Customer Reviews

Reluctant Saint

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You'd think there would be little left to say about Francis. Thousands of articles, monographs, and books have been written about the little poor man over the last eight centuries. But Spoto has risen to the occasion in his new book. He makes sense of the frequently confusing chronology of Francis' life in a manner that marks him as a master biographer. But along the way he also offers rich insights about Franciscan spirituality and theology in particular and Christianity in general. (Spoto, by the way, has a doctorate in theology from Fordham University.) Here's an example: "Francis could not but surrender to the immediate impact of Jesus' words: indeed, he approached them simply but fully, putting into practice the biblical counsels without waiting to consider their every implication. In other words, in following the lessons of the New Testament he pursued the reverse of the usual means of pedagogy. He did not try to understand what the Gospel meant and then attempt to find ways of carrying out its message. Rather, he dared the experiment of first living that message, and from living it, discovered a new and practical way of understanding it." (p. 68) Reflections such as this alone would make the book worth reading. But Spoto is such a wonderful stylist and penetrating biographer that the entire book is a joy. I'd recommend it alongside Adrian House's recent "Francis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life."

St. Francis of Assisi acquired an amulet-like quality. He's a saint well-known in the popular vernacular--the humble friar in sackcloth with a penchant for caring for animals. The "real" Francis gets written about by numerous biographers. But Spoto's

treatment nonetheless stands out as a worthy read.

This book explains the main events, context and ideas of Francis' life and ministry. Spoto, a theologian by training, employs a narrative voice which is anything but Hemingwayesque,

as he tries to set up the setting for both the historical and theological context for Francis. The result is a literate, relatively brief, and fascinating good read.

The Francis who emerges is, not surprisingly, a more complex character than the garden-gnome St. Francis of the vernacular.

Spoto uses a light touch to set forth not only Francis' triumphs and innovations, but also his many frustrations and asynchronies.

What becomes of a rebel who is determined to cause revolution within a faith not entirely ready for him? This biography raises and addresses this question, without quite answering it.

Sometimes the narrative commentary distracts a bit, but overall, the narrative voice is a welcome companion. I was disappointed that Spoto rushes to put an "orthodox" face upon the universality of Francis' last songs. Spoto seems to be shadow-boxing with prior writers, without quite showing us the wayang play in progress.

But Spoto wisely recognizes that Francis is best treated as one who led by example, not complex doctrine. He also appreciates that Francis' life is not only extraordinary, but also adventurous and many-faceted. His Francis is no dry virtuous saint, but a living, eccentric man who pointed out a new way to live.

Can anyone live the truly virtuous life? This is what Francis' story asks of religious person and the irreligious alike. Although this book is written by an apologist, it's not a mere work of Christian apology disguised as a biography.

Nobody knows, really, quite who Francis was. But this life tells a lot about what western religious culture aspires to be. This is a good treatment of a fascinating life, well worth reading.

Celebrity biographer Spoto who is recognized for his definitive biographies of such luminaries as Tennessee Williams, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ingrid Bergman is also a biblical scholar. For over twenty years he taught theology on the college level, which may well have been rich background for his acclaimed "The Hidden Jesus" (1998). He now turns his attention to another religious figure - Saint Francis of Assisi.

If ever there was an unlikely candidate for sainthood it was Francis. He came from a prosperous family, was rebellious, served as a soldier, and made a place for himself in the business world of his time. Is this the Francis that we revere today because of his unselfish kindness and compassion? The story of his transformation, although probably well known, is presented with fresh insights by Spoto.

The author views Francis from the standpoint of history, and infuses his biography with telling details of religion and society during Francis's day. Given these insights our traditional view of the saint is enhanced. In addition, readers learn a great deal about the turmoil and violence which was rampant in medieval Italy.

After reading this thoughtful study one no longer sees Francis as a thin other worldly figure surrounded by animals. That stereotypical picture is replaced by a portrait of an authentic human being, thanks to Donald Spoto.

- Gail Cooke

This is an amazing book that shows how Francis was a real human being, not the figure of legend that we've all grown up to believe. It shows how he struggled his entire life trying to figure out what God's will was for him and how he failed repeatedly. This gives us a Francis we can actually relate to. But don't buy the DVD that's supposedly based on this book. It's terrible, leaving out huge amounts of important information and done with really cheesy production values.

A good read that puts St. Francis in context with his Italian environment, and the mystique that developed around him. The book could use a bit more academic rigor, and is more sympathetic to the Renaissance papacy than I think it deserves. Having said that it was a solid read and an enjoyable and inspiring work. Highly recommended.

This is a definitive biography of St. Francis, placing his life in context of his cultural and religio-political times as few have done before. Spotto takes advantage of the most recent work of Franciscan scholars to piece together a wonderful, complex, historically accurate image of St. Francis and his radical gospel charism.

However many Francis biographies you may have read, this one will offer you insights and facts you haven't come across before...unless you're one of those Franciscan scholars listed in Spotto's excellent bibliography -- or have worked your way through all three of those fat volumes of the new "Omnibus." As a Secular Franciscan, I've read dozens of Francis books over the past thirty-plus years, but I couldn't put this one down.

If Franciscans had a required reading list (unthinkably un-Franciscan!), this book should be at the very top of it.

I have been enjoying reading this book because not only do we learn about francis, but we also have the opportunity to learn about the society in which he lived in and its values, etc. And what I also love is that francis is portrayed as the human he was and not as some fantasy land, high in the clouds character. You will enjoy this book!!!

Donald Spoto's Reluctant Saint is good introduction of the life of Francis of Assisi. It pulls together many of the "lives" of this saint written by original sources and the modern reflection on his life.

One of best features of the book is clearly breaking the chapters into dates so you can sequentially go through Francis's life and compare with the events occurring at the time in the rest of Europe.

The book does not have the emotion and passion of some the "lives" of this saint but this somes times makes his subject closer to us.

Clearly shows Francis as both a man of his times but also one for ours.

This is a timely book in many ways. Francis's message of peace resounds through the centuries and could be applicable today on so many levels. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is its analysis of the historical record with an eye towards unmasking the true person that was Francis of Assisi. This examination helps to explain the legends of Francis preaching to the animals and of the stigmata in a way that is plausible while remaining true to the spiritual truth of the man. It serves as a reminder that historical documents often include symbolic or figurative language and care must be taken to interpret them in context and not to rely on overly literal readings. Even with the legends explained, Francis remains a fascinating and powerful figure, someone deserving of tremendous respect and worthy of emulation.

This is a well-written biography of St. Francis. Instead of being dry as biographies can be, there is a lot of interesting detail that makes it read almost like a novel at times. St. Francis is presented as completely human with all his faults as well as his wonderful qualities. There is a great deal of historical background but not more than is necessary to fully understand St. Francis' life. I felt like I got a real sense of St. Francis, who he was, and the background of his personal life and the world around him.