The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars' ... (ISBN 0375704418)

The work of a genius:
An exceptional presentation based heavily on historical records. Weis refrains from undue speculation and lets the records speak. Nevertheless, his exquistive writing helps bring the story to life. Ironically, the Inquisitions own detailed records from 1290-1329 were preserved and enabled Weis to recreate many of the activities in the village of Montaillou, France. Cathar religion is not the focus of this history, but elements of Cathar thought and practice are unavoidably present. The pluses and minuses of being a Cathar are presented, at least for the residents of Montaillou. Despite the asceticim of Cathar spiritual leaders, the sexual promiscuity of some Cathars is not glossed over. Sadly, in this case, the reason for the Inquistions interest in Montaillou seems to have been, not primarily their religious difference but the reluctance of people in that area to pay the Church's taxes. I read this book in 3 days, but I took a break after every 2 chapters or so because following all the detail challenged my focus. The amount of detail Weis was able to assemble is staggering. To his credit, he kept the story flowing. I've never read history at this fine a granularity. I never before was aware what life in medieval Europe might be like. Weis seems superhuman. How he assimilated so many facts and presented it so clearly and vividly is far beyond my understanding. A work of this quality and power seem to me very rare (Another book on Montaillou, by Ladurie, may be even more detailed, enough to perhaps be of interest only to academicians, but apparently makes a heavily pro-Church interpretation). Even if the Cathars are not your interest, I'd recommend this book for its extraordinary presentation of life in a medieval village. I've never before felt this connected to people of the Middle Ages: I'm very impressed by them.

The Folks We Know the Best from the Middle Ages:
Be forewarned: This is not a book for people who know nothing of the Middle Ages, the Inquisition, the Cathars or the small Langdocien village called Montaillou. If you are one of those, plese do yourself a favor in seeking out 'Montaillou' by Emmanuel le Roy Durie first. Drawing extensively on Inquisition documents (in their original latin) as well as his own research sur place, Mr Weis offers an astounding plunge into the everyday lives of people like you or I in the 13th century. Through a fluke of history, the implantation of a heresy known as Catharism or Albighensiesm in this small village, we know more about it, mu_ch more, than any other town, large or small; from the time. The ever-vigilant eye of the Inquisition fell upon it for a couple of decades, leaving a treasure trove of infomation for enterprising scolars like Weis. Who lived where, who slept with whom? Why? Who ate what? A priori, not the stuff of exciting crime fiction, but given the elevated stakes (no pun intended, burning at the stake was an everyday reality for these humble people!) Do yourself a favor. Get to know them. For me these folks are as real as my physical neighbours, and my life is all the richer for it. Do yourself a favour. Buy this book and give it time. For the properly prepared reader, it offers a world of richness to savour and savour again!

Highly Overrated:
Some say you should give a book fifty pages to interest you, and if nothing happens, give up. At page 100, I'm still not interested, but I haven't given up. The first fifty pages were amazingly dull. So far, I'm not happy I didn't give up. If my opinion changes before the end (if I get to the end), I'll revise this review.