This book is an interesting historical fiction that addresses the issue of female mystics and the church who battled them. ( )

Wow, two great books about inquisitors in 2016 (the other is [book:The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog|29358517]).

I listened to the audiobook and it was great (you can always count on Jayne Entwistle). I imagine if I'd read the text I'd have been doing a lot of guessing as to how to pronounce things.

My first thought upon finishing this was that it's is a great choice for fans of [book:Code Name Verity|11925514]. Both books are about female heroes standing up to authority. They're both compelling and sad. Both excellent.

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Dolssa de Stigata feels called to preach, despite being condemned by the Inquisition as an “unnatural woman.” When Botille finds the dying Dolssa on a hillside and decides to protect her, it may cost her everything.

The research and writing of this (including narrative structure and characterization) deserve at least four stars, but this was a heartbreaking read, and I can't in good conscience say I "really liked it" when just thinking over the journey of reading it makes my throat tight and my chest ache. Three stars is the best compromise I can manage—and that mostly in honor of the handful of moments when I felt a genuine connection, even if reluctant, to the events or emotions playing out in the text.

I am very glad, though, to see the promise Julie Berry showed in The Amaranth Enchantment, which I read years ago, has been proven in this novel. And as I said then, I look forward to reading more of her work. ( )

In this 2017 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, Botille Flasucra, a 17-year-old peasant girl matchmaker in 13th-century southern France, meets Dolssa de Stigata, an 18-year-old noblewoman mystic on the run from the Inquisition.  Condemned to burn to death as a heretic, Dolssa is hidden by Botille and her family and friends. Fiona Hardingham reads Dolssa’s sections in a refined voice, while Jayne Entwistle gives appropriate accents tp Botille, her sisters, and the other peasants in Bajas, where the sisters run a tavern. Allan Corduner’s deep voice fits the Dominican Inquisitors. The narrators smoothly handle the many words of dialect included in the story. The author reads her detailed historical notes and a glossary at the end.  The audiobook is a plus for proper pronunciation of the Occitan words used in the novel, but I also enjoyed looking at a print copy to see how they were spelled.  The ending is a little confusing - the author explains it here:  http://www.julieberrybooks.com/about-the-ending-to-the-passion-of-. ( )