Customer Reviews

God's Fool: The Life of Francis of Assisi (Perennial library)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book isn't a mere biography of St. Francis. Instead, it is a guide to the ethos and pathos that made Francis a saint.

From a startlingly clear sighted examination of Francis's youth through to the unvarnished look at his death, this work rings true in the way the many "pious accounts" do not. And yet, despite staying true to the historical nature of Francis (who once said "Don't make a Saint of me too quickly, I am still perfectly capable of fathering a child"), the book resounds forcefully with the charism of this special folk hero.

St. Francis's simple and unyielding commitment to take the Gospel seriously is a challenge to every Christian. This book makes that challenge clear and unambigious.

I have read many biographies and collections of stories about St. Francis. This is one of the few, I think, that might not make the Seraphic Father wince.

There are few books that deserve a full five stars as much as God's Fool. I love this book. Julien Green has written a compelling, thoughtful, and moving picture of St. Francis. Green lovingly synthesizes a ton of material about Francis into a story about what can happen to a fully human, fully sinful person when they are touched by the love of God. God's Fool was a joy to read. There are not many books that I have enjoyed more. I recommend it wholeheartedly to everybody.

This book is one of the best written about St. Francis of Assisi. Unlike many saint biographies that make their subjects so virtuous they are stripped of their humanity, "God's Fool" gives us an inspiring, human role model to which we can all relate. This book inspired me and countless others to become secular Franciscans and attempt to follow his example.

God's Fool brings depth and color to one of the Church's most beloved Saints. Julien Green does so much more than just describe the events of Francis's life. He describes the daily life of his medieval family, friends and neighbors. This, in turn, really helped me feel just how much Francis was sacrificing by abandoning a future of knighthood, nobility and wealth. I could feel the anguish in his mother's heart, the anger of his father's fist and the confusion in his brother's mind. This illustration of one of the most remarkable spiritual journeys since the original apostles, can be contageous. The desire to run to the nearest Franciscan monastery is almost overwhelming, even for a traditional Protestant

This is the richest, most truthful (and beautiful) biography of St. Francis of Assisi that I know. It is also sometimes painful in its honesty.

To address a few points raised by Mr. Alsruhe (below).

-- You are quite right that Francis discouraged the possession of Bibles and Psalters among his followers. Since he lived about 300 years before the invention of the printing press, such items were hand-written, were few and far between, and were seen as signs of wealth and luxury. If you know anything about the Franciscan charism, you know that their chief vow is to live the poverty of Christ (and in my own fairly thorough study of the Bible, I don't remember reading anything about Christ carrying around copies of the Scriptures either). In Francis' day most people could not read in the first place and relied on others preaching and teaching from the Scriptures to learn about the Gospel life.

-- Francis' regard for the Scriptures was so high that he radically changed his entire life on the strength of a few verses from it. Few "Christians" today would step out as far as he did in faith.

-- Francis' approach to corruption in the Church (which I fully agree was a real problem) is the best one possible. He set about reforming from the inside. Due to his example, the Church was powerfully renewed. Christ did not ask Francis to build a new Church, but to rebuild the old.

-- That Francis was flawed and human there is no doubt. I was surprised myself to read about how hard he could be on his followers, but especially on himself. It's reassuring to me that even someone so weak can put their entire trust in God and make a major difference in the world. Only God is perfect.

-- It has been a while since I've read the book, so I don't remember what it was that made you think Francis believed people have to earn their salvation. Despite many misconceptions, that has never been official Church teaching (what individual, less careful ministers have said about it throughout history is another thing). He DID believe that if you are Christian you had better show it in your daily life. Even St. Paul said "work out your salvation in fear and trembling...."

However one feels personally about Francis, his life was a total offering of love to God the best way he knew how. Learn from his good example and from his mistakes, but don't sit in judgement on him unless you are living a holier life than his.

This book is far more than a biography. It is an inspiring description of Frances' coversion and transformation filled with spiritual insight.I read this in conjunction with Patti Normile's Following St.Francis of Assisi. The two books provide a wonderful introduction to Franciscan thought and spirituality

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. For more detail, read Celano, his biographer. I would suggest reading both.

I liked this version. It really spent a good deal of time exploring who St. Francis was both before and after his calling from God. It painted a fairly detailed look at what life was like back then. Good job looking at his family and other influences.

The book was well done. If you have a problem with St. Francis, then I don't know of any book on him you would like.

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.

Saint Francis of Assisi is a biographer's dream. One needs only consider the Saint's life to find evidence that God works in mysterious ways. "The further we press into Francis's life," Julien Green writes in his radiant biography of the Saint, "the more he tends to alude us. His very simplicity baffles our our desire to understand him . . . His reactions disconcert us, to the very end he would be a man of contrasts. One follows him as best one can"(p.224) Treating his subject with compelling depth, Green revisits the life of Saint Francis from his birth in 1181 or 1182 to his death at age 45 in 1225. The son of a wealthy Assisi merchant, a "little Italian boy whose eyes burned with intelligence"(p.10), Francis wasted his youth on "wine, women, and farandoles"(p.48) before renouncing his worldly life at age 25(p.32) for a life of poverty and prayer. "I shall go naked to meet the Lord" he announced on April 10, 1206(p.83), after stripping off his clothes. From blessing the birds ("May the Lord be with you")(p.165), to his pilgrimages, to his return to Assisi soon before his death, weakened by physical suffering, riding an ass, "with his feet swathed in bandages, and his hands hidden beneath his long sleeves"(p.253) to conceal the stigmata wounds of the Crucifixion, this book succeeds in bringing Saint Francis to life. Green has created an enchanting, medieval experience in the 273 pages of this book you won't soon forget.

G. Merritt

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. The Chesterton version is much more detailed. I would suggest reading both.

I liked this version. It really spent a good deal of time exploring who St. Francis was both before and after his calling from God. It painted a fairly detailed look at what life was like back then. Good job looking at his family and other influences.

The book was well done. If you have a problem with St. Francis, then I don't know of any book on him you would like.