Customer Reviews

The Quiet Light: A Novel About Saint Thomas Aquinas

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
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I could not have been older than 12 when I first read Louis De Wohl's THE QUIET LIGHT.

It was certainly not a children's book. Instead, it was the passed-along gift of an aunt --fittingly, a Daughter of Charity who in those days sported the intimidating wings that Sally Field would later demystify for me-- and one of the many books on a wide range of genres and topics she carried on long train rides from El Paso to St. Louis.

THE QUIET LIGHT also was, I believe, instrumental in sparking my earliest desire to write my own novels.

And that is surprising, because De Wohl's narrative, character development, and spellbinding prose made THE QUIET LIGHT much more than the fictionalized biography of Thomas Aquinas I had expected. It was nothing less than a staggering example of compelling storytelling which, by the sheer enormity of talent displayed, should have intimidated any aspiring/wanna-be writer.

Be advised: you will come away from THE QUIET LIGHT with more than the pleasure of having read a masterly crafted novel of the Middle Ages. Rather, you will find yourself informed and educated on everything from the Crusades to the philosopical infighting then being waged throughout both Europe and the Saracen worlds to the intrigues of the Italian nobility and their Germanic, decidedly unholy Holy Roman Emperor. You will marvel at how De Wohl weaves all this into a story that is filled with richly drawn characters, both historical and fictional.

By the end of THE QUIET LIGHT, you may even discover you have learned something about how to tell a story in a way that makes the reader mourn that he or she has reached the end of the book.

THE QUIET LIGHT is that good. So is Louis De Wohl.

--Earl Merkel
(Author of FLU SEASON and LIKE DISTANT CITIES BURNING, Penguin/Putnam's New American Library; both books are due out in Summer 2001).

This edifying novel about the life of St. Thomas Aquinas actually focuses on the people who were all touched by his serene, cheerful, ascetic way of living. Carefully told through the eyes of the faithful knight-turned friar-turned knight again, his devoted sister, his protective mother, his arrogant brothers, and his fellow priests, the story reveals to us how a simple man brought spiritual strength and renewal to those around him, during a time of great political turmoil. The author does not tell the story through the lips of St. Thomas. At times, we may even feel cheated, thinking to ourselves that the story deviates too much from the simple life of the Dominican monk, to focus on the other characters. However, this ingenious manner of story-telling alludes fittingly to the way Thomas lived: quietly, doing the work of God, contemplating on mysteries only he shared with God, praying for those he loved, and discreetly staying away from all the attention he deserved.

In a panoramic fashion, Louis De Wohl makes accessible certain 13th Century aspects and personalities. We discover kings and warriors, court intrigue and noble family feuds, mild brutality and saintly virtue, knights and monastic settings. There is even courtly romance, and an insightful portrayal of the birth of science. Saint Thomas Aquinas is situated very quietly around the edges of the dynamic action of the book. Perhaps too quietly. For the story tells far more about events that happened, or could have happened, than it does about the work and life of St. Thomas. In fairness, however, it manages to relay popular Thomas stories, and provides a sampling of that giant and saintly intellect. So I recomend this book to anyone interested in Saint Thomas, or 13th Century Europe. It is a suitable family book, and would interest readers of historical novels. The work accomplishes making one feel both the frantic upheavals of Medieval Europe, and the reassuring order of Faith and Reason, that St.Thomas did so much to discover and invigorate.

An excellent book about the life and times of a great saint. It would be hard to estimate the spiritual fruit which this man's intellect has produced. The Catholic Church as well as intellectual life in general has benifited much from his life and writings. This is a well written book and hard to put down. I gave it four stars, however, because it is a novel more about the historical situation of the saint than the saint himself. Although the book did try and speculate about the some of the motivations of the saint, it failed to tackle his philosophy. Nevertheless, the book is sure to inspire further readings, especially into Thomas' own writings.

The life of St. Thomas Aquinas interwoven with a love story of his beautiful younger sister, Theodora. Thomas was born into a world of war and heresy. He was taken to a monastery of Benedictine monks at the age of 5 years as a mark of repentence by his guilt-ridden father, a baron of Italy. His father had burnt down the same monastery earlier in his life at the command of a wicked and lascivious emporer, Frederick II. His mother wanted him to be an abbot in the powerful Benedictine order, but he shamed her by choosing the life of a poor beggar in the new order of mendicants, the Dominicans. But even there, his brilliance was quickly recognized. He became known for his ability to recognize truth and error in every philosophical and theological argument, and to calmly put the truth in language for all to understand. One of his teachers once asked him "Thomas, has anyone in your life ever been able to intimidate you?" He responded, "Yes, Christ on the cross." Very good and entertaining. Louis De Wohl brings one of the most brilliant men in history down to a level that we can all understand.

