all "heretics".
Bridget, a powerful healer and psychic descended from Mary Magdalene, is at the heart of the story. Her role is to carry the on the spiritual blood lineage (the Holy Grail) and pass on her healing talents, while evading persecution by the Catholic Church. Other characters include Luke, a Templar Knight, Raoul, a noble Cathar sympathizer, Claire, his wife, Friar Bernard an over-zealous Catholic and Simon de Monford, the vicious crusade leader. All characters are intertwined in a delicious web of drama and adventure, sprinkled with a few romantic sub-plots.
On her website, Chadwick describes how she uses social re-enactment to immerse herself in a specific period of history - this is evident in her writing. The descriptions are so vivid, the characters so believable and the details so engrossing, you forget you are reading fiction.
I heartily recommend this book!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Daughters of the Grail-An Unusual Quest Satisfied!, 17 Nov 2003
From the back cover: "Thirteenth-century France. Bridget has grown up mastering the mystical gifts of her ancestor, Mary Magdalene, whose unbroken female lineage has kept a legacy of wisdom alive for a thousand years. But the all-powerful Catholic church has sworn to destroy Bridget for using her healing talents and supernatural abilities.Bridget's duty to continue the bloodline leads her into the arms of Raoul de Montvallant-a Catholic. But when the Church's savage religious intolerance causes Raoul to turn rebel, a terrible vengeance is exacted by Simon de Montfort, the unstoppable Catholic leader of a crusade against peaceful "heretics." As the war rages on, it is the children of these passionate souls, Magda and Dominic, who must strive to preserve the ancient knowledge for future generations-and find the love and courage to endure..." This is a highly engaging and exciting read! I'm not usually one for anything even remotely related to a French storyline, but this book is definitely an exception! It is an out-of-print title but I found a copy on the internet quite easily. READ IT, YOU WON'T BE SORRY YOU DID!
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by Elizabeth Chadwick
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