EARLY REVIEWS |
“It has been a pleasure to read such an unusual lovely warm, humane story about this period, as so little of the personal lives of clerics, artists and people of that period in general is known. In your novel you have managed, however, to let this story of the Arles Cloister and its creators come to life and to have given the artists and clerics a voice. You draw on the knowledge of pilgrimage, the crusades, and the changes in the Liturgy at this period so well and document the sources also so thoroughly. The link to Northern Italy’s Romanesque sculptors, especially Niccolo/ Nicholaus, broadens the picture of contributions by traveling sculptural workshops during the twelfth century. It makes for an immensely readable historic novel in which artist and clerics interact and play a major role…
Congratulations on this major new type of publication! ”
“Schneider’s research is simply magisterial--her accounts of the historical period, the theological disputes of the time, and the minute details about Pons, a real figure, are scrupulously rigorous. And since Pons’ life was a cinematically dramatic one, it is ideally suited for novelization.”
“A Canon’s Tale is a compelling historical novel about a man’s attempts to balance his faith with his duty to the church. . . a young man battles his inner demons and urges his church to follow God’s message . . . (he) details instances of violence and temptation in an engaging manner, using his personal faith as a lens to understand them. In such moments, he comes across as flawed but captivating. And as the novel follows him through the years, from his service as a canon until his death, it incorporates some intriguing views of the real historical events that may have impacted him.”
Congratulations on this major new type of publication! ”
- Christine Verzar, Professor Emerita, The Ohio State University
“Schneider’s research is simply magisterial--her accounts of the historical period, the theological disputes of the time, and the minute details about Pons, a real figure, are scrupulously rigorous. And since Pons’ life was a cinematically dramatic one, it is ideally suited for novelization.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“A Canon’s Tale is a compelling historical novel about a man’s attempts to balance his faith with his duty to the church. . . a young man battles his inner demons and urges his church to follow God’s message . . . (he) details instances of violence and temptation in an engaging manner, using his personal faith as a lens to understand them. In such moments, he comes across as flawed but captivating. And as the novel follows him through the years, from his service as a canon until his death, it incorporates some intriguing views of the real historical events that may have impacted him.”
- Foreword Clarion Review