This Catholic historical novel, published in 1950, has proven a delightful surprise. Although a great reader of historical fiction of all types and vintages, I confess I ordered this book with trepidation, expecting that any sort of religious fiction, consciously marketed as such, might be too sentimental to suit my taste. On the contrary, The Quiet Light is a terrific example of most of the finest conventions in historical fiction: exciting, witty, often stylish, capable of piquing one's interest in the period and its leading figures. It's not at all interested in preaching to its reader, choosing instead to engage his or her attention in the conflicts of the period, whether physical, intellectual or spiritual.

De Wohl apparently wrote many novels about Catholic saints. I chose this one because of St. Thomas's special significance to me, as the patron of scholars. Like the best historical fiction, it not only excites and delights me in its trappings and makes me want to read more, but also led me to investigate the personages and events of the day, to see how well the fictional and historical have been woven. The novel remained at a high standard of quality throughout and was on occasion both moving and exciting. About the only things I can say against it is that it takes an unflinchingly anti-Muslim slant (perhaps not that unusual for a 1950 Catholic novel) and it falls prey occasionally to heavy handed dialogue--not stilted but heavy on exposition. But given the wide scope of the novel, De Wohl is actually pretty subtle at getting the historical essentials across as smoothly as possible.

The novel's somewhat peripheral treatment of St. Thomas is surprising at first, but then begins to make sense as his full story emerges. Thomas spends his days writing, teaching, thinking and praying, while Italy and his family are being torn to pieces around him. The main focus of the story is on political situations, then, (mainly the conflict between Emperor Fredrick II and Rome) which Thomas informs, inspires, and illuminates when the main characters seek him out, but which he only tangentially affects himself. That De Wohl is so capable at evoking this complicated political situation, that he can do so without resorting to tired genre clichés, is the really delightful thing about the novel.

Some brief mention of the people and places this novel manages to take on, within its 377 pages. Historical persons featured as characters include Thomas and Frederick of course, but also the following: Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus), one of Thomas's teachers; the Emperor's sons Manfred and Conrad, each of whom eventually become kings; Edward I; St. Louis of France; William of St. Amour, who writes a treatise against the mendicant orders which Thomas challenges; St. Bonaventure, claimed to be the heart of the Franciscans as Thomas is the heart of the Dominicans; John of Procida, a physician in Frederick II's service--at least I think he's historical; and Roger Bacon. Many other historical persons figure in the novel but aren't characters, including Popes Alexander IV, Urban IV, and Clement IV.

As for place, The Quiet Light roams around Italy quite a bit: Monte Cassino, the monastery; the University of Naples; Parma; Rocca Secca and other homes of the Aquino families. Paris also is visited, mainly Notre Dame and the Convent of St. Jacques. One scene of the crusades (mostly a backdrop for the novel) takes place at El Mohar, which I take to be in North Africa.

A really delightful surprise--probably would make a great gift too! I'm definitely ready for more De Wohl soon.

Louis DeWohl has crafted another masterpiece that touches on the nature of love as wonderfully interpreted by that great lover of God, Saint Thomas. The first love for Thomas, as it should be for all is God, all other loves however great must be put after. Thomas as a person of love, a saint, brings this love to all the characters he encounters in the novel; Piers Rudde, an English knight who comes into the service of Thomas' family and undergoes the torture of loving someone who cannot return that love properly. Then there is Thomas's sister Theodora with her heart torn with sorrow and guilt who Thomas is a father to. Thomas' holy life is infectious and "infects" all those who come into contact with him. I hope I will be forgiven by speaking so little about plot and action, of which there is plenty, for I just finished this book and found Thomas the man even more loveable than Thomas the genius. This is a book that can change one's life and I am still so moved that I have no more words to write.

This book was "just right" for me: accurate historical facts to make it educational, entertaining fiction to make it readable, and enough Aquinas philosophy to make it informative. If you are looking for such a balance and enjoy historical fiction, check it out! If you are looking to delve deep into one of these areas, consider this book as introductory.

Louis De Wohl manages to craft a stunning tower of brilliant writing, maybe somewhat akin to Thomas' own cathedral of thought. He masterfully portrays the courtly life and times of the middle ages and gave special depth to the reality of living as one of the nobility and yet desiring God. This stroke of genius is what really made the book for me. The story of the life of a saint is often told as a series of miracles portraying them as a holy person. While this does that, it shows how in the context of living as an Aquino that it could have been difficult. I believe that the book also gives sufficient depth to the reality of God's grace at work in a person as they gradually come to understand more and more of his plan.

The only thing that I would fault the book with is that it really does focus on the history that surrounds St. Thomas Aquinas and the 13th century world in which he lived. While this helps us understand, it also leaves the saint in the shadows sometimes where he is not heard from for longer passages as others debate or act.

All in all, it is a book that greatly assisted me in my spiritually journey and I whole-heartedly recommend it to others.

I have read the following books by Louis de Wohl: The Quiet Light, The Joyful Beggar, Lay Seige to Heaven, The Glorious Folly, and Citadel of God(partially through it). Without a doubt, The Quiet Light is the best of them all.