God's Fool: The Life of Francis of Assisi (Perennial library) (Paperback)

by Julien Green (Author) "At certain moments in history destiny seems to hesitate between weal and woe, as if awaiting the arrival of someone-who usually doesn't come..." (more)
Key Phrases: lord pope, Brother Leo, San Damiano, Francis of Assisi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This warm, richly detailed biography brings the beloved saint alive in all his human and profoundly spiritual dimensions.

About the Author
Julien Green, novelist and diarist, is the celebrated author of more than forty books, including The Closed Garden, The Transgressor, Moira, The Other Sleep, and Journals, 1938-1971. A pivotal figure in the Paris literary scene of the 1920s and 1930s, he became in 1971 the only American writer to be elected to the Academie Française.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (September 2, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060634642
• ISBN-13: 978-0060634643
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #69,689 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #29 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Church History > Early Church
  #64 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Catholicism > Saints

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a portrait of a saint, August 24, 2000

By	NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There are few books that deserve a full five stars as much as God's Fool. I love this book. Julien Green has written a compelling, thoughtful, and moving picture of St. Francis. Green lovingly synthesizes a ton of material about Francis into a story about what can happen to a fully human, fully sinful person when they are touched by the love of God. God's Fool was a joy to read. There are not many books that I have enjoyed more. I recommend it wholeheartedly to everybody.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, inspiring, human view of St. Francis of Assisi., July 1, 1998

By	[e-mail] "gaelic43065" (New Orleans, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This book is one of the best written about St. Francis of Assisi. Unlike many saint biographies that make their subjects so virtuous they are stripped of their humanity, "God's Fool" gives us an inspiring, human role model to which we can all relate. This book inspired me and countless others to become secular Franciscans and attempt to follow his example.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God's Fool - Great Christian Inspiration, July 2, 1997

By A Customer

God's Fool brings depth and color to one of the Church's most beloved Saints. Julien Green does so much more than just describe the events of Francis's life. He describes the daily life of his medieval family, friends and neighbors. This, in turn, really helped me feel just how much Francis was sacrificing by abandoning a future of knighthood, nobility and wealth. I could feel the anguish in his mother's heart, the anger of his father's fist and the confusion in his brother's mind. This illustration of one of the most remarkable spiritual journeys since the original apostles, can be contageous. The desire to run to the nearest Franciscan monastery is almost overwhelming, even for a traditional Protestant