Afbeelding auteur

Katherine Valentine

Auteur van A Miracle for St. Cecilia's

10 Werken 319 Leden 13 Besprekingen Favoriet van 1 leden

Over de Auteur

Katherine Valentine is an American folk artist. She was an instructor with the New York City Museum of American Folk Art and the Brookfield (Connecticut) Craft Center. She lives in Litchfield, Connecticut.

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Werken van Katherine Valentine

A Miracle for St. Cecilia's (2002) 136 exemplaren
A Gathering of Angels (2003) 51 exemplaren
The Haunted Rectory (2006) 45 exemplaren
Grace Will Lead Me Home: A Novel (2004) 36 exemplaren
On a Wing and a Prayer (2005) 28 exemplaren
The County Fair: A Novel (2007) 17 exemplaren
A Miracle for St. Cecilia’s (2011) 3 exemplaren
The Gift (2012) 1 exemplaar

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
20th Century
Geslacht
female

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Besprekingen

I was reading A Miracle for St. Cecilia's, by Katherine Valentine, just before and after the attempted coup by Trump via his fanatical supporters' violent assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Right book, right time, I guess, as the book had been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for over 14 years.

St. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Dorsetville, Connecticut, is slated to be closed, due to dwindling membership after the shutdown of the local wool mills, coupled with increased maintenance costs for the aging building. Father James has to prepare his parishioners and his elderly assistant, Father Keene, for the closure and moves. But of course, a miracle happens.

The book is full of realistic, funny characters, and overall doesn't get too serious or preachy. I enjoyed reading a "Christian fiction"/inspirational book that actually featured Catholics (I am one) rather than the Amish or some other sect. Some readers have complained about various blunders or misrepresentations concerning Catholic doctrine and rituals, but the only thing that bothered me was the singing of "How Great Thou Art" on Easter Sunday (page 274). That would not be likely to happen in the Catholic Churches I know!

The charming Early American style cover is by JT Morrow, "best known for his parodies and imitations of the Great Masters," like naïf style painters Grandma Moses and Michel Delacroix

This is the first book of five in the Dorsetville series. I am not a fan of "Christian" fiction, nor inspirational books, but I might be tempted to read another book in this series in a time when I need some hope about the world.
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riofriotex | 6 andere besprekingen | Jan 16, 2021 |
This is a story of a town in New England. The story details the County Fair coming to the town of Dorsetville and how everyone in town is involved. Also, a backstory of a carnival operator and the thug who has bought into the Carnival. A very good read. Good editing, good character devlopment and loved the story of the town of Dorsetville. Reminded me very much of the Jan Karon books. New author to me from library book. Highly recommend this book.
 
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CrystalToller | Mar 5, 2019 |
Didn't finish this one. I started it, and I looked to have some potential, but there was some languageinappropriateness, and a lot of Catholicism, which isn't my cup of tea. Disappointing, because I think I would have enjoyed the story.
 
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SarahGraceGrzy | 6 andere besprekingen | Oct 2, 2018 |
A gentle kind of novel with a lot of people, most of whom attend a Catholic Church. All of them have their problems... and the church itself is in danger of closing down. Meanwhile, a somewhat nerdy teenager who has been suspended from school for hacking, comes up with a rather unusual idea that gets somewhat out of hand, and an elderly priest goes missing in a snowstorm.

It makes pleasant reading, somewhat in the style of Jan Karon, although there was no main character and I found it very hard to remember who was whom. The storyline was a bit rambling, though, and some of the conclusions felt rather contrived - rather literally 'deus ex machina' in some cases.

Still, it made good reading on a long flight, and parts of it were quite uplifting. Three and a half stars would be fairer.
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SueinCyprus | 6 andere besprekingen | Jan 26, 2016 |

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Statistieken

Werken
10
Leden
319
Populariteit
#74,135
Waardering
3.8
Besprekingen
13
ISBNs
47
Favoriet
1

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