The Scarlet Cloak

By Jean Plaidy

Book Overview

With fanatical Philip II on the Spanish throne and the spectre of his Inquisition hovering over Europe these are dangerous and bloody times in which to live. As His Most Catholic Majesty turns his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449222403
• ISBN13: 9780449222409
• Release Date: August 1994
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Catholics vs. Protestants

This book was originally written in 1957, but was reprinted several times. Because of my interest in the Inquisition, I decided to read it, though I don't usually read older books. I found myself immediately drawn in to an exquisitely exciting, dramatic, and well-written historical novel!The plot deals more with the characters who are caught up in a fanatically religious time, the late 16th century of Spain, rather than the actual history itself. There is aristocratic Isabella, betrothed to Domingo, though she is in love with his dashing brother Blasco. There is Bianca, a wild gypsy girl who becomes Isabella's maid, but who has a secret affair with Blasco. When Blasco is sent by King Philip on a secret mission to France, he sees Catholics there slaughter the Protestant Huguenots, which forever changes his opinion of Catholicism. During the uprising, he risks his life to save a Huguenot woman, then brings her to Spain, where she continues to be in danger from the Catholic Inquisitors.While he is gone, his beloved Bianca and her mistress Isabella are abducted by English pirates, and once in England, the two Catholic women, in a reversal of religious fanaticism, find themselves in a land where Catholics are persecuted by Protestants. Many twists and turns take place, keeping the reader guessing, and involved with all the delightful characters, including the children who take a leading role in the story. I dare not give any more of the plot away about what happens to Domingo, Blasco, Bianca, and Isabella as their lives are moved along by the forces of religious fervor. Delicious reading!