Cardinal Sins

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Summary: Interesting in light of the current troubles in the church..
Review: FRom inside dj flap:

This is a novel whose blunt honesty is certain to spark controversy. From the humblest parish to the inner councils of the Vatican, Father Greeley reveals the heirarchy of the Catholic Church as it really is and its priests as the men they really are.

The Cardinal Sins follows the lives of two Irish boys who grow up on the West Side of Chicago and enter the priesthood. One will remain a parish priest all of his life; the other will become a powerful cardinal. We meet them in the last summer before they enter the seminary- the summer by the laek when they discover their sexual selves in the arms of two young girls whose love and lives will entwine with theirs all through the years.

We share their triumphs and tragedies as Pat rises to teh center of power in the Vatican itself, surrendering ideals, yielding to sexual temptation, sharing forbidden pleasures , yet achieving success in the world's eyes. For Kevin , for whom refusal to surrender principle is both his strength and his failing, success comes in another guise.

This book is a work of fiction. It is nonetheless true, And only one man could have written it. Father Andrew Greelys has been described as one of the ten most influential Christian thinkers in the worl, In this novel, he surpasses himself as a diviner of human passions and a superb storyteller as well.

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Summary: I've read this book 3 or 4 times over the years and I also
Review: have an audio version. It is a great story about love, Gods love for us and our struggle to return it and to love one another. Each time I read it or listen to it I discover something more about the theme, the characters and myself.

Rating:
Summary: Awful
Review: I cannot believe I finished this book. It is truly a piece of garbage.

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Summary: The Cardinal Snooze!
Review: I found this book in the free book bin at work, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The beginning and middle were okay, and I kept reading in hopes that the plot would pick up. It didn't -- and, in fact, got WORSE! Greeley began introducing more and more characters, all with similar (and hard to pronounce) names. The plot was jumpy, and I found myself skipping the "really boring" parts about the papal election to get to the "just plain boring" parts about the other characters. And the end, WHAT END? Nothing was resolved! Not that I minded. By the end of this 500+ pager, I was ready to call it quits no matter what happened! The only good thing about this book, in my opinion, is that I didn't pay for it. I think I'll put it back in the free book bin where I found it and let another poor sap suffer!

Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: I read the author's book, "...and young men shall see visions," in high school, and was mildly inspired. I thought he was another of those closet gay priests that had taught me and I was afraid enough of my own sexuality that I ignored him for the next 35 years, although I saw his name from time to time and noticed he had gotten into the supermarket and airport booksellers venue. Then I happened to see one of his books in the library and on impulse pulled it off the shelf. I was amazed. Here he is speaking to the issues that have penetrated my life for the last 50 years. Someone else noticed all this and has been going through it all too! Now this is the third novel of Greeley's I have read. (I am going backward to see howe he got started). Is it great literature? I am not sure. I am not a literary critic. Nevertheless, this book speaks to me and my life. I have met its characters and have been some of them. I know what makes them cry and laugh and burn with desire and shame, however politically uncorrect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope you will too. Maybe even if you are not an Irish-American Catholic.

Rating:
Summary: Soap opera.
Review: If I'm not mistaken, this is Greeley's first novel. Many others followed. I don't believe that success was due to any particularly redeeming features of this book -- it's little more than a soap opera. More likely, the public found it titillating that a priest would write fiction that included sex scenes and other "shocking" material. If Greeley were not a priest, I don't think anyone would have paid attention to this book (and there probably wouldn't have been any others from his pen published).

Rating:
Summary: Torture.
Review: This is the first, and only book I have read by Andrew Greely. I only finished the book because I thought it had to get better and I always try to finish a book I have started. The characters were shallow, the plot predictable. I never was able to relate to Pat or Kevin in any way and by the end of the book was happy to be rid of them.