Saint Francis Paperback – April 1, 2005

Iam very greatful to have gotten this book. Thank you for the team at London media.

This book is an inspirational classic. I was sad when it went out of print and extremely grateful to find copies available at Amazon. I don't know if folks might have been concerned about reading this book due to the author's very controversial "last Temptation of Christ". I would say that all that he might have done "wrong" in "Last Temptation" he did right in this one ! He really got the "spirit" of St. Francis' life and struggle. I can't imagine anyone reading this without getting tears as well as a lot of deep reflection. Beautifully written, and incredibly inspiring. I would sure like to see this come back into print.

Kazantzakis' Saint Francis is a remarkable, memorable book. The writing is lyric, intense, and inspiring. Anyone--Catholic, Orthodox,of any faith--will benefit from this biography. But, as stated above, this work goes far, far beyond mere biography. Francis' transformation, from local, would-be troubador to tireless Apostle, is unforgettable.The book was delivered promptly, and in excellent (new) condition. The book itself--physically--isn't very convenient to hold and read. It has curious dimensions--nearly square....But the writing more than compensates....George KirazianSan Diego, CA

This is an exceptionall great book about St. Francis I simply could not leave it down.It would be great reading now, considering our new Pope Francis has said he wants to follow in the footstepsof St. Francis of Assisi

My friend enjoyed it. With the recent historic news of a new pope - one that has given hisname as the Patron Saint - I should re-read it as it's been about 2 decades since I firstread it.

If you want to order this, I'd steer away from the "Loyola" classics edition.It's far fancier (and thicker) than you need. With large print and generous margins, the book ends up being quite thick.There was no reason for this. I think they just did it to make the the book look thicker and thus charge you more.I wish I had just gone with the no-frills paperback version. No, this one has frills.

In 1972, I read The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis. I will always consider it one of the greatest books ever written. I found it an incredibly faith-affirming book and it changed my life as it changed my outlook on Jesus Christ. Thirty-five years later, I decided to read Saint Francis.I was very disappointed. Not because it is a bad book, but because it fell way short of what I expected. Over the last three decades, I would say to anyone, "Open The Last Temptation of Christ to any page, and read. The words flow from each page like poetry." Such was not the case with Saint Francis.I had a similar experience recently with Par Lagerkvist. I read Barabbas 40 years ago and then read The Sybil last year. I'll remember Mr. Lagerkvist for Barabbas, not for the disappointing Sybil. Similarly, I will remember Mr. Kazantzakis for the Last Temptation, not for Saint Francis. I truly believe that my failure to connect with these books recently is because of the translation, not because the author's work was of less value.Saint Francis is a dark book of personal sacrifice. I continually saw visions of the Opus Dei sect as I read the book. Francis clearly led a life of personal sacrifice dedicated to the glory of God, but the translation left me empty and not inspired. I'll not refute any of the superlative reviews that this book has earned, but from this man's point of view, I'll be cautious in the future when selecting translated material regardless of the author.

View of the life of St Francis of Assisi from another vantage point.