Author:Ruth Harris
Lourdes was at the very centre of nineteenth century debates on religion, science and medicine. Both the Church and secularists championed the 'miracle' town as crucial in shaping how society should think about the mind, body and spirit. Since the ‘visions’ of Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 transformed the quiet Pyrenean town into an international tourist and pilgrimage destination, it has been a site for controversy. In her well-crafted and carefully researched book, Harris deftly places Lourdes and its attendant spiritual movement firmly at the centre of French history and shows its significance in the country’s development.
One of the most controversial books of the 20th Century
—— U.P.ITheir quest for knowledge possesses all the ingredients of a classic 19th-Century mystery novel ... a book that will be hotly denounced and widely read
—— Financial TimesA book that cannot easily be dismissed
—— Neville Cryer , The Bible SocietyHas all the ingredients of an international thriller ... incredible
—— NewsweekIt makes compulsive reading
—— Times Educational SupplementWell documented and often sinister facts
—— Oxford TimesTheir quest for knowledge possesses all the ingredients of a classic 19th Century mystery novel
—— Financial TimesIdeal further reading
—— Economist