The Burning Times
by Jeanne Kalogridis
The year is 1357. The Inquisition rages throughout medieval France, searching ruthlessly for heretics. In an epic tale of passion, mystery, and unspeakable danger, one woman faces the flames…and triumphs.
Mother Marie Francoise, born Sybille, is a midwife with a precocious gift for magic — a gift that makes her a prime target for persecution at the hands of the Church. She flees her village and takes refuge in a Franciscan sisterhood. Before long, Sybille’s unusual powers bring her under the scrutiny of the Inquisition. Michel, a pious and compassionate monk sent to hear her confession, finds himself drawn more intimately into Sybille’s life and destiny than either of them could have imagined.
Like a magician herself, Jeanne Kalogridis weaves a tale of star-crossed love, of faith and heresy, of mysticism and witchcraft, against a fascinating historical backdrop — the Black Death, the Hundred Years’ War, and the catastrophic defeat of France at the hands of the English. The result is a page-turning novel about one of the most intriguing periods in history.
The Burning Times focuses on the life and Church inquisition of a young French woman, Sybille, accused of witchcraft in fourteenth-century France. This setting, unique among witchy novels I’ve read, lent the story an air of unpredictability. Though not unfamiliar with medieval treatment of women, or those accused of witchcraft, this time period seemed to flood the story with possibility. What would happen without the familiar, often predictable, bounds of colonial Puritan or historical British settings that dictate the atmosphere and tone of the novel? With such a rich foundation of historical time period, setting, atmosphere and witchcraft, The Burning Times had every thread to weave together a beautiful story.
The novel opens with an intriguing prologue, throwing readers right into the midst of the Church’s capture of a suspected witch. Immediately, perspective shifts to a member of the Church, Brother Michel, who has been charged with assisting in acquiring the witch’s confession. It is through this confession that we come to know the life and story of Sybille, a young French woman—and witch. The narrative approach, which moved between Brother Michel’s and Sybille’s perspectives (as well as her grandmother’s perspective when the story called for it), was at first gripping and intriguing. I enjoyed the in-depth exploration of Sybille’s tale from multiple points-of-view, each one contributing to the novel’s potential for true complexity. Brother Michel’s perspective revealed the Church’s inner political workings, not only the obvious motivations behind the inquisition, but also the personalities behind Sybille’s interrogation even as Brother Michel began questioning the truth of their personal motivations. I also enjoyed that Sybille’s confession began by introducing the story of her birth and childhood as it was told to her by her grandmother, giving readers a full, in-depth view of her entire life. The dynamic between Sybille and her grandmother during her childhood was one of my favorite elements of the novel, the sense of secrecy and unity as Sybille came to understand her grandmother’s power and the root of her own power, practicing witchcraft under the nose of her disapproving mother.
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Witchcraft often has a subtlety about it. It tends to be quiet, a thread of knowledge and belief between women and something bigger that’s expressed through quiet rituals. This is a depiction of witchcraft I will never tire of, however I’m always happy to see something different, something that incorporates those same elements but expands upon them in unique and compelling ways. Such was my hope for the witchcraft within The Burning Times. It felt more direct from the outset, a sort of witchcraft that was loud about its foundation in belief in a Goddess who interacted rather directly with her worshippers and magic that bordered on a fantasy novel’s depiction of magic. While I was intrigued and even excited by the direction the witchcraft was headed initially, it didn’t last. The further the story went along, the more frustrated I found myself with the witchcraft and how it impacted and drove the plot. It became reliant on vague beliefs and assurances, characters who just knew and just trusted everything was in the Goddess’s hands enough to throw themselves into bad situations without actually attempting to be useful or smart at all. Combine this with the fact that the plot and main character’s choices were being completely driven by “the Goddess is leading me” logic instead of truly compelling motives for a character with agency to make certain choices, this novel quickly dissolved into quite a frustrating reading experience.
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The plot also crumbled beneath this story’s incredible potential. Everything that seemed to be enhancing the witchcraft in the beginning of the novel ultimately resulted in a story that was predictable, frustrating, boring, and weighed down by clichés. Aside from Sybille’s developing understanding of her powers, I am not sure what the plot of The Burning Times even was. The entire “Beloved” plot line was dramatic, completely unbelievable, and irritating beyond measure. There were moments of urgency completely undermined by years-long stretches of inaction and complacency, all marked by the attempted justification of mention of the great, growing evil that was only ever referred to as “the Enemy.” It was vague and melodramatic, every worry concerning “the Enemy” described as being the worst evil the world has ever seen. The overall goal of “the Enemy” was talked about (which was also rather vague), but never what he was actually doing in order to accomplish it, nor what Sybille and those of her Race (witches, those who believed in the Goddess and God) were doing to actually stand against him. Their only defense was maintaining their belief and love for others–an incredibly frustrating and irritating self-righteousness that made the characters less relatable and harder to root for. The writing itself felt very direct, lacking style and nuance that could’ve improved this reading experience. Characters weren’t very well crafted, believable, or compelling. The end was predictable, boring, clichéd, frustrating, and completely unsatisfying.
The Burning Times was an incredibly disappointing novel. Despite such an intriguing premise and a setting rich in atmosphere, history, and potential, nearly every aspect of this novel was flimsy and frustrating. I’d hoped for a compelling, complexly woven tale unique among other witchy books. Unfortunately, this is not a novel I can recommend.