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Paul Moorcraft
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Anchoress of Shere Kindle Edition

by Paul L. Moorcraft (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

"This engrossing, subtle historical centers on a spiritual quest into Christian mysticism and smoothly alternates between past and present."—Publishers Weekly STARRED review

Set in two different centuries, Anchoress of Shere depicts the story of a beautiful young woman, Christine Carpenter, who chooses to be walled up alive in a church in the English town of Shere. The historical records, which still exist, put the date at 1329.

The 20th century chronicler of her story is Father Michael Duval, a deranged Catholic priest. Gradually, two separate sagas unfold: the bizarre world of the Middle Ages centered on Christine's entombment, and the 1967 abduction of Marda Stewart in nearby Guildford. Soon the medieval world of knights, debauchery, peasant uprisings and civil war merges into a modern hunt for a serial killer. The final piece of the puzzle is discovered in the late 1990s, revealing a gripping adventure story of love so obsessive that it spans more than six hundred years.

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  1. Print length
    353 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Poisoned Pen Press
  4. Publication date
    September 30, 2012
  5. File size
    3.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This exceptional thriller from British author Moorcraft, a film producer and former war correspondent, exhibits a rare quality of intelligence and imagination, with a remarkable depth of feeling for the book's characters and their predicaments. Be forewarned that there's nothing cozy or comforting about this engrossing, subtle historical, which centers on a spiritual quest into Christian mysticism and smoothly alternates between past and present. In 1329, Christine Carpenter, an actual personage who lived in the village of Shere in the Surrey woodlands, had herself walled up in a church cell to live out her remaining days in prayer and meditation. In our own time, scholars have come to the village to study the legendary "Anchoress of Shere" to try to understand her drastic decision. Among them is Father Michael Duval, whose interest in Christine's story has grown into a psychotic obsession. Duval has kidnapped and killed six young women in an attempt to reproduce his crazed image of Christine. Now he has seized another victim, Marda Stewart, a bright and courageous lady who knows her only chance to survive is to play an intellectual cat-and-mouse game with her maniacal captor. The resultant suspense will keep the reader riveted to the very end of this brilliantly original tale.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In the English town of Shere, Father Duval writes the biography of Christine Carpenter, the titular anchoress, but his subject's attractions discombobulate his mind. With so little evidence available, he decides to embroider her story by adding sodomy and rape to the mix, calling it "selective reinterpretation." But then he steps over the edge, both in writing and in life: he kidnaps a young woman and immures her, like Christine, in a dark, dungeonlike stone cell, claiming that it is God's will. This young woman, however, has a clever brother. First published in Britain, this intense, fascinating look at religious dementia is based on a medieval legend. Moorcraft is a former war correspondent and film producer. Strongly recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07VQLGCD4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Poisoned Pen Press; Reprint edition (September 30, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 30, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1590580117
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

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Paul Moorcraft

Paul Moorcraft

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
31 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • john d callaghan
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good novel moving from the middle ages to the 1960's ...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A good novel moving from the middle ages to the 1960's (back and forth), religious obsession, madness, crime and history!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Author in the Attic
    3.0 out of 5 stars "Shere" Drivel
    Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2004
    Alas! An intriguing topic and a book with much potential, which is undone by poor writing! Moorcraft is at his worst when he attempts to write dialogue, which is as bad as that in any supermarket variety bodice-ripper. Who could get into the head of a 14th century anchorite? Surely not Mr. Moorcraft.Three stars for selecting an alluring topic, though.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Patricia Chaput
    2.0 out of 5 stars Anchoress of Shere
    Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I was expecting more about the concept of an Anchoress in the middle ages, but what I read was a more romantic/erotic version of young women in peril by demented men. The author should have just stayed with the story of Christine Carpenter and forget about linking the story with a modern 1960's woman.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Sam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, gripping read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2012
    Moorcraft's book, The Anchoress of Shere," is a tremendously gripping read. He chillingly weaves two stories -- one about a young anchoress in the 14th Century who walls herself into a church after a debauched attack; the other set in modern times that tracks the abduction of a young woman by a serial killer. Naturally, the two stories converge -- but to tell how and why would ruin the experience. Moorcraft's work is an excellent escape book: his voices are pitch-perfect, the history is spot-on, and the plot can only propel the reader forward. It is not for insomnia.
    One person found this helpful
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  • L. J. Roberts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Now THIS is a book!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2010
    The Anchoress of Shere is a fascinating book. I don't know that I think of it so much as a mystery, although certainly the crime is the anchor of the story, as an captivating story of obsession and insanity versus intellect and courage. The story alternates between 1967 and the 1300's, but each supports, rather than detracts from, the other.

