Banners of Gold: A Novel

I just re-read this, and it's funny how you can have 2 totally different reactions to a book. The first time, I could barely tolerate the book: the main character was a brainless slut, the "secret" plot withheld from her utterly transparent if only she took the time to think. The second time around, however, I thought the book was brilliant--I could barely believe such a true character and deep...more

I just re-read this, and it's funny how you can have 2 totally different reactions to a book. The first time, I could barely tolerate the book: the main character was a brainless slut, the "secret" plot withheld from her utterly transparent if only she took the time to think. The second time around, however, I thought the book was brilliant--I could barely believe such a true character and deep plot could be created from research--and progressed as it had to, in order to create mystery and a depth of experience. Yes, the character is a bit of a dullwit, suckered by her own "fire in the bedstraw," a phrase which keeps reappearing throughout the book, but the characters around her whom I always considered hollow excuses for raucous behavior this time came across as true reflections of the time, for instance Hildegard von Bingen's writings and the Excstacy of Theresa. "Spiritual" receptions really were described in orgasmic terms. I thought this was a complex and deep book, and while the undefined ending is a bit unsatisfactory it is also mature and fitting. A very good read--and I hate this phrase as an abuse to the English language, but it actually was "un-put-downable!"   hide