Already having authored a number of large monographs on the Church in seventeenth-century France, Joe Bergin has produced yet another, which, because of its scale, subject and approach, just might reach the largest readership of any of his writings to date. Church, society and religious change is nothing short of the first comprehensive work in English that sets out to analyse the myriad strands of Catholic reform and renewal in France in the seventeenth-century. Although the book is organised topically and analytically rather than in a straightforward narrative – the only realistic option for a book such as this – a general narrative of the Catholic reformation in France does eventually emerge. On the whole it is an ascendant narrative, much in contrast with the declensionist narratives of Jean Delemeau, John Bossy and others who have tended to view Catholic reform in the period as overly repressive and too controlling of the laity. In this Bergin is following in the footsteps of most of the recent scholarship on the subject, both Anglophone and Francophone. Thus, the real contribution that Bergin makes is not so much in any general argument in the book but in its comprehensiveness, expertise and scope. In short, this is likely to remain the best overall analysis of French Catholic reform for some time to come. Moreover, Bergin knows and has mastered all the Francophone scholarship on the subject: especially the theses, books and articles by the many students of, for example, Jean Delumeau, Pierre Chanu, Marc Vénard and Robert Sauzet. Although specialists will be familiar with most of this work, Bergin brings all this scholarship to a much larger Anglophone audience for the first time.

For Bergin the key word in the book's title is ‘change’, and change is the common mantra running throughout the book: changes in religious institutions, changes in religious practices and even changes in religious ideas. These changes did not all stem from the Council of Trent, as Bergin shows that many of those that occurred pre-dated the acceptance of the Tridentine decrees in France in the early seventeenth century, and in some cases, even pre-dated the Catholic League in the late sixteenth century. Moreover, Bergin stresses that these changes were not all imposed from the top down, nor did they all emanate from Rome. Many of the changes were significantly generated by parish clergy and also by the laity, especially by elite lay Catholics. So Bergin's Catholic reformation is cast in a very different light from those narratives constructed by historians more sympathetic to the acculturation, confessionalisation or civilising models. Again, Bergin is following the trends of most recent scholarship here, much of it his own, and this is all to the good.

The institutional changes analysed by Bergin are too numerous to recount here in their entirety, but the episcopate, religious orders and confraternities stand out in his account. Bergin himself is the leading expert on the French episcopate in the early modern period, and his narrative reflects that expertise. As a cohort French bishops in the early eighteenth century were nothing like their sixteenth-century counterparts. The latter were almost always political appointments, and the Council of Trent's restrictions on matters such as age, education, training and residency were rarely enforced. By the early 1800s, however, Bergin shows how the French bishops had become transformed into more spiritual, more pastoral and ultimately more effective administrators of clergy and laity alike in their dioceses. The change in religious orders is the real explosion of new orders created after 1600 in France, especially for women. Many of these were non-cloistered orders, reflecting a general movement away from asceticism and more toward charitable work outside the cloister. The exception that proves the rule were the Jansenists, whom Bergin treats separately in a chapter all their own at the end of the book. As an order that Robin Briggs once suggested might be referred to as Catholic Puritans, the Jansenists not only pushed for a more militant asceticism, but they also parted ways doctrinally with all other Catholics. Jumping on the bandwagon of predestination just as some members of the Reformed Church decided to jump off the other side, the Jansenists also complicated the relations between the French monarchy and the Gallican Church, an issue that Bergin hints at rather than tackles directly. To be sure, the Jansenist impact on politics resonated much more acutely in the eighteenth century after Bergin's coverage stops, but this is one area which might have benefitted from more explicit discussion.

Finally, the change in confraternities, like religious orders, was in their growth and transformation. Lay Christians both male and female found new opportunities in the seventeenth century to join these organisations. They differed from their medieval forebears in that they were generally more open – even to women – and had no entrance fees, which significantly limited their membership in the earlier period. Moreover, the new confraternities that sprang up after 1600, like the new religious orders, focused more explicitly on charitable work in the community rather than a more internal focus on socialising among its members. In a variety of ways, then, Bergin shows how completely the episcopate, the clergy, the religious orders and confraternities changed between 1580 and 1730.

Bergin devotes far less space to changes in religious practices on the parish level, though this should not be read as proof that he considers such changes less important. He notes the growing importance of the catechism in teaching doctrine, for just one example, but the main thrust was on a stricter enforcement and implementation of the sacraments, especially baptism, marriage and penance. Bergin stresses the spiritual side of these developments rather than the themes of social control and moral discipline. In summary, then, this is a very impressive book, which is even greater than the sums of its many parts. It is also very readable, making it the first book to turn to on the subject for academics and non-academics alike.