Customer Reviews

Sophia House (Children of the Last Days)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sophia House is the last book in Michael O'Brien's "Children of the Last Days" series, and is a great end. A prequel to "Father Elijah," the book begins with a powerful politician campaigning in Israel in the 1960s, and is confronted by a woman who knows his real name: David Schaefer.

After the prelude, we see a dramatic escape from the Warsaw Ghetto by a young Jewish boy, who is quickly taken in by a bookseller named Pawel Tarnowski. Sophia House gives some background on Pawel's life, and the reader is priveleged to read a play about the Russian icon painter, Andrei Rublev, right in the middle of the book, written by (the fictional character of) Pawel Tarnowski.

All of the elements that captivated the fans of O'Brien's other novels are here: exploration of the nature of faith, deep dialogue, extensive character development, and a writing style that makes the reader want to keep on going. Most important, O'Brien demonstrates, through fiction, the beauty of faith and grace.

I highly recommend this book; fans of O'Brien will love it, fans of good Catholic literature will love it, and fans of good literature period will love it. 5 out of 5.

Michael O'Brien's Sophia House is the "prequel" to another masterpiece of his, Father. Elijah: An Apocalypse, which I've also reviewed.

In Sophia House, O'Brien reintroduces us to a young David Schäfer, who was to become Father Elijah much later. O'Brien paints for us David's existence in his hiding place in Warsaw, the dusty attic of Pawel Tarnowski's bookshop, which O'Brien previously sketched in Father. Elijah: An Apocalypse.

Now, in Sophia House, O'Brien slowly--at times, too slowly--paints the relationship that developed between David, the fugitive son of a Jewish Orthodox zadiq or "saint" who was killed in the Holocaust, and Pawel Tarnowski, a book antiquarian and a frustrated artist with a secret: he suffers from same-sex attraction. Tarnowski is a homosexual person, psychologically damaged in his childhood when a granduncle and failed priest molested him. Tarnowski spent his life resisting his inclination, first by pursuing an artistic vocation and then, by practicing prayer and contemplation. Slowly, steadily, God turned him into a mystic with the mission of being the protector of a young man who later became God's instrument in a critical mission at the End Times.

The encounter between David and Tarnowski triggered an exchange of ideas and dreams. Their tragedies became intertwined. David becomes aware of something wonderful, ineffable, transcending the confines of his rich Jewish faith, yet he never embraced in this insight in this book. Tarnowski, on the other hand, in an ultimate act of love--charis, agape--becomes Jewish without stopping from being Catholic. How is this possible? Because he took David's place in the gas chamber, giving his life for the young man and in atonement for his own sins and that of others, forgiving all, forgiving even himself. Tarnowski becomes a Christ figure in the worst place on earth.

Well, I love this book, but I warn the reader that Sophia House is more cerebral than Father. Elijah: An Apocalypse. It is not as fast-paced as the previous work. Tarnowski's circumspect, taciturn nature is so intense that some of the dialogues seemed to drag on too long for him. Tarnowski's nature makes him too detached and a reluctant participant in these exchanges that so captivated David. O'Brien gets it right at the end but while one wades through these chapters, one wonders if the dialogue would get deeper, or if it will ever end with some resolution. This defect is very minor and it does not affect the novel's trajectory and goal, which are a meditation on the nature of good and evil and of the God who is present in the worst places, at the worst times, shining through deeply flawed human beings striving to keep His Image and Likeness pristine in their souls.

All things considered: Sophia House is good. It is literature, and that's the best thing I can say of any book I read.

This is a preview to the book Father Elijah, but it is actually the story of the spiritual struggles of the hero, Pawel Tarnowsky.
Superficially, the plot is about how the owner of "Sophia House" bookstore, who one day is confronted with a Jewish lad fleeing from the Nazis. He takes him in, and hides him, and they converse about various things, and at the climax, Pawel stays behind so David can get away.
But the real story is Pawel's spiritual journey. He must not only confront and overcome his own sinful impulses, but his main struggle is to be healed in the wounds of his own soul. So we see a man struggling with loneliness, homosexuality, and unforgiveness...and the real climax is when he learns to feel charity for those who hurt him, because he learns to see them as hurt and wounded children rather than as evil sinners...
The "old fashioned" morality behind this struggle will put off many. And the compassionate viewing of a holy gay man will turn off many rigid moralists.
But for those who wish to see a sensitive portrayal of a man's journey to wholeness and peace, then I recommend this book..

