Customer Reviews

The Voices of the Saints: A Year of Readings

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I am immensely impressed with Voices of the Saints, which I began reading on January 1 of this year. I have been reading the lives of the Saints by various authors and publishers, including Butler, every day for the past two decades of my life, but I can wholeheartedly proclaim that this book is by far the best, bar none. Most of the renditions I have read paint the Saints with hard to reach (and even harder to obtain) halos, like Blessed Fra Angelico paintings set to words. Bert Ghezzi's account brings the Saints to life--to ordinary human life, with all of its foibles, struggles, and in the end for them...victory. The truly human element in each of these literary portraits, which is brought home by the well-chosen quotations, makes each Saint a true inspiration to the "bumbling their way through" masses like me. His comments on each Saint are insightful and inspired, the writing and research are scholarly yet approachable, and the organization of the book (which allows one to read it by any one of three logical methods) makes this an immensely satisfying book to read. My wife and I look forward to delving into it each day, as Bert Ghezzi invites us to share the lot of the Saints in Light!

Reading "Voices of the Saints" is like taking a nostalgic trip back into history with a personal tour guide and meeting some of the most colorful and heroic personalities who ever lived. Bert Ghezzi recreates the lives and character of the saints so vividly I felt I were meeting each saint in the flesh. Ghezzi places the saints in their native settings and skillfully reconstructs their worlds through the sights, sounds, and political and religious sensitivities of their times. I especially liked the quotes and writings in the saint's own "voices," providing relevant glimpses of their joys, hardships and aspirations through their own passionate hearts and keen intellects. More than just a digest, this book opens a door to a close association with each saint that intrigues, touches and teaches. Sitting down with "Voices" creates a way to know these grand and holy people in intimate ways not otherwise possible. Pass this one down. Worthwhile, for years to come.

I am a convert to Catholicism and therefore I did not grow up knowing about many of the saints of the Church. This book is helping to acquaint myself to the richness and wisdom of these holy men and women of God in a way that is refreshing and easy to understand.

Bert's style of mixing various quotes from the saints' writings with a short story of their situation is especially inspiring and leads to quality time of reflection. In addition, I enjoy the various "road maps" within the book allowing me several options for reading.

Great job, Mr. Ghezzi! When's the sequel coming out?

Bert Ghezzi makes saints interesting. He introduces us to 365 saintly men and women as if they were old friends of his that he wants us to meet. He not only writes about saints with clarity and flashes of humor, he also allows them to speak to us in their own words. Various indexes and cross reference systems make his book even more reader friendly. Voices of the Saints is a marvelous achievement, and I expect that it will be THE book on saints for many years to come.

This is one of those treasures all parents and grandparents want in their home for those holiday conversations that lead to a debate as to which saint is the patron of what. And this is a terrific resource for short readings with the family, especially children and grandchildren to acquaint them with the great heroes of the christian faith. Read about a different saint each day of the year. What a novel concept!

Saints to inspire us! Saints to encourage us! Saints to teach us! Saints to enjoy! All are included in Bert Ghezzi's "Voices of the Saints". Excellent short - 1 1/2 to 2 page - treatments give a life synopsis, quotation from the saint's writing, and specific information on how this person contributed to the Church's life. Cross referencing and instruction allow one to read chronologically, alphabetically, or randomly. A great introduction to saints, a sonderful after-dinner devotional for families or just a great read.

With gentle wit and solid scholarship, Bert Ghezzi presents 365 of his favorite "friends" whose lives and teachings are still relevant to us today. The two-page-per-saint format offers enough information to give us a personal glimpse into the lives of these holy men and women. And the author offers several ways to read the book -- straight through, chronologically (according to when the saint lived), or according to feast days. Keys at the bottom of the page indicate where readers should turn next. Worth every penny of the cover price!

Bravo to the author! In an age increasinly bare of heroes, it's helpful to look backward to read about these very human creatures who, through grace and faith, moved beyond what we think of as 'do-able'and established Rules, schools, hospitals, monasteries and colonies, or who did none of those 'great' things but showed us, instead, how to build interiorly, in faith. I am particularly happy to see the author's habit of pointing out those qualities of a saint which shout of their flawed humanity, thus joining them with us. These are not pastel-flavored hagiographies but strong, bold portraits of strong, bold people - from both ancient and modern times. A job well done, and yes, this is an excellent gift idea, especially for a family raising young people. Give it to them and tell them to put it on the coffee table. I did that and I'm very gratified when I see my kids pick it up and thumb through it, reading a little here, a little there. It is highly readable, and a good thing to 'keep around'.

There's no one who knows the saints better and no one who dazzles with a story as well as Bert Ghezzi. These are readings and stories about people who could live next door, the kind of people you invite over for a cook out and a beer. With the multitude of voices contending for attention in our world these voices are worth hearing and spending time with. This is a jewel.

This is a very Beautifully packed inspirational book on the Saints. Myself being of Catholic background i can really appreicate it for what its worth. Anyone interested in the lives of the Saints i would highly recommend this book, it is one of the best i have read so far.