Gods Fool: Amazon.ca: Julie Green: Books

Product Description

This warm, richly detailed biography brings the beloved saint alive in all his human and profoundly spiritual dimensions.

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"Green has produced a radiant life of St. Francis of Assisi, one that no else could have written...like carefully chosen glasses of many colors and stains, arranged with art... and lifted...so that the sun streams through".....The Boston Globe.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
At certain moments in history destiny seems to hesitate between weal and woe, as if awaiting the arrival of someone-who usually doesn't come. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars An aim to show perhaps the greatest Christian saint as he was, Jan 23 2008

By	Brian Griffith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Green's account grows out of lifelong admiration for Francis, but for him no tribute can be better than bare truth. This life and times paints the whole social scene in which St. Francis moved. It gives Francis's quirks of personality equal treatment with his breathtaking heights of spirit. We see how the saint formed his network of supporters or patrons, and the deals he had to make along the way. When he, but not most of his followers received permission to preach, we see Francis admonishing his followers, "You don't know God's will. ... You say the bishops won't let you preach. Then convert those prelates by your obedience ... and they themselves will ask you to convert the people". (p. 197-98)

In Green's account we see the choices Francis made, his estimates of what was possible or not, and his tactics which formed one of the most revealing social experiments in Christian history.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Believable and beautifully written, Mar 11 2004

By	paul bradford "pbradf" - See all my reviews

I'd like to add my five-star vote for this wonderful little work. After reading it I'm convinced St Francis had a difficult life but despite the difficulty (maybe because of it) he persevered and kept obstinately optimistic and decent. He was cheerful because he gave himself to God, not because God gave him so much to be cheerful about. I could understand why he is so beloved, even though he gave us a tough example to follow. The prose is beautiful and the optimism is encouraging.

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4.0 out of 5 stars An Almost Perfect Biography of St. Francis, Jan 20 2002

By	"badric" - See all my reviews

This book is sometimes a bit too reverent for its own good. Julien Green is a Catholic and his attitude is understandable, but a more impartial approach would have made God's Fool, a great book as it is, even better. In spite of that, this is a heartfelt and beautifully written accound of Francis of Assisi's life and times. The writer is clearly in awe of Francis, but his analysis of the Saint's attitudes, motivations and contradictions help you understand this fascinating figure and make him more human and accessible to the contemporary reader. Special note must be made of the beautifully poetic prose and of the way the author deals with the uglier aspects of Francis's life, which are sometimes glossed over in other biographies. Despite its flaws, this is a wonderful book on an extraordinary individual.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Pace e bene
After reading the other reviews I was almost afraid to write anything at all.

I thought this was a well-written version of St. Francis' life. Read more

Published on Dec 20 2001 by sergeant_al

5.0 out of 5 stars Pace e bene
After reading the other reviews I was almost afraid to write anything at all.

I thought this was a well-written version of St. Francis' life. Read more

Published on Dec 20 2001 by sergeant_al

5.0 out of 5 stars It was a wonderful book
It is sad that some reviews of this book are full of non-scriptual judgement and lacking the loving spirit of Francis. Read more

Published on Nov 9 2001