Customer Reviews

The Rosary

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As one reads this book it becomes very clear that Mr. Wills is not a traditional or orthodox Catholic. All through the book he takes little digs at various Catholic beliefs and even uses the term absurd to describe one bit of Church teaching. Don't allow this to turn you off to what the author is saying however for the message to be found in this book is both quite powerful and quite positive. In fact, this book contains one of the most pertinent arguments that I have seen in a long time concerning the benefits of praying the Rosary.

Mr. Wills begins with a history of this grand old prayer of the Church and he does an excellent job of explaining the origin of the Rosary itself and of it's various components. Most devotees of the Rosary realize that some additions such as the Fatima Prayer are fairly recent but even among the people most devoted to the Rosary most of it's history is shrouded in the mist of time. Wills clears the mist so that we can all see clearly how one of our favorite devotions came into being.

After taking the reader through the history of the Rosary the author then proceeds to explain each mystery one at a time. As he does so the author tells us of his own reflections concerning each mystery and then describes in detail the paintings depicting most of the mysteries by Jacobo Tintoretto. These marvelous paintings are included in full color and these images alone are worth the price of the book.

Wills does a fine job of reflecting on each of the mysteries but his main theme is the importance of the entire Rosary to post Vatican II Catholics. He points out that this wonderful prayer is often scoffed at by modern Catholics as an "old ladies prayer" or as simple minded repetition but that it is neither of these things and if prayed correctly the Rosary will certainly lead to closer relationship with God. If anything, Wills argues, the Rosary may be even more important today than it ever has been because it gives us a chance to take a break from our fast paced world and simply meditate on the wonders of our faith.

Anyone who is devoted to the Rosary will certainly find new insights within the pages of this book and any Catholic who thinks that the Rosary is an outdated prayer will find a powerful argument to the contrary. This book belongs in every Catholic's personal library and I assure you that you will refer to it often.

This is the only book I can recall having read in one sitting! It was simply that enjoyable. An entire chapter is devoted to each mystery. Wills uses beautiful artwork from a 16th century Venetian artist (Tintoretto) and quotes from the likes of Pope John Paul II and Chesterton to illuminate the various mysteries. Wills integrates historical information with his own thoughtful exegeses on relevant New Testament passages.

The writing and organization of the book are both very clear and logical. It is full of beautiful illustrations of Tintoretto's works in both color and black and white.

The focus of this book is on the mysteries themselves and there is only one chatper on the historical background. Some Catholics may critisize Wills for his approach to the history of the Rosary because he does not go into the legend that credits St. Dominic as having received the Rosary from Mary herself. Wills does not outright deny the legend. He points to evidence that the history of praying a psalter of Our Fathers and Hail Marys predates St. Dominic and that the habit of meditating upon the mysteries post-dates him. This is not to say that St. Dominic did not receive a vision from Mary and that he did not play an important role in the history of the Rosary. It is possible to reconcile the historical with the legendary. Also lack of faith in the legendary origins of the Rosary is not necessarily anti-Church as faith in such revelations has always been left to individuals' discretion. This is probably why he also leaves out the prayer taught by Our Lady of Fatima. For the book to have incorporated all this information it would have become unwieldly and too ambitious.

I appreciate Wills' conscience choice to present the book as it is, because it seems to me that the goal of the book is to be an introduction to the Rosary, a primer. The heart of the Rosary is in its ancient structure of Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Doxology. The key is proper meditation upon the mysteries. Wills explains the above prayers quite well and gives beautiful explanations of the mysteries that will help one to begin a lifetime of meditation. Reading this book has certainly transformed my devotion to the Rosary for the better.

If after reading Wills' book you want to know more about the history of the Rosary, Wills has suggested background reading listed in the back. Also I would recommend "The Secret of the Rosary" by St. Louis De Monfort. In this book the more legendary origins of the Rosary (involving St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche) which require faith to accept, are discussed at length.

Everywhere you look these days, you can find information on the power of prayer. The scientific community is finally discovering what the rest of us already knew. For whatever reason, prayer works. It's not so much the form your prayer takes or the words you use, but the simple aspect of believing faith.

One tried and true form of prayer is the rosary. In his new book, Garry Wills, a Professor of History Emeritus at Northwestern and respected religious writer, tells us all we need to know in order to pray it and how to contemplate the various occurrences from the life of Christ as we pray.

While the rosary always has been primarily a Catholic prayer, it doesn't have to stay that way. People from many other religions pray the rosary, and Christians of any denomination will enjoy this book that delves into the life of Christ and makes us feel as though we are there.

