A thorough introduction to an intriguing historical figure.
A novel focuses on St. Francis of Assisi’s transformation from a dissolute youngster into a man of God.
Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone is born in 1182 in Assisi and, from an early age, demonstrates “amiable awareness of others and a love of all things beautiful.” Bored by his studies, he pines for a life more adventurous than his father’s—Pietro is a cloth merchant—and dreams of becoming a troubadour or knight. But he remains a constant source of consternation to his parents—irresponsible and ill-disciplined, he seems destined to waste his life. He grows up during tumultuous times and wants to participate in the military campaigns to protect Assisi, but one night, while suffering from a fever, a disembodied voice tells him it is better to serve God. Later, the voice of God issues him a more specific command: “Francis, go and build up My house, which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” At first, Francis interprets this literally and devotes himself to the restoration of a country church, but later, he sees a greater meaning in his mission. He articulates a “Rule of Life” that demands an existence of absolute poverty and service to the most disadvantaged. O’Reilly’s book is part of the Mentoris Project, “a series of novels and biographies about the lives of great men and women who have changed history.” The author lucidly reconstructs St. Francis’ extraordinary life as a “profligate-turned-penitent” and the order of friars that formed around him. Her prose is plain, unadorned by literary embellishments, and the plot can be lumbering. One can’t help but wonder why O’Reilly chose to present St. Francis’ life in a novel since she seems to have so little interest in the literary form. But the author’s research is impressive, and she not only furnishes a rigorously synoptic account of the man’s remarkable spiritual journey, but also meticulously covers the turbulent times he endured.
A thorough introduction to an intriguing historical figure.Pub Date: July 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-947431-37-9
Page Count: 292
Publisher: Barbera Foundation
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A clever and affecting high-concept novel of high finance.
A tale of wealth, love, and madness told in four distinct but connected narratives.
Pulitzer finalist Diaz’s ingenious second novel—following In the Distance (2017)—opens with the text of Bonds, a Wharton-esque novel by Harold Vanner that tells the story of a reclusive man who finds his calling and a massive fortune in the stock market in the early 20th century. But the comforts of being one of the wealthiest men in the U.S.—even after the 1929 crash—are undone by the mental decline of his wife. Bonds is followed by the unfinished text of a memoir by Andrew Bevel, a famously successful New York investor whose life echoes many of the incidents in Vanner’s novel. Two more documents—a memoir by Ida Partenza, an accomplished magazine writer, and a diary by Mildred, Bevel’s brilliant wife—serve to explain those echoes. Structurally, Diaz’s novel is a feat of literary gamesmanship in the tradition of David Mitchell or Richard Powers. Diaz has a fine ear for the differing styles each type of document requires: Bonds is engrossing but has a touch of the fusty, dialogue-free fiction of a century past, and Ida is a keen, Lillian Ross–type observer. But more than simply succeeding at its genre exercises, the novel brilliantly weaves its multiple perspectives to create a symphony of emotional effects; what’s underplayed by Harold is thundered by Andrew, provided nuance by Ida, and given a plot twist by Mildred. So the novel overall feels complex but never convoluted, focused throughout on the dissatisfactions of wealth and the suppression of information for the sake of keeping up appearances. No one document tells the whole story, but the collection of palimpsests makes for a thrilling experience and a testament to the power and danger of the truth—or a version of it—when it’s set down in print.
A clever and affecting high-concept novel of high finance.Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42031-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
A fascinating tale competently though awkwardly told.
A woman from meager beginnings becomes the first Black female airplane pilot in this lightly fictionalized account.
Bessie Coleman was born into a Texas sharecropping family in 1892, the 10th of 13 children of a woman born in slavery. When she learned about the Wright brothers as a child, thoughts of flying began to invade her daydreams, and she became determined to fly herself one day. An opening section describes a disastrous 1923 crash that leads Bessie to set down the story of her life. Narrating in the first person, she takes readers with her to Chicago in 1915, where she lives with her brother while trying to find a way to become a pilot. But no American flight schools will take her, so she moves to France. Her training there is perhaps the novel's best part, as we watch Coleman grow from an enthusiastic young woman to a talented pilot. Hopson is a pilot herself, and her knowledge is evident in the flying scenes—perhaps a bit too evident for the layperson. It’s a pleasure to follow Bessie on her life's journey right up to the night before her final flight in 1926, even though it's delineated with imperfect craftsmanship. Hopson stuffs her story to the brim with historical details and anecdotes, which are interesting in and of themselves but aren't well integrated into the narrative flow. Characters frequently provide background information without any setup or any credible reason for volunteering it. If the material were less compelling, the novel would be a slog, but even strained prose and weak similes can’t detract from the gripping saga of a remarkable woman.
A fascinating tale competently though awkwardly told.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781250347213
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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