DESCRIPTION:
The captivating story of the world’s favorite saint is now retold for a modern audience by one of the great novelists of our time.
Perhaps more than any other figure in Christian history since Jesus Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi has captured our imagination, for his is a story of extreme self-sacrifice, of love to God and man. How could this wealthy, handsome youth cast away all the advantages that were his by birth and choose instead a career of poverty and humility? How could he attract members of all strata of society to his mission? And how, when his order became established throughout Europe, could he renounce great personal power and humbly continue his life’s work?
Here is Francis, from his twelfth-century boyhood to his life as a missionary roaming the very boundaries of the known world. Here too are the men and women who followed him―Bernard de Quintavalle, the rich businessman; Peter Cathanii, the lawyer; Brother Giles, the farmer’s son; Lady Clare; and so many others―all drawn together by the personal magnetism and humble faith of their leader, all re-created by bestselling novelist Elizabeth Goudge against a rich medieval canvas.
Perhaps more than any other figure in Christian history since Jesus Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi has captured our imagination, for his is a story of extreme self-sacrifice, of love to God and man. How could this wealthy, handsome youth cast away all the advantages that were his by birth and choose instead a career of poverty and humility? How could he attract members of all strata of society to his mission? And how, when his order became established throughout Europe, could he renounce great personal power and humbly continue his life’s work?
Here is Francis, from his twelfth-century boyhood to his life as a missionary roaming the very boundaries of the known world. Here too are the men and women who followed him―Bernard de Quintavalle, the rich businessman; Peter Cathanii, the lawyer; Brother Giles, the farmer’s son; Lady Clare; and so many others―all drawn together by the personal magnetism and humble faith of their leader, all re-created by bestselling novelist Elizabeth Goudge against a rich medieval canvas.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is not a traditional biography by any means. Instead it is a recount of the life and times of the man who became known as St. Francis of Assisi told in more of a story format, or as a novelization of his life told by an observer. There are many versions of the story of the life of St. Francis of Assisi and this is Goudge's version. You can tell from her writing that she was enamored with this saint. She wove a story telling of his life in a way that lead the reader to truly understand who St. Francis of Assisi was and the life that he led that allowed him to become the great saint of the Catholic Church that he is.
As a Catholic, I found this to be an interesting, albeit long read. I knew the basic story of St. Francis of Assisi going into this reading, however, I was able to glean even more information from Goudge story. And even though this was originally published in 1959 and is now being re-published it is a timeless story that anyone can get information from. I will say that being Catholic, I think I went in somewhat biased. I do think that other Christian religions who do not put an emphasis on Saints, may find a hard time with her loving words and great admiration toward Francis's story.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the story of St. Francis of Assisi's life.
DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Handlebar Marketing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment