I was poking around in the archives and came across an old string that I think is well worth resurrecting anew.
It was Originally started by one of our most venerated early members Dunendain.
I thought it would be nice to hear your thoughts, a synopsis, and why these books have become your favorites.
Just to jump start the sting here is repost from that ancient string:
This one is easy. While I truly enjoy the old standbys, The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy), Dune (Trilogy), Sir Arthur Connan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago, and a few others; there is a true stand out.
While I am not very religious, my favorite book, without question is The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson, copyrighted in 1949. The Cardinal chronicles the life of a young prelate, Father Fermoyle (from the American College in Rome), as he grows professionally, emotionally, and spiritually throughout his career. This novel ends shortly after he becomes a member of “the most exclusive club in the world” when he is elevated to the Sacred College in Rome, and has become one of the “Pope’s Generals” His Eminence, Stephen Cardinal Fermoyle.
His father Dennis Fermoyle “Din the Down-shouter” a street car motorman, his friend an ocean liner Captain Gaetano Orselli, Cardinal Lawrence Glennon, an American born and widowed Countess Ghislana Falerni, the nearly destitute French Canadian stonecutter and violin luthier Hercule Menton, and a number of other minor characters influence his life’s journey toward his Cardinalship.
From “the handsomest meerschaum Stephen had ever seen.”, to a joke comparing street cars to opera with the punch line “Rose of Castille”; I suppose what I really enjoy the most is the gritty and realistic depiction of American life during the early 20th century in the Boston Archdiocese, and the inner workings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Cardinal takes place post WWI, progresses through the Great Depression and ends just after WWII.
When this book was made into a movie, it caused uproar within the Catholic Church. Like most novels made into movies; the movie entirely missed the point. By pursuing the sensational, rather than delving into the important aspects of Steven Fermoyle’s emotional, spiritual, and professional growth; the movie totally ignored the wisdom he gained throughout his life.
The Cardinal may not be a book that your local library will have on hand. A friend of mine gave me a copy about 30 years ago. If there is no copy available at your local branch library, ask the librarian to locate one and have it sent to your local branch. I have done this several times in the past; it’s not unusual for one library to borrow books from one another. It shouldn’t cost you anything to have this done.
It was Originally started by one of our most venerated early members Dunendain.
I thought it would be nice to hear your thoughts, a synopsis, and why these books have become your favorites.
Just to jump start the sting here is repost from that ancient string:
This one is easy. While I truly enjoy the old standbys, The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy), Dune (Trilogy), Sir Arthur Connan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago, and a few others; there is a true stand out.
While I am not very religious, my favorite book, without question is The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson, copyrighted in 1949. The Cardinal chronicles the life of a young prelate, Father Fermoyle (from the American College in Rome), as he grows professionally, emotionally, and spiritually throughout his career. This novel ends shortly after he becomes a member of “the most exclusive club in the world” when he is elevated to the Sacred College in Rome, and has become one of the “Pope’s Generals” His Eminence, Stephen Cardinal Fermoyle.
His father Dennis Fermoyle “Din the Down-shouter” a street car motorman, his friend an ocean liner Captain Gaetano Orselli, Cardinal Lawrence Glennon, an American born and widowed Countess Ghislana Falerni, the nearly destitute French Canadian stonecutter and violin luthier Hercule Menton, and a number of other minor characters influence his life’s journey toward his Cardinalship.
From “the handsomest meerschaum Stephen had ever seen.”, to a joke comparing street cars to opera with the punch line “Rose of Castille”; I suppose what I really enjoy the most is the gritty and realistic depiction of American life during the early 20th century in the Boston Archdiocese, and the inner workings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Cardinal takes place post WWI, progresses through the Great Depression and ends just after WWII.
When this book was made into a movie, it caused uproar within the Catholic Church. Like most novels made into movies; the movie entirely missed the point. By pursuing the sensational, rather than delving into the important aspects of Steven Fermoyle’s emotional, spiritual, and professional growth; the movie totally ignored the wisdom he gained throughout his life.
The Cardinal may not be a book that your local library will have on hand. A friend of mine gave me a copy about 30 years ago. If there is no copy available at your local branch library, ask the librarian to locate one and have it sent to your local branch. I have done this several times in the past; it’s not unusual for one library to borrow books from one another. It shouldn’t cost you anything to have this done.
