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thebobsphere's review against another edition
2.0
So far I have noticed that all the books which take place in the middle ages or even later are the ones that I have disliked. I try to keep an open mind and I’m definitely sure that there will be a novel which is based in the middle ages that I will love but so far this has eluded me. Unfortunately The Heretic will have to join the ‘unenjoyable read’ list.
The year is 1560 and the Catholic church is going through a lot of unrest. On the day that Martin Luther nails the 95 theses on a church door in Wittenburg, Cipriano Salcedo is born in Valladolid, Spain. From the start his father abandons him and he is under the care of his wet-nurse Minervina.
Cipriano is a fairly bright child and becomes a successful businessman, however the reformation (which is well underway) attracts him and he abandons Catholicism and joins the revolutionaries. This leads to his arrest, trial and death. There’s also a small twist at the end which involves his past and present clashing in an ugly manner.
Historically the novel is accurate, As a theology student I had to study the Inquisition, Reformation and Counter-Reformation in detail and Delibes gets that down excellently but I just could not appreciate the story. I got bored many times and I had to force myself to read – something I hate doing. At a certain point I did not really care if Cipriano was just a victim of a certain type of mentality. I just wanted it all to end.
I wish I could love every book that passes through my hands but I have to come one I dislike now and then.
The year is 1560 and the Catholic church is going through a lot of unrest. On the day that Martin Luther nails the 95 theses on a church door in Wittenburg, Cipriano Salcedo is born in Valladolid, Spain. From the start his father abandons him and he is under the care of his wet-nurse Minervina.
Cipriano is a fairly bright child and becomes a successful businessman, however the reformation (which is well underway) attracts him and he abandons Catholicism and joins the revolutionaries. This leads to his arrest, trial and death. There’s also a small twist at the end which involves his past and present clashing in an ugly manner.
Historically the novel is accurate, As a theology student I had to study the Inquisition, Reformation and Counter-Reformation in detail and Delibes gets that down excellently but I just could not appreciate the story. I got bored many times and I had to force myself to read – something I hate doing. At a certain point I did not really care if Cipriano was just a victim of a certain type of mentality. I just wanted it all to end.
I wish I could love every book that passes through my hands but I have to come one I dislike now and then.
paulibirisqui's review against another edition
No me interesa leer sobre un viejo rancio que le excita ver como su hijo mama del pecho de su nodriza.
rodrigo_mc's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
claudiavalencia's review against another edition
4.0
Sorprendente. Me lo mandaron para clase y pensé que vaya tostón. El epílogo es para matarse, y fueron las 40 páginas más largas e imposibles de todo el libro. Pero después, el libro fue de mal a mucho mejor. La historia es interesante, y aunque el argumento es a veces algo difícil de seguir (erasmos o luteranos), al final lo vas pillando.
Ves como se desarrolla el protagonista, Cipriano, que intenta vivir la fe como es debido, no es capaz,y se mortifica por esto a lo largo del libro entero.
Teo, Ana, el Doctor, Caldaña... son las personas que "aman y son amadas" por Cipriano, pero que al final unos u otros se abandonan, y el único amor que permanece en la historia es el de Minervina (¿¿¿¡MINERVINA???!!), hasta el momento de su muerte.
Además, vemos cómo Cipriano es el único que es realmente fiel a su fe y a sus hermanos, cuando son acusados de herejes, aunque aquellos que traicionaron, acabaron como él: en la hoguera
Ves como se desarrolla el protagonista, Cipriano, que intenta vivir la fe como es debido, no es capaz,y se mortifica por esto a lo largo del libro entero.
Teo, Ana, el Doctor, Caldaña... son las personas que "aman y son amadas" por Cipriano, pero que al final unos u otros se abandonan, y el único amor que permanece en la historia es el de Minervina (¿¿¿¡MINERVINA???!!), hasta el momento de su muerte.
Además, vemos cómo Cipriano es el único que es realmente fiel a su fe y a sus hermanos, cuando son acusados de herejes, aunque aquellos que traicionaron, acabaron como él: en la hoguera
emenendez1's review against another edition
2.0
No me gustó este libro. Lo que pudo habernos dado una buena idea de la España del inicio de la inquisición terminó siendo un libro sobre obsesiones sexuales, amores frustrados, infertilidad y osas así. Lo que peor me cae es su falta de conocimiento cuando habla de cosas que no pudieron haberse dado en tal época. Creo que es buen autor pero el hereje no ahonda en lo que que fue un tiempo horroroso en la historia de España.
En general, no me gustó.
En general, no me gustó.
jufitzloved's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️
Me costó entrar en la época y la situación planteadas, pero una vez superado esto es una historia muy interesante en un escenario que en la ficción suele ejecutarse muy esteoritioadamente como es la Inquisición en el siglo XVI.
Me costó entrar en la época y la situación planteadas, pero una vez superado esto es una historia muy interesante en un escenario que en la ficción suele ejecutarse muy esteoritioadamente como es la Inquisición en el siglo XVI.
bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
Until reading this book, my knowledge of the Spanish Inquisition came primarily from Edgar Allen Poe. Oh, and these guys.
(You totally didn't expect that, did you??)
I'm not sure I would have found this book without help from the 1001 Books list, and it turned out to be a real gem of historical fiction. The story itself is slow, meandering, and follows the entire life of a heretic--and it's pretty clear from the title alone how this will turn out. The author does a masterful job of illustrating details, from the layout of peasant houses to the 16th century wool industry, to law, politics, and religion (of course). The author knows his stuff, and his complex layering transcends the more typical, superficial veneer of history that many a reader of historical fiction comes to expect. Sometimes the detail, especially some of the religious bits do get a bit long, but before they become interminable the author typically throws in some sort of interesting character interplay--dysfunctional fathers or star-crossed love. But for me, what I appreciated most from this book is that I have a much firmer grasp on a historical event that I knew very little about until now.
(You totally didn't expect that, did you??)
I'm not sure I would have found this book without help from the 1001 Books list, and it turned out to be a real gem of historical fiction. The story itself is slow, meandering, and follows the entire life of a heretic--and it's pretty clear from the title alone how this will turn out. The author does a masterful job of illustrating details, from the layout of peasant houses to the 16th century wool industry, to law, politics, and religion (of course). The author knows his stuff, and his complex layering transcends the more typical, superficial veneer of history that many a reader of historical fiction comes to expect. Sometimes the detail, especially some of the religious bits do get a bit long, but before they become interminable the author typically throws in some sort of interesting character interplay--dysfunctional fathers or star-crossed love. But for me, what I appreciated most from this book is that I have a much firmer grasp on a historical event that I knew very little about until now.
khader's review against another edition
5.0
غير عادية بالمرة ... بعض الروايات تذكرنا كم كان التاريخ قاسيا وبغيضاً وعلينا البحث فيه لنعرف قصة من هُزم ومن قبع تحت ويلاته ورواية "الهرطوقي" هي واحدة منها بالتأكيد.
anabey's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5