Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps the best of Morris West's books., August 15, 2003
Now and then, I come across a book that moves me. Not just with its story or language but with the emotions it can generate in me. Clowns of God is one such. Perhaps the setting is somewhat dated now, with geopolitical alliances totally re-arranged. However, when I first read it back in the 1980s, the kind of doomsday scenario it pointed to was not all that far-fetched. Many who lived through the Cold War will remember the impotent fear caused by the insanity of "Mutual Assured Destruction - MAD" theories. Set in the heart of the Catholic Church, the book unfortunately loses some of its strength when read by those of other faiths. Sad but inevitable as the theological underpinnings are key to the story. In brief, as the Western World (NATO) and the Communist World (Warsaw Pact) contend for supremacy, a grain famine in the (then) Soviet Union gives the West a trump card that can be used to befriend or to destroy. And the temptation in the minds of the zealots (yes, they are there in every country and of every persuasion) towards destructive use is strong indeed. Into this precariously balanced trapeze act comes a wild card in the form of the reigning Pope. Firm in the belief that he has been granted a vision from God of the end of the world and commanded to preach accordingly, he faces the resistance of vested interests. Stripped of his papacy by the frightened hierarchy, he wanders into the world, searching for a sign that he is right and learning lessons from friends and acquaintances. Odd as it may seem, the story, for all its sobering possibility is ultimately secondary. Morris is a master not only at prose but at creating characters that are fundamentally and recognizably human, with faults and frailties that accent their greatness. The picture he paints of big power games as the world hurtles towards a precipice is scary indeed. What remains in the mind however (and in my opinion form the best part of this book) are the letters written to God, age old questions that we all want to ask and whose answers we have a tough time finding. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Even a reader who is unfamiliar with Christian theology and who professes another faith will appreciate the questions that this book raises.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honest to God., March 30, 2000
By A Customer
Contrary to the reviewer from Scottsdale, Arizona, I don't see The Clowns of God as an attack on Catholicism. In fact, in many ways I sensed a respect and honor for the institution and the various positions of office. I saw it as an affirmation of God but also an honest look at the possiblity of human corruption. West did an excellent job of dealing with the religious aspect of the book. I think the book was written in such away that anyone with religious beliefs could comfortably read it. The point was not to slam Catholicism, but to use it as a vehicle to tell a story. A similar novel could have been written from a Protestant viewpoint and context, but Morris chose to write about what he was familiar with and therein lies his strength. His books are researched and developed to the point of making the characters and situations believable. It was a worth-while read, especially for anyone interested in spiritual and philosophical ideas.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A stunning, exciting, moving theological thriller, August 5, 2005
I only bought this book by accident, after seeing a cheap second-hand copy in a charity store. It gripped me from virtually the first page right through to the last and unlike some of the other reviewers, the ending didn't disappoint me.
The essential theme of the novel is this - a Pope (a Frenchman, Jean Marie Barette) is forced out of the papacy when he sees a divine vision that the world will end soon in war. The Vatican hierarchy fear that he is mentally ill, so he is coerced into resigning his position and retiring to a monastery.
The setting of the novel is the late twentieth century - the US and the USSR are perilously close to all-out nuclear war after a crop-failure in Russia, and international terrorist groups are wreaking havoc. Western European governments are tightening their security and preparing repressive measures. Barette's vision seems accurate, even if it isn't divinely inspired.
Barette begins using his network of friends and powerful acquaintances around the world to try to stop the coming nuclear Armageddon, but this places him in personal danger...
I'm not a religious expert- I'm an atheist - and I can't judge the theology here ,but the book still moved me. As a thriller it was a real page-turner, the plot sizzles, the dialogue is good and the characters convincing.
I haven't read a better book this year - strongly recommended.
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