Commissioned by the Vatican to investigate and discredit three modern miracles, Gabriel D'Amato, a young priest, encounters events that shake the spiritual foundations of his life and reveal the dark side of the Catholic Church.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
First-novelist Cushman uses the forum of fiction for an involving, though occasionally far-fetched and not very convincing, attack on the Catholic Church. His protagonist is young priest Gabriel D'Amato, more scholar than cleric, who is just beginning to understand his place in the Church when he embarks on a mission for the Vatican. His task: to investigate and discredit three modern miracles. The first, a weeping statue of the Virgin in the hills near Rome, he dismisses easily, though not before beginning a friendship with Father Dominic Poncarelli, a robust outsider who flaunts Church authority. The second miracle concerns mysterious crop circles in the English countryside, believed by some to be evidence of extraterrestrials; Gabriel's discussions there with weary priest Brian Dunstan lead him to begin to question his service to the Church. By the time Gabriel looks into the third miracle, a series of visions in California, the traditional bonds of priesthood have begun to fall away. The disillusioned cleric defies the Vatican, causing him to flee for his life. As a narrator, Father Gabriel is hyper-intellectualized, and Cushman asks the reader to overlook several plot conveniences for the purpose of making his point: that the Church is an antiquated, inflexible bureaucracy that needs to embrace its more radical members. But it will take a more fully realized character than Father Gabriel, and a more plausible story than his, to persuade yet-unconvinced readers of that.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
In Cushman's exquisitely readable novel, an ambitious young priest's entire world is turned inside out when he is called on to investigate a number of miraculous sightings and unexplainable phenomena that have created unpleasant stirrings in the inner sanctum of Vatican City. The arresting narrative traces the trajectory of Father Gabriel's fine detachment and rather sublime innocence as events and acquaintances come to penetrate the perfect armor that has always shielded him from real life. As the good father's moorings are all slowly shattered, he is transfixed by ecstatic experiences of his very own. Cushman renders a provocative portrayal of the Catholic Church, showing the powerful hands of Rome as they first threaten and then ensnare the renegade Father Gabriel in a malevolent plan that leads to his destruction. Alice Joyce
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book I've read in years.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Visitation (Hardcover)
I actually read this book in one sitting -- something I've only done once or twice before! The plot is totally gripping, and Mr. Cushman's writing is elegance itself. His ability to present so many viewpoints about such a controversial topic without ever seeming preachy or judgemental is rare, and left me thinking about the book for days. I'm going to reread it! I couldn't recommend it more highly
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