Product Description

"... despite the title ... it is the work on Pole which is the most exciting."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4739 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 280 pages

Review
"Duffy makes a convincing and strongly argued case for a reexamination of the burnings... [A] scrupulous and searching book." --Diane Purkiss, The Independent, 19th June 2009

"Duffy offers a masterly demolition of [the commonly held] view, emphasising the consistency of Pole's principles." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph, 14th June 2009

"...a short, evidence-packed book, exceptionally well provided with illustrations and maps...a just and equal light on the English church." --Lucy Beckett, The Spectator, 20th June 2009

"...serves an important purpose...brings us much closer to an elusive goal: a rounded history of the Marian church."
--Jon Wright, BBC History Magazine, 1st June 2009

"...this is must-read material. Thanks to Duffy's style and scholarship, it is interesting and pleasurable." --Anke Bernau, THES, 23rd July 2009

`Powerful and interesting.'
--Hilary Mantel, London Review of Books, 24th September 2009

'A bold and often convincing corrective to received opinion.'
--Colin Burrow, Evening Standard Books of the Year, 19th November 2009

Review
"... a skilled and convincing piece of historical polemic ... an important book... [which] argues a pivotal case... a gripping read."

Review
"... a short, evidence-packed book, exceptionally well provided with illustrations and maps ... [a] rewarding book."

Customer Reviews

Fires of Faith
I chose this because of a lingering interest in Tudor history from my student days, and the fact that I had recently read another book (Faith of our Fathers) by Eamon Duffy. So, coming to this book as a general reader, how was it? Very interesting! Not only did it reawaken long-dead knowledge, it made me very much aware of prevailing "fashions" in history and the need to be open to new perspectives on the past. I remembered again what drew me to study history all those years ago!
From a student's perspective, I would think that this text is a valuable contribution when reassessing the impact of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation in England. It is, I feel, a balanced account. He is not trying to excuse the inexcusable, and it is definitely not a pro-Mary rant! Eamon Duffy has painted a picture of aspects of the Catholic revival in the reign of Mary which goes some way to expose several of the sweeping generalisations and overwhelmingly negative appraisals of the past, while pointing his readers towards a number of historians who, like him, are currently engaged in re-evaluating the evidence soberly and justly.

bloody mary,no less bloody.
Duffy"s new book is a superb interpretation and explanation of a very controversial period in English history.The persecution,which he does not condone,in combination with a pastoral approach by the bishops was achieving its purpose, the eradication of Protestantism.Some of their methods,etc, were adopted by the Council of Trent.Mary died prematurely and Elizabeth swept it all away in a matter of months.He handles the fires of his title with delicacy and empathy so in that sense Mary and Pole too,remain no less Bloody despite his nuanced interpretation.The book dispels many myths about the revival of Catholicism in Mary,s reign.

Fires of Faith
This is an excellent book and one that needed to be written. With exhaustive research and an unbiased appraisal of the facts the author has succeeded in producing a book with a wide-ranging appeal.
The book confronts many unpalatable facts about the Marian renewal of Catholicism in England (some 300 people killed for their refusal to renounce their faith) but 16th century England is not today. The fear of harbouring enemies within our midst still exists. When Mary came to the throne in 1553 England was, despite Edward`s actions, still predominantly a Catholic country. The battle between the old and the new faith was real-man`s soul was at (often literally) stake. However, Mr Duffy carefully examines the role and importance of `the word`. Whether in the pulpit or the pamphlet argument is demonstrably seen to have been a vital weapon.
This is a book to be read for its historical interest of a formative period in England and for the legacy which reaches down to us to today