I highly recommend Sophie House! The author dedicates this book this way, "For those whose sacrifice is hidden in the heart of God, those whose "small" choices shift the balance of the world" and that says it all. This book leaves a simple reader with the belief that (a paraphrase from a character), " a life is a word spoken" Unforgettable!

Beautiful, deep book, and definitely one of my favourites of the "Children of the last days" collection... wonderful character insights, and beautiful imaginery...

I cannot even begin to describe how good this book is. And I'm considered by my friends as an extremely critical (of books and films) person.

On the surface, this book is about homosexuality, art, and Poland during WWII.

But it goes so much deeper than that, probing and illuminating the meaning of Fatherhood, Beauty, Longing, and the Holy.

Its a book influenced by Judaism, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Nazism, Modernism, and Mysticism.

Some passages, in their prose, border on the best kind of poetry. There are several passages in this book that have burned into my mind. I don't think I shall forget them until I die.

If you love Dostoevsky, you'll love this book.

I know this is such a bad review. I didn't even try to explain it, because it is too good for that.

You really will not regret reading this, no matter what your background.

[btw, due to the disturbing (non-graphic) content, I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under the age of 15.]

In Sophia House Michael O'Brien succeeds in painting a very sensitive - and captivating - portrait of a man's soul. The primary character, Pawel Tarnowski is a Polish Catholic who is swept up in the modernist intellectual movements of the early twentieth century. Sophia House chronicles his journey away from and back to his native Poland and his Catholic faith.

Much of the book is set in Nazi occupied Warsaw, with the narrative focused on the relationship between Pawel and a young Jewish man he hides from the Nazis. Mr. O'Brien never stoops to caricature, portraying all of his characters - including the Nazis - as humans, who bearing the lasting imprint of the wound of original sin, either struggle mightily to rise above the gravitational pull toward evil or give up and succumb to its enticements.

Particularly moving is Mr. O'Brien's depiction of Pawel's struggle with homosexual attraction. His insights into and deep understanding of the emotional and spiritual struggles undertaken by Catholic Christians in this condition are remarkable for their nuance, their truth, and their compassion. As an orthodox Catholic, Mr. O'Brien understands that the central, and unavoidable, duty in a Christian's life is to "take up one's cross", to sanctify one's suffering, and finally to be "crucified" with Christ. Nowhere does Mr. O'Brien fall into the trap of assuming that this is easy, and it shows in the struggles faced by Pawel.

But struggle and suffering are only half of the story. Mr. O'Brien does an excellent job of anchoring this call to suffering in what can only be described as a Catholic cosmology. In Sophia House, the supernatural is never far off, especially when it seems most distant. God, His angels, the Blessed Virgin, and Satan inhabit the spaces between the lines of text. At times they make an appearance - Mr. O'Brien rightly takes for granted their reality - by way of drawing back, if only for a moment, the veil between this physical world and the eternal realms. In doing this Mr. O'Brien situates the characters' struggles in a heavenly context, thereby giving the characters untold dignity and infusing the spiritual struggles of the lone individual - including those of the reader - with a great,indeed cosmic, importance.

The youth of David Shafer, a jew in Nazi occupied Poland - taken in and hidden by Catholic bookstore owner, Pawel Tarnowski. A beautiful story of an unlikely friendship in faith - which proves a foundation for David's life in Father Elijah. Terrific story

I read Father Elijah years ago and have given it to fmily now to have the whole story was truly wonderful.
A thoughtful well written story of Warsaw during the WWII and a man who thought he was nothing finding out that he was
a gift from God to a young Jewish boy. One never knows who they might be saving out of a simple act of kindness.

This is a prequel to Father Elijah: An Apocalypse, and the second novel I've consumed from Michael D. O'Brien. He's a consummate storyteller and his characters are exceptional and authentic. I never knew it was possible to read literature-quality fiction and experience moving, devotional-type edification in a single book. Truly remarkable and highly recommended to readers who are searching for meaningful Christian fiction.