Dear Misfits,
On last Wednesday evening, we had a very good discussion of
Taylor Caldwell's novel, Dear And Glorious Physician, her epic
story of St. Luke. The novel was an instant best seller and hugely popular when
first published in 1958. It has since sold millions of copies in multiple
editions and was recently reissued by Ignatius Press.
Caldwell begins her epic novel two thousand years ago when
St. Luke was Lucanus, a Greek man who loved, knew the emptiness of bereavement,
and later traveled through the hills and wastes of Judea asking, "What
manner of man was my Lord?" Lucanus is portrayed first as a man struggling
with his faith who defies God, a God who does not stop suffering and allows the
horrors of disease and the painful death of seemingly innocent people. Caldwell
gives a very moving account of Luke's struggle to find meaning in the midst of
suffering. He eventually comes to terms
with his struggle to understand man's condition and becomes one of
Christianity’s earliest converts. He then sets out to write the story of Jesus
laying out what has come to be known as The Gospel of St. Luke.
Not all of the Misfits at the meeting were equally taken
with the novel. Some cited the language which often borders on the florid.
Another criticism were the exaggerated coincidences Caldwell frequently
used to develop the plot of the story. There is also the sense that
she plays fast and loose with many of the facts of Luke's early life. Much of what she relates is obviously made
up and fictional. That said, the final chapters are strongly biblical and
completely based on the Gospel of St. Luke. The Canticle of Zachariah and the
Canticle of Mary are both very moving and set in the context of their relation
to Luke's Gospel. Caldwell's regard for the Virgin Mary is obvious and her
story is very well told, particularly as it relates to the strong Marian
character of St. Luke's Gospel.
So, if you are looking for a fast-paced
"Christian" novel with strong and interesting characters, this is an
exciting book to read. It is not great or timeless literature. However, it gets
the job done and is a good read for Catholics and people of faith.
Our final book before our summer break is Hilaire Belloc's The
Path to Rome which was first published in 1902. Belloc, a prolific author, considered this
his best book, an opinion shared by most critics. It is a delightful story of
the pilgrimage Belloc made on foot to Rome in order to fulfill a vow he had
made to "...see all Europe which the Christian Faith has saved…” In The
Life of Hilaire Belloc, Robert Speaight states: “More than any other book
he ever wrote, The Path to Rome made Belloc’s name; more than any
other, it has been lovingly thumbed and pondered…. The book is a classic, born
of something far deeper than the physical experience it records.”
I think we are really going to like this book.
Yours in Christ,
Misfist Buzz
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