Reviews
Complete with angels who move houses, a dairy boy and pregnant women who share secrets, rogue guests at the Christmas banquet, a miraculous baptism, and students and teachers who reverse roles at an alumni gathering, Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace celebrate the mystery of Word made flesh. Like the joyful mysteries to which they point, these are tales to savor, to ponder, and to embrace. Thanks to the gifted translation of Demetrio Yocum and the artistry of George Kordis, English-speaking readers are now invited to this imaginative feast as well. --Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., University of Notre Dame, author of Naming Grace: Preaching and the Sacramental Imagination Reflections on the Joyful Mysteries is the subtitle of Tales of Grace . ...[I]t refers to the recitation of the Rosary, which is a series of standard prayers said in a certain order, guided by rosary beads.... ...During the recitation of the prayers, the supplicant is encouraged to imagine himself in the scene of the mystery or a similar scene, in order to feel closer to the Holy Family. That is just what the author does in the chapters of Tales of Grace , which are named for the Joyful Mysteries. The reader of this book can share the author's imaginings as he says the Rosary, and thus get a feeling of greater closeness to the scriptural events. The reader can also enjoy the author's creative associations linking the past to the present, which offer some intelligent reflections on how we celebrate our faith today. I have to mention something that makes this 135 page pocket-sized paperback truly special, the 19 evocative full-color prints of icon art by contemporary artist George Kordis. The icons depict people from the Old and New Testaments, and events from the New Testament, and Mary and Jesus, all with a modern take on classic iconic art form. I enjoyed this intelligent, creative book very much, and I hope the faithful among you might enjoy it too, or consider giving it as a gift to a faithful friend or family member who enjoys imaginative prose. This very attractive book would make a beautiful gift. ...The typesetting of the book, published by Paraclete Press, a small publishing house that has a catalog full of exquisite religious texts, is exceptionally attractive. --Candida Martinelli, Italophile Book Reviews, This book offers a series of meditations on the Joyous mysteries of the Rosary, following an ancient practice of reflecting on scriptural passages through extended narratives. Santucci places himself in conversation with the angel Gabriel and Our Lady, and invites us to join in. And few will be able to resist--these lovely tales are told with wit and charm, and their theological seriousness is worn lightly. Demetrio Yocum has done a commendable job in translating these, in such a way that the freshness of Santucci's style comes through. Finally the book is beautifully produced, with high quality reproductions of icons throughout. I recommend this highly! --Jean Porter, Prof. of Theology at Notre Dame, Demetrio S. Yocum's masterful translation of Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace makes available what is often lacking in contemporary spiritual reading - a work of high literary value that communicates a sense of mysticism not often exhibited in devotional writing. Without going the route of academic exegesis, Santucci's tales transpose the reader from the gospel texts to imaginative times and places that inspire fresh insights and awakenings. These are robust meditations that seem particularly appropriate in these days of the pope whose Joy of the Gospel echoes these narratives of wonder and awe. --Andrew D. Ciferni, O.Praem, St. Norbert College, This book is an extravagant invitation inviting the reader on a rich and powerful journey through the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. We follow the author as he is inserted into the story in the style of imaginative contemplation. Examining everyday elements of sin and grace, this astonishing allegory is rich in language and symbols, illustrated with magnificent icons that beckon us into deeper prayer. The mystical meditations build to a brilliant crescendo of the joy of the salvific power of Christ. --Fran Rossi Szpylczyn is a Catholic writer, speaker, and lay minister in Albany, NY. Her work can be accessed at There Will Be Bread, Demetrio S. Yocum's masterful translation of Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace makes available what is often lacking in contemporary spiritual reading - a work of high literary value that communicates a sense of mysticism not often exhibited in devotional writing. Without going the route of academic exegesis, Santucci's tales transpose the reader from the gospel texts to imaginative times and places that inspire fresh insights and awakenings. These are robust meditations that seem particularly appropriate in these days of the pope whose Joy of the Gospel echoes these narratives of wonder and awe. --Andrew D. Ciferni, O.Praem, St. Norbert College, This book is an extravagant invitation inviting the reader on a rich and powerful journey through the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. We follow the author as he is inserted into the story in the style of imaginative contemplation. Examining everyday elements of sin and grace, this astonishing allegory is rich in language and symbols, illustrated with magnificent icons that beckon us into deeper prayer. The mystical meditations build to a brilliant crescendo of the joy of the salvific power of Christ. --Fran Rossi Szpylczyn is a Catholic writer, speaker, and lay minister in Albany, NY. Her work can be accessed at There Will Be Bread Celebration is what Santucci offers with Tales of Grace , stories that express the exuberance and abundance of the Gospel. This edition is itself a feast of words and images. Yocum's poetic translation expresses the beauty and spirit of the stories, and the rich biblical icons of George Kordis offer a visual complement to the lively tales. This literary work holds value as a primary source for academic study of spirituality as well as for personal reflection. It displays a hope, rooted in Christ, that endures in spite of the horrors that Europe had experienced in the 1930s and 1940s. It is a delightful book that can be read for sheer enjoyment while also challenging the reader to imagine and experience life as a feast of delight. -- Kimberly F. Baker, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, Complete with angels who move houses, a dairy boy and pregnant women who share secrets, rogue guests at the Christmas banquet, a miraculous baptism, and students and teachers who reverse roles at an alumni gathering, Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace celebrate the mystery of Word made flesh. Like the joyful mysteries to which they point, these are tales to savor, to ponder, and to embrace. Thanks to the gifted translation of Demetrio Yocum and the artistry of George Kordis, English-speaking readers are now invited to this imaginative feast as