When a baby girl is found abandoned near a secluded monastery, thirteen lives will be forever changed, and an old curse of numbers will be broken.
Her name is Catherine, and it is her journey that will teach her life's most painful lessons, and break one man's heart.
In this haunting, moving novel, Inez Ponce de Leon weaves a gripping tale of love and betrayal, death and life, as thirteen brothers, one woman, and one man all search for their own sanctuary.
"sanctuary" Sanctuary is a dramatic tale of a young woman who had loved and trusted despite the tragedy that would eventually befall her. Her incessant determination and courageous spirit made Sanctuary readers admire her even more as they went on leafing through the pages.
"of dizzying heights and raising children" As one who enjoys reading novels in historical settings, "Sanctuary" was satisfying, if short for the genre. But then again, not everyone likes reading lengthy books. The style was a little jarring at first, what with the going forward and back in time, but once you figure out the pattern, it makes sense. When the heroine, Catherine is all grown-up, this smooths out and the usual progression asserts itself. As a reader of Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael books and of course Umberto Eco's "Name of the Rose", I was completely taken by the descriptions of life on Meteora. Because of the length, I could not help but wonder what other adventures Catherine had up on the heights of Meteora with her adoptive father monks. Maybe in the future, the story can be expanded, as many authors do with their older works these days. The story catches you up and sweeps you along with the characters' joys, fears and sorrows, and you let... More > it, because despite everything, it needs to be seen to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although perhaps that's not the right word to describe what I felt, but it's the closest convention. Now I feel like travelling to Greece to see the monasteries of Meteora myself.< Less
"pete townsend, baba o'riley and teahead" Definitely a book for your collection. Sanctuary is a classically simple yet entrancing tale with unpretentious charm that keeps you turning the pages. Author Inez Ponce de Leon shows great writing talent as she created a wondrous tale of love and sorrow set in an enchanting location and time in the past.
"Amazing :D" I really find it amazing that novel authors could create characters more than the fingers of my two hands and give life to them. Not just mere descriptions, but a character that a reader could associate with. But what I really liked about this book is another well-worded quote about life and choices. "...you must choose a life and live it for the right reasons - not to forget, not to escape, and never to sin." - Brother Battista
"start reading" Sanctuary is a beautifully crafted tale so enthralling that not even the rising sun and the perils of an irate boss at work can stop the reader from reading until a satisfying conclusion (if not the actual end of the book) is reached. Inez Ponce de Leon’s prose is so vividly descriptive that it’s hard to put down the book once you’ve grown attached to Meteora and its diverse cast of characters. Strangely familiar yet still incredibly moving, Sanctuary should be highly recommended to every reader of the historical novel genre.
