Salvation : Scenes from the Life of St. Francis

Rating:
Summary: Jumbled Sequence, Missing Spirituality
Review: I just finished Salvation: Scenes from the Life of St. Francis and found it to be a provacative read. Martin is a captivating writer, who handles a potentially biased topic with journalistic objectivity. But still, she manages to relay the deep emotion that surrounded and continues to surround St. Francis and his life. What I appreciated most about Martin's writing was that it gave small pictures of St. Francis, some which showed clearly his holiness and devotion to Christ, others that made you wonder if he was a complete lunatic.

For those of us who have studied the life of Christ, we find an interesting parallel. CS Lewis once said that Christ was either the Savior of the world or a raging lunatic. Too often, people shy away from the uncomfortable when they approach such topics. Because of that, people miss out on the complexity of the people. Too many people think Christ floated 3 inches off the ground and acted like he was stoned most of the time. They don't talk about anger, despair, humor and the like. They often make the same mistakes regarding saints.

Martin shows here that St. Francis was a man who took a radical stand in his faith. Who knows...maybe he was holy AND insane!

Rating:
Summary: Holy or Insane?
Review: I just finished Salvation: Scenes from the Life of St. Francis and found it to be a provacative read. Martin is a captivating writer, who handles a potentially biased topic with journalistic objectivity. But still, she manages to relay the deep emotion that surrounded and continues to surround St. Francis and his life. What I appreciated most about Martin's writing was that it gave small pictures of St. Francis, some which showed clearly his holiness and devotion to Christ, others that made you wonder if he was a complete lunatic.

For those of us who have studied the life of Christ, we find an interesting parallel. CS Lewis once said that Christ was either the Savior of the world or a raging lunatic. Too often, people shy away from the uncomfortable when they approach such topics. Because of that, people miss out on the complexity of the people. Too many people think Christ floated 3 inches off the ground and acted like he was stoned most of the time. They don't talk about anger, despair, humor and the like. They often make the same mistakes regarding saints.

Martin shows here that St. Francis was a man who took a radical stand in his faith. Who knows...maybe he was holy AND insane!

Rating:
Summary: A portrait gallery
Review: I was prepared to dislike this book, although for the life of me I can't quite remember why. Perhaps it's because I distrust fictional accounts of Christian saints, particularly when they're written by nonbelievers. But I was quite mistaken in this case. Martin's "biography" of St. Francis is a wonderfully beautiful series of sketches. She takes scenes from his life--those related by the two earliest biographies by Thomas of Celano, but also later accounts such as Bonaventure's--and imaginatively weaves them into a cinematic-like skein that offers glimpses of the man Francis. So the reviewer who carps about her chronological lapses really misses the point. Martin doesn't intend to offer a straightforward account of the saint's life so much as a string of meditations that take their starting point from specific events in his life. Along the way she offers prose that is breathtaking in its beauty. Here's an example, taken from Martin's description of Francis early encounter with a leper--the episode that he himself, in his Testament, describes as his "conversion." Francis has just kissed the leper's hand: "His ears are filled with the sound of wind, and he can feel the wind chilling his face, a cold, harsh wind blowing toward him from the future, blowing away everything that has come before this moment, which he has longed for and dreaded, as if he thought he might not live through it. He reaches up, clinging to the leper's tunic, for the wind is so strong, so cold, he fears he cannot stand against it. . . . The two men clutch each other, their faces pressed close together, their arms entwined. The sun beats down, the air is hot and still, yet they appear to be caught in a whirlwind. Their clothes whip about; their hair stands on end; they hold on to each other for dear life."

Rating:
Summary: A portrait gallery
Review: I was prepared to dislike this book, although for the life of me I can't quite remember why. Perhaps it's because I distrust fictional accounts of Christian saints, particularly when they're written by nonbelievers. But I was quite mistaken in this case. Martin's "biography" of St. Francis is a wonderfully beautiful series of sketches. She takes scenes from his life--those related by the two earliest biographies by Thomas of Celano, but also later accounts such as Bonaventure's--and imaginatively weaves them into a cinematic-like skein that offers glimpses of the man Francis. So the reviewer who carps about her chronological lapses really misses the point. Martin doesn't intend to offer a straightforward account of the saint's life so much as a string of meditations that take their starting point from specific events in his life. Along the way she offers prose that is breathtaking in its beauty. Here's an example, taken from Martin's description of Francis early encounter with a leper--the episode that he himself, in his Testament, describes as his "conversion." Francis has just kissed the leper's hand: "His ears are filled with the sound of wind, and he can feel the wind chilling his face, a cold, harsh wind blowing toward him from the future, blowing away everything that has come before this moment, which he has longed for and dreaded, as if he thought he might not live through it. He reaches up, clinging to the leper's tunic, for the wind is so strong, so cold, he fears he cannot stand against it. . . . The two men clutch each other, their faces pressed close together, their arms entwined. The sun beats down, the air is hot and still, yet they appear to be caught in a whirlwind. Their clothes whip about; their hair stands on end; they hold on to each other for dear life."

