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Summary
Summary
The new novel from the award-winning author of Breakfast with Buddha and Revere Beach Boulevard tells the story of a young Catholic woman jolted from a quietly devout life in pursuit of a mysterious calling.
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Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life outside of Boston, guided by her Catholic faith. When she loses her beloved grandmother, she begins experiencing "spells" of such intense spiritual intimacy that she wonders about her sanity. Devoted to her elderly father and not particularly interested in dating and socializing, she develops a deep friendship with her parish priest. His congregation sees him as provocative and radical, but he encourages Cynthia to explore her faith--however it presents itself.nbsp;
When he is killed in a mysterious accident, a message begins to emerge from Cynthia's prayers: God is calling her to be the first female Catholic priest. Her revelation is met with ridicule by certain of the more reactionary officials she reaches out to within the Church. Unable to tune out the divine messages, she lets the power of unswerving faith drive her all the way to the Vatican in pursuit of a destiny she doesn't fully understand--and a turn of events that will inevitably bring long overdue change to the Catholic Church.
Author Notes
Roland Merullo is the acclaimed author of fifteen previous books, including Revere Beach Boulevard , Golfing with God , and Breakfast with Buddha . Merullo's work has been translated into German, Spanish, Korean, and Croatian, and he has won numerous prizes, including the Massachusetts Book Awards in both fiction and nonfiction. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Merullo's (Breakfast with Buddha) latest is a page-turning novel of religious ideas written with love and imagination. Cynthia Piantedosi is a devout young Catholic woman studying to be a nurse. From her childhood she has had "spells"-times of intense absorption in prayer. With the help of her parish priest, she gradually discerns that God is calling her to the priesthood, and she sets off for Rome to make her argument for change to the Catholic hierarchy. With fillips of The Da Vinci Code conspiracy and Eat Pray Love gourmandism (in novels, every meal eaten in Italy is divinely inspired), this book will speak loudly to Catholic readers; some will cheer and others will object loudly. It also sings with finely observed details of family relationships, ethnic neighborhood life, and the life of prayer. The shoulda-seen-it-coming ending is a miracle. Merullo's prior novels about faith have sold well; here's praying for a similar outcome for this fresh take on institutional religion and what it means to hear God's voice. Agent: Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff Literary Agency. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A young Massachusetts woman is prompted to share her messages from God with the Catholic Church hierarchy in Merullo's warmhearted addition to his series of unusual religious novels (American Savior, 2008, etc.). Cynthia Piantedosi attends nursing school and lives quietly with her taciturn, widowed father in Revere, Mass.; the constricted yet nurturing working-class milieu she describes in the novel's early chapters will be familiar to readers of In Revere, in Those Days (2002). Since she was a child, Cynthia has had "spells," visions carrying her away from the everyday world. "You are being asked by God to do something," says Father Alberto, the unconventional priest who becomes her mentor. After his death in a traffic accident, Cynthia grows to believe that God is calling her to be a priest. She's aware, as the unsympathetic local Monsignor tells her, that this is against church teachings, but Cynthia is impelled by the increasing force of her visions (beautifully depicted by Merullo as experiences of the world's divine harmony and unity) to press her case all the way to the Vatican in Rome. There, she is accosted at her hotel and then followed on the street by a mysterious man who may have been sent by forces within the Vatican hostile to the changes Cynthia believes are necessary to keep the Catholic Church as a living spiritual force in people's lives. These thriller elements provide additional narrative energy as Cynthia goes from Rome to Genoa to meet with a reform-minded cardinal, and the denouement is decidedly dramatic. But the real drama here is in the heroine's relationship with God--and secular-minded readers who think such matters don't interest them will think again if they give half a chance to Merullo's loving portrait of a quiet, unassuming woman impelled by faith into deeper engagement with sorrowful, suffering humanity. A fresh, moving portrait of religion as it could and should be. The cliffhanging finale offers hope that we will see more of Cynthia's odyssey in future books.]]]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The recent death of Cynthia Piantedosi's beloved grandmother still colors her every waking thought, though she's always been able to find peace in the local church. A devout Catholic, Nana instilled the same respect for the old traditions in Cynthia, and Cynthia grows in her convictions to become the church's first female priest and bring the church into the modern era. Drawn by this calling, Cynthia flies to Italy to take an audience with a church elder at the Vatican. Completely unprepared for what she finds, Cynthia's faith is shaken to its core. While the novel refrains from proselytizing, Merullo's explanations of relevant church doctrines allow non-Catholics to understand Cynthia's journey. His love for the subject matter is evident on every page, and his lush prose is particularly impressive when he describes Cynthia's travels through Rome and Genoa, allowing the reader a glance inside some very sacred places. Fans of Alice McDermott and Merullo's earlier work will appreciate the heart, soul, and sheer joy found in Vatican Waltz and one woman's commitment to a life far more miraculous than she ever imagined.--Turza, Stephanie Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Unassuming Cynthia lives with her father outside of Boston while going to nursing school but is called to play a bigger role in history. The young Italian American protagonist leaves her hometown when prayer-induced visions impel her to go to Rome. Saddened that worshippers are leaving the outdated Roman Catholic Church by the millions, Cynthia is compelled to follow her destiny and let her power grow. Introspection tells her that God is asking her to become the first recognized female Catholic priest since early Christianity. She uses quiet logic to appeal to archbishops and cardinals, but they fear that this could lead to all kinds of havoc, including women popes. Amusingly told with exquisite delicacy, Merullo's compelling and suspenseful tale of faith propels the reader through mystery and revelation. Will dark forces permeating the Vatican use the knife they hold to Cynthia's back as she waltzes through her mysterious mission? VERDICT This spiritual journey, full of transcendent descriptions and plot twists, brings many moments of wisdom and humor to savor. For anyone with a philosophical bent, Merullo (Breakfast with Buddha; the Revere Beach trilogy) illuminates truth as only the keenest of observers can.-J.L. Morin, Boston Univ. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
