THE LEGEND OF SAINT COLUMBA

Is it sacrilege to acknowledge that this new Padraic Colum let me down from high expectations? Possibly it will have a Catholic sale for children trained in the traditions and legends of the saints. But I feel that most children will find it obscure and difficult reading. There's the background of Irish folklore, which will recommend to some -- and the pastoral of the Irish countryside, to others, but the story of the miracles and the revelations seems too symbolic and mystical for the average young reader.