Wills begins THE ROSARY with a background of the rosary that includes its history and elements. From there he moves on to examine each mystery, including gospel readings and meditations. Accompanying each event in the life of Christ are the beautiful paintings of Tintoretto, an Italian mannerist painter who lived in the 1500s. Wills explains the symbolism of each painting, which helps us see the meaning and definition beyond the obvious.

As someone who is in the process of converting to Catholicism, I have found THE ROSARY to be a beautiful addition to and expansion of what I already knew about praying the rosary. Wills's book takes events that happened 2,000 years ago and makes them real to the readers of today. Anyone who has an interest in the rosary will enjoy this beautiful book and the wisdom contained in its pages. In the words of Wills, "...the rosary is both very timely and also timeless."


--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

Garry Wills presents a fascinating history of the evolution of the popular devotion of the Rosary over the ages. He then presents meditations on each of the Mysteries joined with a series of appropriate Tintoretto paintings. Wills shows us how "the rosary is one way of entering into oneself, where God awaits us." Highly recommended to all who are interested in meditating on the different episodes of Christ's life as presented in the Scriptures.

Wills writes a great book that is good for both Catholics and non-Catholics. He writes in an enjoyable and engaging style. Has a nice chapter going into depth on each of the 20 mysteries. I have loaned it to a few close friends one from an Anglican Background and one Mennonite both enjoyed the book and found it very useful. A book can not receive more praise than that.

While I'm generally a fan of Garry Wills, this is one peculiar little book.

"The Rosary" is a book bound to please no one. Traditional Catholics are unlikely to be impressed by Wills' pooh-poohing of the rosary's legendary origins - as legend has it, directly from the Virgin into the hands of Saint Dominic. And less will they be interested in his explication of the eschatological perspective of the Lord's Prayer. Wills' other audience - liberals, progressives and Protestants -- are unlikely to be drawn to the rosary in the first place.

Then again, Wills made some odd choices about the book's organization. On the positive side, Wills lays out the Mysteries in order: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful (which term Wills can't leave alone, calling "Sad") and Glorious. But rosary lovers are often drawn to the art work that illustrates the mysteries. Wills does the same, but with a twist that blunts the effect. He is evidently besotted with the work of Renaissance painter Tintoretto. His idea is to accompany each mystery of the rosary by one of this master's paintings. Unfortunately, Tintoretto didn't paint a Pentecost or a Crowning with Thorns or a Sermon on the Mount. But Wills' monomania about Tintoretto schema requires him to substitute other paintings or to omit an illustration altogether.

Still, there are items of interest. The explanation of the Lord's Prayer is helpful to those seeking an insight into the eschatological side of Christ's teaching. And Wills' more-or-less literal translation of Mark's gospel makes evident that writer's lack of fluency with Greek.

But for all his attempts to get nearer the mystery of Christ, Wills often goes astray. Translating the "glory of God" as "the dazzle of God" misses the mark significantly. And Wills' descriptions of the paintings, while poetic, don't seem to describe the same art I was looking at. In "Christ Carrying the Cross," Wills completely misidentifies the figure supposed to be Simon of Cyrene.

I would love it Wills had written a corrective to the hyper-pious drivel that is often published about the rosary. But in the end, "The Rosary" is less a work about that beloved and ancient prayer form than about Wills' personal journey of faith and understanding. As such, it might have been better left in a personal diary than released to the mass market.

This book describes one man's relationship with the Holy Rosary and his attempt to tie the threads of his religious life together. Well worth reading if you are interested as an impartial observer desiring to acquaint yourself with "the mysteries", or as a practicing Catholic who may have questions, doubts or need simple refreshment of ideas. This is a modern take on an ancient practice.

Gary Wills traces what he can verify of the history of the rosary as prayers beads and glosses over any spiritual inspiration in its origin. He analyzes most of the elements of the rosary including four of the prayers and the mysteries associated with it. He neglects to mention the Fatima Prayer. But he does discuss the biblical scriptures behind the rosary and the human need for contemplation. The work does show some of his problems with some Catholic beliefs. This seems to be his personal understanding that he shares with us.

This is an excellent book. It's not a guide to the rosary in itself, so much as it's an addition to a collection. It's like a very well-made booklet that you pick up for free in the church lobby. This is just much more detailed and with better pictures and written by a great author. I found that it really got me thinking about more aspects of the mysteries, as well as giving some historical/theological background on various aspects of the rosary and of the mysteries themselves.

This is a very good book for just about anyone. I did purchase it for my elderly mother who cherishes it.