Sharan Newman

Author profile

born

in Ann Arbor, Michigan, The United States

April 15, 1949

website

http://www.sharannewman.com

genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction, History

About this author

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Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.

Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobili...more Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.

Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.

For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.

The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.

Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.

The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.

On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.

This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.

Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.

She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.

(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )(less)

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Sharan Newman's Books

Average rating: 3.74 · 9,405 ratings · 809 reviews · 32 distinct works · Similar authors

	Death Comes As Epiphany (Catherine LeVendeur, #1) 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 784 ratings — published 1993 — 9 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil's Door (Catherine LeVendeur, #2) 3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 394 ratings — published 1994 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Strong As Death (Catherine LeVendeur, #4) 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 278 ratings — published 1996 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wandering Arm (Catherine LeVendeur, #3) 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 279 ratings — published 1995 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Difficult Saint (Catherine LeVendeur, #6) 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 242 ratings — published 1999 — 10 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Guinevere (Guinevere, #1) 3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 avg rating — 256 ratings — published 1980 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cursed in the Blood (Catherine LeVendeur, #5) 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 217 ratings — published 1998 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	To Wear The White Cloak (Catherine LeVendeur, #7) 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 187 ratings — published 2000 — 11 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Heresy (Catherine LeVendeur, #8) 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 179 ratings — published 2002 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Witch in the Well (Catherine LeVendeur, #10) 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 131 ratings — published 2004 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Sharan Newman…

Series by Sharan Newman

Catherine LeVendeur (10 books)
by Sharan Newman
3.9595026642984013 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 2,815 ratings

Guinevere (3 books)
by Sharan Newman
3.5822510822510822 of 5 stars 3.58 avg rating — 462 ratings

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Quotes by Sharan Newman

“Catherine Le Vendeur," he asked sententiously, "have you known this man carnally?"
"No father," Catherine answered. "But, with your kind permission, I would very much like to.”
― Sharan Newman, Death Comes As Epiphany

tags: carnal

4 people liked it

“A piece of advice his father had given him surfaced in Edgar's mind. Sometimes, he had said, it's better just to keep quiet and think with your heart.”
― Sharan Newman, The Devil's Door

tags: marriage

3 people liked it

“Sister Bertrada should be grateful the pillows were so flimsy for Catherine was sorely tempted to smother her with one.”
― Sharan Newman, The Devil's Door

1 person liked it

See all Sharan Newman's quotes »

Polls

Aug. 15-Oct. 15 Group HF Series

Boudica Series: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott- 4 books

6 votes, 20.7%

Welsh Princes Series: Here be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman- 3 books

6 votes, 20.7%

King Raven Series: Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead- 3 books

3 votes, 10.3%

William Marshall Series: The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick- 5 books

3 votes, 10.3%

The Josephine Bonaparte Collection: The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland- 3 books

2 votes, 6.9%

The Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy- 3 books

2 votes, 6.9%

Guinevere Trilogy: Guinevere by Sharan Newman- 3 books

2 votes, 6.9%

The D'Artagnan Romances: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas- 7 books

1 vote, 3.4%

Temeraire Series: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik- 8 books

1 vote, 3.4%

Asian Saga: King Rat by James Clavell- 7 books

1 vote, 3.4%

Brethren Series: Brethren: An Epic Adventure of the Knights Templar by Robyn Young- 3 books

1 vote, 3.4%

Warlord Chronicles Series: The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell- 3 books

1 vote, 3.4%

29 total votes

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Historical Myster...: Hi there! Welcome!	111	226	Nov 01, 2012 05:57pm

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Sharan Newman

Author profile

combine editionsSharan Newman's Books

Series by Sharan Newman

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Sharan Newman

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Sharan Newman's Books