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kingtoad's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
courageousciarano's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maethereader's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
buroaklifereads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
davidewright_philosophy's review against another edition
4.0
This novella was so rich and thought-provoking that I wanted to read it again immediately after finishing. I'd say that I felt the same way after finishing reading Checkhov's "Ward No. 6": a story long enough to invite me into neglected parts of my intellectual imagination but short enough to incentivize a furious reading pace.
pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
"Catholics" is a near future, sometime after the death of Pope John Paul II, at a time when the Vatican has radically altered the traditions of Catholicism to modernize the religion.
Father James Kinsella is sent by Rome to the island parish off the Kerry coast in Ireland. An abbey there has ignored the edicts from the Holy See and are sticking to the old traditions. Their old fashioned way of holding mass and hearing confessions has drawn huge crowds, whom the Vatican have labeled as pilgrims. Father Kinsella must confront this abbey and bring the monks in line with holy orders.
Kinsella's observations of the old traditions make "Catholics" a fascinating read. In order to gain access to the abbey he must dress and act like an old fashioned priest. He feels out of place in traditional trappings and has a hard time convincing the locals that he is who he says he is. He confronts feelings of pity for the monks, self doubt at his effectiveness on the assignment and relief at being able to return to the real world when he leaves the island.
Catholics ends with a devils advocate type coda, with the monks discussing their next move after Kinsella leaves. Effectively the book ends in a stand-off with both sides convinced of they are doing the right thing.
Father James Kinsella is sent by Rome to the island parish off the Kerry coast in Ireland. An abbey there has ignored the edicts from the Holy See and are sticking to the old traditions. Their old fashioned way of holding mass and hearing confessions has drawn huge crowds, whom the Vatican have labeled as pilgrims. Father Kinsella must confront this abbey and bring the monks in line with holy orders.
Kinsella's observations of the old traditions make "Catholics" a fascinating read. In order to gain access to the abbey he must dress and act like an old fashioned priest. He feels out of place in traditional trappings and has a hard time convincing the locals that he is who he says he is. He confronts feelings of pity for the monks, self doubt at his effectiveness on the assignment and relief at being able to return to the real world when he leaves the island.
Catholics ends with a devils advocate type coda, with the monks discussing their next move after Kinsella leaves. Effectively the book ends in a stand-off with both sides convinced of they are doing the right thing.
hilaritas's review against another edition
4.0
Economical nearly to the point of inscrutability, that ambiguity is its subject and its greatest strength. The story is of the confrontation between the envoy of a fictional, post-Vatican IV Catholic Church given over to radical liberal reforms that make Vatican II look quaint, including a merger/rapprochement with Buddhism, and the traditionalism of a remote abbey on a bluff island to the west of Ireland where the brothers perform the ancient Tridentine Mass and, worse yet, hear individual confessions. Moore initially puts his thumb on the scale a bit too heavily against the communitarian/instrumentalist vision of the church represented by Father Kinsella, the envoy of a ecumenical Church. However, the true touch of genius in this account (parable? screed? novel.) is making the Abbot of the traditionalist faction into a secret unbeliever. This all sets up a showdown of faith and wills which is far more subtle and tragic than initially appears. The ending is deeply ambiguous and Moore expertly plays the tension of sympathies for both sides. This story is a tough piece of gristle that will wear out the jaws of any person who has thought deeply about, and wrestled inconclusively with, the concepts of faith, tradition, obedience, community, and the transcendent theology of Christianity. I'm honestly not sure where I come down on the debate fictionalized here, which I take as evidence of the success of the author. Hearing that he himself is a non-believer with a complicated history with this religion is, ironically, all too believable. Pretty great stuff.
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