The Franciscan Conspiracy

by John Sack

Hardcover, 2005

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Riverwood Books (2005), 244 pages, First Edition

Description

This work of fiction explores the great thirteenth-century mystery: Why was the body of St. Francis stolen and hidden? This multilayered, intricately plotted tale follows as the Franciscan Order destroys all early biographies of Francis by his closest disciples in favor of a sanitized biography of the powerful St. Bonaventure. The story begins thirty years after Francis's death, when Father Leo, Francis's closest friend, is dying. Bound to a vow of silence, Leo sends a cryptic message to Conrad, his own favorite student, connecting him with an unlikely companion, sixteen-year-old Sister Amata. The two begin to search for the truth about St. Francis, a truth that will shake the faith of the masses to the core and bring into question the foundation of the Franciscan Order.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member memccauley6
This story is set fifty years after the death of St. Francis and follows a hermit monk, Fra Conrad, and a novice nun, Amata, on their journey through the Italian countryside to Assisi, to track down the mystery surrounding Francis' death and the abduction of his corpse by a secret group.

Sounds
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interesting, right? No, not really.

We listened to most of this audio book on a long car trip over the Thanksgiving weekend, and nothing about it would persuade me to get the actual book and finish reading it. It was mostly about Amata, not the "conspiracy" within the church. It was also obviously written by a man without much concern for character motivation or consistency. ("The girl who was repeatedly raped and abused just did WHAT??")

And the sex scenes! Don't get me started. The description of Orfeo's experience with prostitutes was cringe-inducing, but the ridiculous, detailed description of the wedding night was straight from a cheesy romance novel. I was actually blushing sitting there in the car listening to it with my husband of fifteen years.

Say Something Nice! - OK, the reader was excellent, he pronounced the Italian phrases very well and did a good variety of voices for the characters.
This story was also so long and wordy, our frequent lapses in concentration for navigation, etc. did not make us lose track of the plot - perfect for a long car trip.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2007

Physical description

244 p.; 6.5 inches

ISBN

1883991919 / 9781883991913
Page: 0.4617 seconds