A dry but informative examination of an eminent philosopher and theologian.
This debut religious novel fictionalizes the life of Thomas Aquinas.
Just as Italy is becoming a hotly contested battleground between the forces of the pope and those of the Holy Roman Empire, a child is born in 1225 to the landowning Aquino family, whose castle sits on the frontier of these warring states. His mother, Theodora, names the infant after the apostle famous for doubting the risen Jesus: “But flowing through the veins of this infant was the antithesis of doubt. It was soon quite clear that he was endowed with a double portion of the spirit of truth.” Thomas’ education exposes him to ancient philosophers, while an encounter with the Dominicans, a contemporary order, spurs his religious zeal. Despite the disapproval of his mother, Thomas joins the Dominicans. He goes to Paris to continue his studies under Albert the Great, where his silent studiousness earns him the nickname “the Dumb Ox.” In the city’s tempestuous scholastic environment, Thomas begins fusing ancient and Eastern thought with Roman Catholic doctrines, a practice that causes much controversy. Despite his detractors, Thomas’ deep commitment to both reason and faith leads to groundbreaking theology, which will eventually earn him a reputation as one of the church’s greatest scholars and leave an indelible mark on Western philosophy. O’Reilly writes in a breezy but exact prose: “In Viterbo, where Pope Clement IV was living, Thomas preached and offered spiritual sustenance to the pope and the curia, as well as to the Dominicans in his charge, but late into the night he dictated the theological masterpiece, his Summa Theologiae, to several secretaries at once.” The author tells most of the story via exposition, which does not allow Thomas to emerge as a fully formed character. As a result, the book reads less like a novel than a biography. Even so, O’Reilly does an excellent job contextualizing Aquinas within the political, religious, and philosophical battles of his day, making this a pleasantly accessible work for those learning about the theologian for the first time.
A dry but informative examination of an eminent philosopher and theologian.Pub Date: June 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-947431-12-6
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Barbera Foundation
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Refreshingly filled with love rather than sex, this coming-of-age novel examines the human cost of political repression.
A star-crossed romance captures the turmoil of pre-revolutionary Iran in Seraji’s debut.
From the rooftops of Tehran in 1973, life looks pretty good to 17-year-old Pasha Shahed and his friend Ahmed. They’re bright, funny and good-looking; they’re going to graduate from high school in a year; and they’re in love with a couple of the neighborhood girls. But all is not idyllic. At first the girls scarcely know the boys are alive, and one of them, Zari, is engaged to Doctor—not actually a doctor but an exceptionally gifted and politically committed young Iranian. In this neighborhood, the Shah is a subject of contempt rather than veneration, and residents fear SAVAK, the state’s secret police force, which operates without any restraint. Pasha, the novel’s narrator and prime dreamer, focuses on two key periods in his life: the summer and fall of 1973, when his life is going rather well, and the winter of 1974, when he’s incarcerated in a grim psychiatric hospital. Among the traumatic events he relates are the sudden arrest, imprisonment and presumed execution of Doctor. Pasha feels terrible because he fears he might have inadvertently been responsible for SAVAK having located Doctor’s hiding place; he also feels guilty because he’s always been in love with Zari. She makes a dramatic political statement, setting herself on fire and sending Pasha into emotional turmoil. He is both devastated and further worried when the irrepressible Ahmed also seems to come under suspicion for political activity. Pasha turns bitterly against religion, raising the question of God’s existence in a world in which the bad guys seem so obviously in the ascendant. Yet the badly scarred Zari assures him, “Things will change—they always do.”
Refreshingly filled with love rather than sex, this coming-of-age novel examines the human cost of political repression.Pub Date: May 5, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-451-22681-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: NAL/Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2009
Lunge-Larsen and Preus debut with this story of a flower that blooms for the first time to commemorate the uncommon courage of a girl who saves her people from illness. The girl, an Ojibwe of the northern woodlands, knows she must journey to the next village to get the healing herb, mash-ki- ki, for her people, who have all fallen ill. After lining her moccasins with rabbit fur, she braves a raging snowstorm and crosses a dark frozen lake to reach the village. Then, rather than wait for morning, she sets out for home while the villagers sleep. When she loses her moccasins in the deep snow, her bare feet are cut by icy shards, and bleed with every step until she reaches her home. The next spring beautiful lady slippers bloom from the place where her moccasins were lost, and from every spot her injured feet touched. Drawing on Ojibwe sources, the authors of this fluid retelling have peppered the tale with native words and have used traditional elements, e.g., giving voice to the forces of nature. The accompanying watercolors, with flowing lines, jewel tones, and decorative motifs, give stately credence to the story’s iconic aspects. (Picture book/folklore. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-90512-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
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