Raymond Mathiesen
2013-09-19 00:46:52 UTC
4.5 stars out of 5
Do the right thing…
Richard Smith had a life before he lived at St. James Orphanage, St. Paul, Minnesota, but that was too long ago to remember. Even his first days at the orphanage seem hidden under a strange cloud of forgetfulness. One thing Richard does remember is that, no matter what, he must not eat the “cornmeal mush” (Ch. 1 and following) the nuns serve for breakfast. Refusing this meal is against the Orphanage rules, and Richard’s insistence over the years, as he grows up, marks him out as a trouble-maker. Faced with the harsh bureaucracy of the Catholic Church Richard decides that all talk of God is a fake, but he is determined to do what is really “right” (Ch. 1 and following) by people, regardless of what the church says. From a very early age ethics, rather than morals, interests this young thinker. As Richard grows up he changes in some ways, but in many ways he stays the same. What will the course of his life be?
The Children Shall be Blameless is a story about real life, taking a very practical and pragmatic view of things. It is, however, also a ‘spiritual’ (rather than religious) story asking deeper, philosophic questions about how to live and how we find meaning. Richard does not claim to have all the answers, and neither does W. Jack Savage, but if you find yourself often wondering ’what is the right thing to do’ this is the novel for you. Savage’s story is interesting and in parts very exciting, and the novel is not in any way preachy.
http://goo.gl/WKlgLV (The Children Shall Be Blameless - Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/ZueEgm (The Children Shall Be Blameless - Kindle ed.)
To read the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.blogspot.com.au/
Do the right thing…
Richard Smith had a life before he lived at St. James Orphanage, St. Paul, Minnesota, but that was too long ago to remember. Even his first days at the orphanage seem hidden under a strange cloud of forgetfulness. One thing Richard does remember is that, no matter what, he must not eat the “cornmeal mush” (Ch. 1 and following) the nuns serve for breakfast. Refusing this meal is against the Orphanage rules, and Richard’s insistence over the years, as he grows up, marks him out as a trouble-maker. Faced with the harsh bureaucracy of the Catholic Church Richard decides that all talk of God is a fake, but he is determined to do what is really “right” (Ch. 1 and following) by people, regardless of what the church says. From a very early age ethics, rather than morals, interests this young thinker. As Richard grows up he changes in some ways, but in many ways he stays the same. What will the course of his life be?
The Children Shall be Blameless is a story about real life, taking a very practical and pragmatic view of things. It is, however, also a ‘spiritual’ (rather than religious) story asking deeper, philosophic questions about how to live and how we find meaning. Richard does not claim to have all the answers, and neither does W. Jack Savage, but if you find yourself often wondering ’what is the right thing to do’ this is the novel for you. Savage’s story is interesting and in parts very exciting, and the novel is not in any way preachy.
http://goo.gl/WKlgLV (The Children Shall Be Blameless - Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/ZueEgm (The Children Shall Be Blameless - Kindle ed.)
To read the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.blogspot.com.au/