Customer Reviews

Saint Julian: A Novel

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wangerin has done a powerful job describing the effects of sin in a life that's not totally given over to Christ. Julian typifies the believer whose belief is only through cultural heritage and not a heart change. This book chronicles the depths that sin will take us...to the end of our very self, where Christ will be waiting after we ineffectively try to deal with all our shame and self loathing. It occurs to me that the problem is addiction and the recovery process is through Christ alone. This book had the same effect on me as Frank Perreti's book "The Oath". Very convicting. Well worth the read.

"Saint Julian", by Walter Wangerin Jr., is now 4 years old but I'm glad I came across it. It's a good fictional story of a man who would become a Saint. He is the finest hunter of all time, and becomes the greatest knight of all time, and then life takes it's toll with him. He falls into poverty, somewhat by his own design, but is Sainted because of his unfailing devotion to helping those in need, even to the very end of his breath. He bestows mercy.

The story of Saint Julian (aka: Red Knight, Ferryman) is told by a minor cleric who is being tested by his own aging but faithful in researching all he can find on the life of Julian for preservation. He learns of the curse put upon Julian, finds the facts, and records them for the reader.

Frequently, a sentence is placed in Latin, sometimes rephrased in English, sometimes not. It adds a bit of color to the telling, even if the translation is missing.

This is not a typical Medieval tale. Here's a book that should not be overlooked by male readers.

This book is a little harsh; I almost didn't finish reading it, but I find it has really made me think. Talk about emptying one's self completely. I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about this book but it is one that I still remember very vividly.

This is a book I wanted to like, but the more I read, the faster I read, just to be done with it. It struck me as Les Mis, done in anime. The various faces of Julian are stark and narrowly drawn, with so little transition between faces and little insight into his being that one can scarcely reconcile one image with the other, let alone see some internal transition toward repentance. The narrator was little more than a cardboard cutout propped up by a few cursory claims of faith.

Still, Wangerin's talent pops out sporadically, enough that I'd try another book of his. But with this one, I was left with the feeling that Wangerin simply did not take the time to write as he seems capable of writing.

Wangerin's effort here seems lifeless and somewhat stock. It's hard to think that such a potentially captivating story could be made to sound bland, but it does come together that way. There are a few moments when we see into Julian's character, but his motivations are always lost and his faith seems second-hand to doing the right thing. This book is altogether lost in the facts and historical elements of the story rather than the human element. Try "Godric" by Beuchner or "Patrick" by Stephen Lawhead for an altogether different experience of saints and their passionate histories.

Um, it's not by choice that this has 1 star. I had no choice. I tried giving it a zero but that wasn't an option.

Okay, so a deer spoke to this man. Maybe it was some type of allegory. Who knows? I wanted to put it down. Believe me, I did. However, I didn't want to miss the symbolism, if perhaps there was one. All I can say is "I didn't get it - the story that is." I wish I could say I didn't get the book either. Do yourself a favor, don't you get it.