Customer Reviews

The Kappillan of Malta

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nicholas Monsarrat presents a well written story which draws you in. This is the story of father Salvatore, an ordinary priest who rises to extraordinary circumstances. While the main story is set in mediterranean Malta in 1940-1942, Nicholas Monsarrat manages to seamlessly weave in malta's history from the dawn of time. Story: Father Salvatore, whose church is bombed early on in the scirmishes between Italy/Germany and Malta, provides comfort and solace to a growing number of desperate maltese by showing them what hardships malta and its inhabitants have had to endure throughout the ages and how they have managed to come out stronger every time. The growing popularity of Salvatore and his church in the ancient catacombs is seen as a threat by other clergymen and he faces a constant struggle to keep doing what is his calling..

If I have managed to make it all sound boring.. it's not! Buy it, borrow it, but whatever you do read it!

I decided to look this book up again, decades after I first read it. Because it haunts me and stays with me always.

My grandfather gave me a copy of Monsarrat's novel as a teenager, one of his must read classics, like Youngblood Hawke. I was riveted from page one.

The Kappillan of Malta is a brilliant, Michener-esque journey through Maltese history. Set during World War II, narrated through the worldview of a priest trying to save people from the bombardments by hiding in the caverns, this story seamlessly moves through time, from past to present and everywhere in between, mapping the island, her people, and their souls. It is an amazing journey.

I cannot recommend this books highly enough. Grandfather, you were right. A definite must read.

two stories here--a history of malta and a priest's story during ww2 malta
this book is superbly written and provides the reader an incredible history of a not too well known country.

I am sixty years old in the fifties we lived on the island of Malta this book is the truest representation of the place and history laden time transferred into a work of fiction that I have ever read. One is not only entertained but gently educated which is of course the way of the people of Malta. The sad thing is this author did not write many many more books. He was a brilliant man and a literary treasure. Take this volume with you to a quiet place and journey back through time meet the people and walk the streets of Malta. Learn something about a quickly disappearing way of life. You will not be disappointed at any price.

This is one of the best books ever written. It arrived in absolutely perfect shape, and way ahead of schedule.

I will certainly use this seller again.

I read this book primarily because I have entertained a fascination for Malta and its history.
I very soon became engrassed in Monserrat's sympathetically crafted portrayel of the little priest with the great heart, and his fight for his spiritual flock of ordinary people and their survival. His strenuous battle to give his congregation of the catacomb church the moral courage and the care they needed to survive, became every bit as important as the battle going on around them, conducted by the men of war.

As the couragous priest with a heart for the ordinary man continues his battle in the catacombs, a third front erupts in his life. That of the widening gulf between the reality of his people and their needs, and that of a vain and self serving superior of his church.

We get to know the faithful and compassionate parish priest, whos ministry touched the heart of God for His people. Not during some carefully orchestrated church service, bolstered by incomprehensible litergy, but in the squalor of the catacombs where the enemy of fear would have won the day, but for the ministry of 'The Kapillon of Malta".

But is this the end of the story? How did his religioius superiors percieve his ministry ? How did it end?

A wonderful read. Especially for those who enjoy user friendly history.

Anyone who has passed through Malta struggles hard to convey its captivating flavor and rich history without turning into one of those dinner-party bores we have all suffered under. One solution is to pass the task to Nicholas Monsarrat, author of the classic WW II tale of convoy escort duty, "The Cruel Sea." You could not put the task into better hands.

Monserrat was himself a Royal Navy officer during the war, and later lived in Malta (on the isle of Gozo) for years. He plainly loved the place and was steeped in it. He focussed all his formidable story-telling skill into this wonderful exposition. Again, as in The Cruel Sea, historical truth is made compelling through fiction.

The fictional vehicle is Falther Salvatore Santo-Nobile, the son of a British naval officer and Maltese countess who as a teenager promised God he would devote his life to the priesthood if a certain young girl would turn out to be unpregnant. He kept the promise and became a humble guilt-ridden but brave compassionate and inspiring saviour of his "catacomb" congregation during the awful bombardments of 1940-42.

Spliced into the World War II tale are flashbacks to the critical phases of Maltese history, which Salvatore recounts to the congregation as inspiring parallels to the current challenge.

The book is still in print after 30 years. The paperback is on sale in every Malta newstand and souvenir shop, though apparently few other places on earth. If you have been to Malta, or plan to go, this is a must-read. If you fit neither category, this is the next best thing.

I first read this book in college,,,, many years ago. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it now.

This is the story of life in Malta during WW2, as seen by a somewhat disinterested spectator. You see the highs and lows of the siege. The central character of the story is himself a story-teller - who tells the stories of Malta's previous great battles to cheer up the locals. From an historical perspective - both sets of stories are accurate and make engrossing reading.

I'm finding real pleasure in re-reading books I read so many years ago - and I enjoyed this one more on the second time round. I know a lot more of the actual facts this time, and so I was able to appreciate Monsarrat's efforts to include parts of the story I'd missed before.