Salvation: Scenes from the Life of St. Francis - Tapa blanda

"Elegantly written and strikingly intelligent.... [Martin's] graceful book is very much a work of art." --The New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Voluptuous language and ecstatic imagery." --The Seattle Times

"A biography so vivid and compelling in detail that it reads like a novel." --Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Valerie Martin has the artistry to render a great life in a series of perfect miniatures." --Cathleen Medwick, author of Teresa of Avila: The Progress of a Soul

"Dazzling.... An inspired work of the imagination, grounded in the truth of a powerful life whose mystery still captivates us." --Patricia Hampl

"Compelling.... The story of a faith that is deep, dedicated and all-encompassing." --The Oregonian

"Salvation is at once Giottoesque and Gothic, terrifying and consoling.... One of those rare books with the grace and power to change your life." --Paul Mariani

"A bold retelling of a familiar, beloved story." --Los Angeles Times

"Stimulating.... Brilliantly done." --The New York Times

"Martin's depiction of Francis through the eyes of his followers is her greatest achievement. Relating their devotion as well as their confusion, she paints a subtle and contradictory portrait of a holy personality-baffling and frustrating, sometimes offensive, but also radiant." --The San Francisco Chronicle

"Martin has a great touch for vivid detail, for landscape settings, for qualities of light and times of day.... An aesthetic St. Francis is one who commands our attention, who draws us irresistibly toward a still point of wonder and self-reflection." --Chicago Tribune

A moving biography of the great saint inspired by a fresco in Italy offers readers a window into the late-medieval world that influenced the teachings and mission of St. Francis of Assisi. By the author of Mary Reilly. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.