    This was a one-sitting, don't-interrupt-me, read. The quality of writing is first rate.

    This is a book I can, and do, highly recommend.

    2002 Top Ten Read - Obsession and insanity versus intellect and courage.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2002
    Marda Stewart is drawn to the village of Shere after visiting St. James's church but she has no idea of what a profound impact this decision will have on her life. She soon meets Father Michael Duval. Duval has become obsessed with the story of Christine Carpenter, entombed within the walls of the church in 1329 when she become the anchoress. As Father Duval writes about Christine's life he feels the need to recreate her entombment and focuses on Marda to mold into his perfect recreation of Christine. This is a tightly woven suspense novel that focuses on a fascinating historical figure and reading it has caused me to want to know more about the Anchoress of Shere. I have already started searching the web and looking for books and although there are many theories, no one knows exactly what happened to her. This book is currently being published in the U.S. after it became a success in England and there is also talk of turning this into a movie.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kathleen C. Griffin
    1.0 out of 5 stars Maria Monk Rides Again
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2002
    Julian of Norwich is the best-known medieval English anchoress, but her life is too sane for Dr. Moorcroft. His sado-masochistic novel features a little-known lapsed anchoress, Christine Carpenter of Shere. Raped by the Lord of the Manor only in Dr. Moorcraft's lurid fiction, she walls herself up in conditions no medieval parish would accept. He matches this with Michael Duval, a demented 1960s Catholic priest who kidnaps and tortures young women so that they may "become" his fantasy girlfriend, Christine. Dr. Moorcroft misses no possible cliche, no imaginable foolish error, no modern superstition about the actual Middle Ages. He hasn't got a good grip on the 1960s either. The last of Duval's victims, Marda Stewart, is a remarkably stupid young woman, who survives mostly by accident and her genuine cooperation with her captor's fantasies. In this book no one thinks; "instinct" and "intuition" rule. I felt extremely sorry for the real Christine Carpenter, a confused but earnest young woman, who honestly tried a difficult vocation and failed.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars unusual but nonetheless fascinating tale
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2002
    In 1392 in what is now the quaint town of Shere in Surrey, England Christine Carpenter willing locked herself away from the rest of the world in an attempt to reach a state of oneness with God while still living on the mortal plane. Almost six hundred years later, fanatical Catholic Priest Michael Duval became fascinated with what Christine and other Anchoresses like her tried to do and decided to flesh out her story in a novel.

    However, Michael's muse has deserted him so he is going to do what he has tried to do five times before. He is going to kidnap a young woman and incarcerate her in a specially created cell in his basement. He is then going to teach her about religion so that she can become "his" modern day Christine and he will able to finish his book. He successfully kidnaps Marda Stewart who, unlike her predecessors, intends to live to tell the tale about the killer priest.

    Paul Moorcraft captures the atmosphere of fourteenth century England to perfection while telling Christine's "story". He also shows the mindset of a serial killer through his actions and thoughts. Though six centuries separate the two stories, they are held together by an intriguing plot that will keep the reader turning the pages until they finish this very unusual but nonetheless fascinating tale.

    Harriet Klausner
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Lyanne
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I was given this book to read on a recent holiday and although it wasn't my usual holiday read, I decided to 'give it a go". However, from the very beginning I became truly wrapped up in the novel knowing that parts of it were fact. The actual historical facts dating back to the 14th century have been cleverly entwined with a fictional tale set in the 1960's - I really could not put this book down. I became so engrossed that I even plan to visit Shere (where the book is set) to check out all the places mentioned.
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  • bronte
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good but too graphic in places
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting story about the medieval anchoress but too much graphic detail in the modern story which runs alongside the other story
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  • maurapoundy
    5.0 out of 5 stars ANchoress of Shere
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Bought this book as I had heard about Christine Carpenter and was interested in how she survived.

    Unfortunately this book was not what I was expecting, but then again, I wasnt completely sure myself.

    I then bought the film and found that the book and the film are very different but that is not surprising as we dont really know how she lived.
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  • Joanna
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very surprising!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I must say I was not expecting the events in this book to unravel in the way they did. I mean it in a positive way. The feeling of uncertainty about the characters' fate never leaves you. Very suspenseful. I read the book as research for a paper on Christine Carpenter's interpretation in popular culture. I found this version of her story very useful for my purposes. Overall, a very interesting read.
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  • Barry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Anchoress of Shere
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Being familiar with the geographical setting - and in some small fashion the story of the Anchoress - the book was real from the start, and stayed thus to the last. It seems relevant to the present by holding a mirror to the past, as the search for understanding the actions of our fellow man remains a timeless impossible quest.
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