well. --Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., University of Notre Dame, author of Naming Grace: Preaching and the Sacramental Imagination, Complete with angels who move houses, a dairy boy and pregnant women who share secrets, rogue guests at the Christmas banquet, a miraculous baptism, and students and teachers who reverse roles at an alumni gathering, Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace celebrate the mystery of Word made flesh. Like the joyful mysteries to which they point, these are tales to savor, to ponder, and to embrace. Thanks to the gifted translation of Demetrio Yocum and the artistry of George Kordis, English-speaking readers are now invited to this imaginative feast as well. --Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., University of Notre Dame, author of Naming Grace: Preaching and the Sacramental Imagination, There are 1.2 billion people in the world who might enjoy Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace: Reflections on the Joyful Mysteries (trans. Demetrio S. Yocum); they are Catholic. And then there is a much smaller, odder demographic that might enjoy the book, and that is those who aren't Catholic but who sometimes like to pretend they are; that includes me. We Protestants, who owe our very existence to lawyers-cum-systematic-theologians, sometimes forget that the Incarnation and the Trinity are two great mysteries, but they aren't the only ones. Santucci, a writer and poet who was active in the Italian resistance during World War II, helps us open up our conception of the mysterious and let it spill over into other areas of our faith. He does so by reimagining the five Joyful Mysteries* of the rosary--the annunciation, the visitation, the nativity, the presentation of Jesus at the temple, and the finding of Jesus at the temple. In the context of the rosary, mystery means deeper truth, or a truth that is more than what it seems on the surface. But Santucci teases out mystery within these mysteries, by casting out time and letting us see the events as God, who is outside of time but who operates within time, might see them. In "The Visitation," Mary, Elizabeth, and a dairy boy casually exchange stories from the future about Marian devotion, utterly unaware that, technically speaking, it is not possible for them to know about such things. In "The Nativity," the dairy boy recounts an otherworldly banquet where the story's villains (Herod, Pilate, Judas), are harmless grumps who cannot diminish the eternal joy of heaven. The tales are accompanied by the gorgeous icons of George Kordis, whose work is both Byzantine and modern and likewise wipes away time and points us toward eternity. The tales are whimsical, imaginative, endlessly playful. The characters in the mysteries eat chestnuts and ravioli, unlikely foodstuffs for first-century Jews. An angel shows up to milk Zechariah's cows. In the foreword, Nathan Mitchell says that Santucci invites us to "believe in the good news of the Gospel, in the mysteries of faith, with the abandonment of the child who believes in fairy tales. After all, did Jesus not make storytelling his preferred means of communication to teach us about God and the kingdom of heaven?" By far my favorite chapter of the book was the last, "Finding Jesus at the Temple," in which we find the author at his old boarding school, arguing with his old teachers about whether their faith is more one of sorrow or of joy. Santucci advocates for joy in a way that reminded me of G. K. Chesterton and the lives of saints like Francis all at once. He instructs the priests to confront pleasure-seekers with "the divine remedy of our 'Christ-euphoria' rather than with abstinence. "Grace," he says, "is about finding more pleasure in avoiding sin than committing it." His vision is so ecstatic, so beautiful, that by the time he imagines hell as the residence of only three people, "eternally bored and furiously playing games with soot-smeared cards," while above "the great multitude in heaven sings 'Hallelujah!'" I was ready to hope for it wholeheartedly and imaginatively--like a child. --Erin Zoutendam, Complete with angels who move houses, a dairy boy and pregnant women who share secrets, rogue guests at the Christmas banquet, a miraculous baptism, and students and teachers who reverse roles at an alumni gathering, Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace celebrate the mystery of Word made flesh. Like the joyful mysteries to which they point, these are tales to savor, to ponder, and to embrace. Thanks to the gifted translation of Demetrio Yocum and the artistry of George Kordis, English-speaking readers are now invited to this imaginative feast as well. --Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., University of Notre Dame, author of Naming Grace: Preaching and the Sacramental Imagination Reflections on the Joyful Mysteries is the subtitle of Tales of Grace . ...[I]t refers to the recitation of the Rosary, which is a series of standard prayers said in a certain order, guided by rosary beads.... ...During the recitation of the prayers, the supplicant is encouraged to imagine himself in the scene of the mystery or a similar scene, in order to feel closer to the Holy Family. That is just what the author does in the chapters of Tales of Grace , which are named for the Joyful Mysteries. The reader of this book can share the author's imaginings as he says the Rosary, and thus get a feeling of greater closeness to the scriptural events. The reader can also enjoy the author's creative associations linking the past to the present, which offer some intelligent reflections on how we celebrate our faith today. I have to mention something that makes this 135 page pocket-sized paperback truly special, the 19 evocative full-color prints of icon art by contemporary artist George Kordis. The icons depict people from the Old and New Testaments, and events from the New Testament, and Mary and Jesus, all with a modern take on classic iconic art form. I enjoyed this intelligent, creative book very much, and I hope the faithful among you might enjoy it too, or consider giving it as a gift to a faithful friend or family member who enjoys imaginative prose. This very attractive book would make a beautiful gift. ...The typesetting of the book, published by Paraclete Press, a small publishing house that has a catalog full of exquisite religious texts, is exceptionally attractive. --Candida Martinelli, Italophile Book Reviews, Demetrio S. Yocum's masterful translation of Luigi Santucci's Tales of Grace makes available what is often lacking in contemporary spiritual reading - a work of high literary value that communicates a sense of mysticism not often exhibited in devotional writing. Without going the route of academic exegesis, Santucci's tales transpose the reader from the gospel texts to imaginative times and places that inspire fresh insights and awakenings. These are robust meditations that seem particularly appropriate in these days of the pope whose Joy of the Gospel echoes these narratives of wonder and awe. --Andrew D. Ciferni, O.Praem, St. Norbert College