Rating:
Summary: A portrait gallery
Review: I was prepared to dislike this book, because I tend to distrust imaginative "biographies" of Christian saints. Too often, they tend to be sweetly sentimental. But my concerns were pointless in this case. Martin's "biography" of St. Francis is a wonderfully beautiful and reflective series of sketches. She takes scenes from his life--those related by the two earliest biographies by Thomas of Celano, but also later accounts such as Bonaventure's--and imaginatively weaves them into a cinematic-like procession that offers glimpses of the man Francis that shed light on our own spiritual journeys. The reviewer who carps about Martin's chronological lapses really misses the point of what she's trying to do. She doesn't intend to offer a straightforward account of the saint's life so much as a string of meditations that take their starting point from specific events in his life. And along the way she offers prose that is breathtaking in its beauty. Here's an example, taken from Martin's description of Francis early encounter with a leper--the episode that he himself, in his Testament, describes as his "conversion." Francis has just kissed the leper's hand (p. 241): "His ears are filled with the sound of wind, and he can feel the wind chilling his face, a cold, harsh wind blowing toward him from the future, blowing away everything that has come before this moment, which he has longed for and dreaded, as if he thought he might not live through it. He reaches up, clinging to the leper's tunic, for the wind is so strong, so cold, he fears he cannot stand against it. . . . The two men clutch each other, their faces pressed close together, their arms entwined. The sun beats down, the air is hot and still, yet they appear to be caught in a whirlwind. Their clothes whip about; their hair stands on end; they hold on to each other for dear life." Wow! With writing like that, how could one not love this book?

Rating:
Summary: Jumbled Sequence, Missing Spirituality
Review: In the introduction, the author tells the story of St. Francis in chronological order, and this is the part of the book that makes the most sense. Several reviewers have stated that this book is written in reverse chronological order, but it is not. Major sections of the book are in reverse order, but confusingly, the chapters within each major section are in chronological order. Adding to the confusion is that the first major section of the book is supposedly about the death of Francis, but it is actually only about his last days. His death does not occur until the next to last chapter of the book, and is followed in the final chapter by the earliest scene we are to see: when Francis encounters a leper in the road. If you think my review is confusing, just wait until you read the book. Is the author trying to say that the sequence of events is unimportant? In the case of Francis, who started off as the son of a wealthy merchant and ended up barefoot and penniless by choice, the sequence of events would seem to be all-important. Readers should know that the scenes from the life of Francis focus almost entirely on the physical: what he wore, where and how much he bled, how doctors branded him with hot irons, etc. Seldom if ever are we given any understanding of his inner life or spiritual motivations.

Rating:
Summary: Poverty vs. Materialism
Review: Martin describes the life of St. Francis of Assisi with short, vivid scenes rather than traditional narration. Martin, who is not Catholic, not particularly religious, and not a believer in miracles, gives us a story with real ramifications for Christianity - just as did the life of St. Francis himself.

Why is this book interesting, especially for nonbelievers and skeptics? In the first place, the vividness of the descriptions provides an engaging and fascinating look at medieval existence. In the second place, the stories in the book keep returning to an important but ignored concept: the power, spirituality and value of poverty.

This is not something which most Christians in contemporary America seem to really believe in any more - even though it was a standard belief for Christians in the middle ages.

Rating:
Summary: Sadly disappointing
Review: This book is a brief survey of the life of Franceso di Pietro Bernardone, who became known shortly after his life as St. Francis of Assisi. Franceso was a young man growing up in an extremely wealthy family. He had everything he could ever wish for, and his parents furnished whatever he might need to suit his desires. He however was still a problem child, causing his parents much grief and embarrassment.

One day while reading with a priest various scriptures he comes across the gospel passage in Mark 6:7-13. This passage really leaves an impression on young Franceso. Soon after he renounces his life, his family, his wealth, and his inheritance to persue the life of a begger. God then tells him that he is to "repair the church". Had this been Erasums, John Huss, or Martin Luther, chances are St. Francis would have been one of the early reformers, and would not wear the title of Saint as he does today. Instead of trying to reform the church, he literally picks up hammer and nail and begins to repair run-down churches.

Franceso eventually starts his own monastary after urges to have him join the famous Benedictien order failed. His rules are very strict, and very simple. One is not touch any money, and live the life on the streets begging for, and preaching in return for food. The message that was preached was one of repentance and calling people to deny worldliness. Another rule was that one was not to own any books, because they were the cause of many sins.

Finally, St. Francis attempts to preach to animals in the woods (as all "Saints" of the day were expected to do) and ended up in deep meditation for some period. St. Francis after his deep meditation was found to have the stigmata (the crucifixion wounds of Christ) upon his body. This was a "sign" of his sainthood, and deep commitment to Christ. Shortly after, St. Francis died a slow, and very painful death at the age of 45. Two years later after his death, he was canonized.

St. Francis' life aside, I found this book to be an unsatisfactory read. Valerie Martin had a ingenious idea as far as I'm concerned, for she did not write the book in chronological order. She should be applauded for this. However, she fails to execute what she attempts to do. It starts off well, but the book becomes very difficult to follow because of this backwards chronology, and reveals parts of his early life when she should not, killing the drama of the book. The book struggles to give the reader a greater understanding of St Francis' life. Martin writes this book as a descriptive narrative cover to cover and it becomes quickly annoying. Her "descriptive phrases" are far from impressive, and the book is chalked full of them.

I give this book a 2 out of 5 stars. 1 because it looks at key scenes of the life of St. Francis. The other because the idea of Valerie Martin to write this book in reverse chronology is a great idea in my opinion- although she does fail her attempt. If you are looking to learn a lot about the life of St. Francis, do not turn to this book.