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September 8, 2005
BOOK REVIEW: Citadel of God by Louis de Wohl
Typically when you read a historical fiction book that is driven by religious sensibilities, you have to relax on your expectations. Either the plot or the writing leave something to be desired – sometimes both. However, Louis de Wohl pulls of the impossible with Citadel of God: he writes a good, enjoyable novel that tells the story of St. Benedict’s life and times.
The book not only follows St. Benedict, but also keeps us up to date with what is happening across Europe and in Rome in particular. De Wohl weaves an interesting plot that pulls you along and keeps true to history at the same time. The characters are vibrant and captivating, which makes the whole thing work.
For those not aware, St. Benedict is credited with saving European civilization as a monk. Sounds impossible, but God uses St. Benedict in a very unique way and I recommend this book as an enjoyable overview of St. Benedict’s life. Many of the monastic communities today still use the Rule of St. Benedict as their guiding constitution. I worked for several years at a Cistercian monastery that had a 50+ foot statue of St. Benedict along the side of the main building – it was a fascinating tribute to the man who created “The Rule” as they called it.
This was the first Louis de Wohl book I’ve read, but he covers a litany of Saints in other works and I’m planning on adding them as I go. Highly recommended, I can assure you it’s better than the label “historical fiction” implants in your mind. Of course, it does help that the main character was a very interesting man. Click here to purchase from Amazon.com.
God bless,
Jay
Posted by jay at September 8, 2005 8:21 AM
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