Prince of Peace [Paperback]

James Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 1998

Vietnam: bitterly contested on the American home front and on the battlefields of Southeast Asia. Risking his vows to the priesthood and his status as a Korean War hero, Michael Maguire struggles with God and country in this thrilling novel of faith, truth, and honor, "so rich and vital it leaves you breathless" (Chicago Tribune).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Probing Psychological detail and wide-screen narritive momentum." The Washington Post

"so rich and vital it leaves you breathless" The Chicago Tribune

About the Author

James Carroll was raised in Washington, D.C., and ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1969. He served as a chaplain at Boston University from 1969 to 1974, then left the priesthood to become a writer. A distinguished scholar-
in-residence at Suffolk University, he is a columnist for the Boston Globe and a
regular contributor to the Daily Beast.

His critically admired books include Practicing Catholic, the National Book Award–winning An American Requiem, House of War, which won the first PEN/Galbraith Award, and the New York Times bestseller Constantine’s Sword, now an acclaimed documentary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1st Mariner Books ed edition (October 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039592619X
• ISBN-13: 978-0395926192
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,505,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Carroll was raised in Washington, D.C., and ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1969. He served as a chaplain at Boston University from 1969 to 1974, then left the priesthood to become a writer. A distinguishedscholar-in-residence at Suffolk University, he is a columnist for the Boston Globe and a regular contributor to the Daily Beast.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a haunting story of love and betrayal, July 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Prince of Peace (Paperback)

This is an intricate story of love on many different levels. Set in New York and Vietnam in the 1960's, the story revolves around two friends who grew up together and took very different paths in life. The characters are wrapped in webs of love; romantic love, love for friends, love for God, love for the church, love for their country. One by one each of these strands starts to unwind. I think this is what gripped me...how far can the love be stretched...how much betrayal can love withstand? I have been haunted by the ending of the book, wondering if it is believable. It leaves the reader examining their own presuppositions about the endurability of love and the meaning of forgiveness. I would highly recommend it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vietnam Redemption, November 14, 2002

By 

Jim Knowles-Tuell (Columbia, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of Peace (Paperback)

As a baby-boomer, anti-Vietnam protester, and clergy (Methodist, not Catholic), this book grabbed me where I live. While there is a culture in the Catholic Church that I will never know, the struggles with hierarchy, obedience, and the confusion of secular, political ends with spiritual "correctness" will be familiar to all who serve or served in ministry while disagreeing with our government about Vietnam. Overlaying this is the tension of the whole obedience to a sacred vow of celibacy versus true romantic love and the jealousy that such love creates between friends. The resolution of these tensions is a powerful image of redemption - both personally, politically and spiritually.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Vietnam War and the Catholic Peace Movement, July 11, 2004

By 

Arlene Eisenberg (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prince of Peace (Paperback)

I was awed by this novel. It is not a fast read, but a most satisfying one. With a great deal of historic detail, Carroll draws from his own experience as a priest during the Vietnam era, and the conflicts he confronted. This book is a "must read" part of Vietnam era literature, along with The Quiet American by Graham Greene. These were complicated times, the country was divided, and it wasn't until the Mai Lai massacre story was revealed that most U.S. citizens realized that our soldiers were capable of, and ordered to by their superiors, commit mass murder of unarmed civilians.