Customer Reviews

The Restless Flame

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As a home educator, I read this book with the intention of screening it for my teen for a school assignment. In no time at all, I found myself unable to put the book down. I read it in just three nights - quite an accomplishment for a mother of five. Louis de Wohl presents the life of Augustine in novel form and makes it very interesting. The reader participates in Augustine's transformation from pagan to Christian. I can't wait to share it with my teen, I think that he will like it as much I did. (note: Before his conversion, Augustine and his friends speak very poorly of women. If sharing this book with a teen, use the opportunity to discuss Augustine's error in treating women as inferior, having a child out of wedlock, etc.) I am glad that there are books such as this one available that make learning history exciting.

Louis De Wohl does an excellent job telling the story of the life of Saint Augustine. This novel is a wonderful book for any reader and if you are a catholic looking for an introduction to Saint Augustine you should read this book. The novel shows us the errors of Saint Augustine's youth and how he became one of the great doctors of the church. We can relate many of the issues Saint Augustine dealt with to issues we all deal with in the world today. I believe the strength of this novel is how well the author shows us how Augustine felt about his life and why he made the decisions he did. I would recommend this book to any catholic man and to anyone who would like to know more about Saint Augustine.
You will not want to put this novel down or want it to end.

If you're looking for a fast-paced book to get you excited about your Faith, look no further. I read this book as a freshman in high school and it knocked my socks off. I went on to devour several other DeWohl books. I kept having to remind myself, "this guy really lived - these things really happened" because it was so amazing. It is truly inspiring, well-written, and beautifully illustrates the life of Augustine. I continue to give this book as gifts for young people making their confirmation or needing a lift in their Faith.

Years ago I tried to read "The Confessions of St. Augustine". I admit I was much younger then but I seem to remember that I had a very difficult time understanding his story.
That's why I was so happy when I discovered Louis De Wohl's version of this great saint's life story.
It is not only a story that tells of Augustine's conversion but shows that the prayers of St. Monica, his mother, finally payed off after many years of praying for him.
But even when he came to believe he still fought the call to convert. As I remember it he told God he would convert but not just now. He was enjoying his life too much to rush into making any changes.
Thankfully for the rest of us when he did become Christian he became one of the greatest theologians and saints of all time.

Don't miss this one! It's Really good!

Dennis J Petty
President/CEO
DP Publishing of Sacramento
Author of "Love is Eternal"
Love is Eternal

I love this book and am looking forward to reading more of de Wohl's historical novels. The story of St. Augustine has always intrigued me since he was certainly not a saintly person when he was young. Reading Augustine's autobiographical work, The Confessions of St. Augustine (Dover Thrift Editions) I learned a lot about him, but I felt that I really knew him after reading The Restless Flame. This book covers Augustine's journey to find God. The more Augustine learned about Christianity, he realized one of the greatest obstacles for him was that for Christians their religion is not just faith and not just knowledge either,it is a way of life.

The author has a great talent for bringing the characters in the book to life. After I finished the book I wanted to know more about the man who could write such an incredible story and did a little research on de Wohl. I found that he began writing at the early age of seven. His early books were all adventure stories, but during WWII he became very religious and decided to start writing about the saints. Cardinal of Milan, Ildefonso Schuster, came to de Wohl after reading some of his writings and told him "Let your writings be good. For your writings you will one day be judged."

If you would like to know a little more about St. Monica, Augustine's mother, I recommend St. Monica: The Power of a Mother's Love, another great book.

Item was received in promisesd condition and shipped immediately as scheduled. very pleased with my purchase.