The Quiet Light: A Novel About Thomas Aquinas (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "BROTHER VINCENT WAS READING his office when it happened; it was in the early afternoon, when his mind was at its best and therefore less..." (more)
Key Phrases: sub flore, most noble sir, most noble lady, San Severino, Master Thomas, Rocca Secca (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Louis de Wohl presents a stimulating historical novel about the great St. Thomas Aquinas, set against the violent background of the Italy of the Crusades.

Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898705959
• ISBN-13: 978-0898705959
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,169 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars De Wohl: A Sustained Light of Genius..., November 28, 2001

By	Earl Merkel "earl" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

I could not have been older than 12 when I first read Louis De Wohl's THE QUIET LIGHT.

It was certainly not a children's book. Instead, it was the passed-along gift of an aunt --fittingly, a Daughter of Charity who in those days sported the intimidating wings that Sally Field would later demystify for me-- and one of the many books on a wide range of genres and topics she carried on long train rides from El Paso to St. Louis.

THE QUIET LIGHT also was, I believe, instrumental in sparking my earliest desire to write my own novels.

And that is surprising, because De Wohl's narrative, character development, and spellbinding prose made THE QUIET LIGHT much more than the fictionalized biography of Thomas Aquinas I had expected. It was nothing less than a staggering example of compelling storytelling which, by the sheer enormity of talent displayed, should have intimidated any aspiring/wanna-be writer.

Be advised: you will come away from THE QUIET LIGHT with more than the pleasure of having read a masterly crafted novel of the Middle Ages. Rather, you will find yourself informed and educated on everything from the Crusades to the philosopical infighting then being waged throughout both Europe and the Saracen worlds to the intrigues of the Italian nobility and their Germanic, decidedly unholy Holy Roman Emperor. You will marvel at how De Wohl weaves all this into a story that is filled with richly drawn characters, both historical and fictional.

By the end of THE QUIET LIGHT, you may even discover you have learned something about how to tell a story in a way that makes the reader mourn that he or she has reached the end of the book.

THE QUIET LIGHT is that good. So is Louis De Wohl.

--Earl Merkel
(Author of FLU SEASON and LIKE DISTANT CITIES BURNING, Penguin/Putnam's New American Library; both books are due out in Summer 2001).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but driven more by context than St. Thomas Aquinas., February 24, 1999

By	Michael McFarland ([e-mail] (Bidwell, Ohio) - See all my reviews

In a panoramic fashion, Louis De Wohl makes accessible certain 13th Century aspects and personalities. We discover kings and warriors, court intrigue and noble family feuds, mild brutality and saintly virtue, knights and monastic settings. There is even courtly romance, and an insightful portrayal of the birth of science. Saint Thomas Aquinas is situated very quietly around the edges of the dynamic action of the book. Perhaps too quietly. For the story tells far more about events that happened, or could have happened, than it does about the work and life of St. Thomas. In fairness, however, it manages to relay popular Thomas stories, and provides a sampling of that giant and saintly intellect. So I recomend this book to anyone interested in Saint Thomas, or 13th Century Europe. It is a suitable family book, and would interest readers of historical novels. The work accomplishes making one feel both the frantic upheavals of Medieval Europe, and the reassuring order of Faith and Reason, that St.Thomas did so much to discover and invigorate.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, July 9, 2000

By	Imran Currah (Topeka, KS United States) - See all my reviews

An excellent book about the life and times of a great saint. It would be hard to estimate the spiritual fruit which this man's intellect has produced. The Catholic Church as well as intellectual life in general has benifited much from his life and writings. This is a well written book and hard to put down. I gave it four stars, however, because it is a novel more about the historical situation of the saint than the saint himself. Although the book did try and speculate about the some of the motivations of the saint, it failed to tackle his philosophy. Nevertheless, the book is sure to inspire further readings, especially into Thomas' own writings.