by Frederick Buechner
Frederick Buechner's Godric retells the life of Godric of Finchale, a twelfth-century English holy man whose projects late in life included that of purifying his moral ambition of price. Sin, spiritual yearning, rebirth, fierce asceticism - these hagiographic staples aren't easy to revitalize, but Frederick Buechner goes at the task with intelligent intensity and a fine readiness to invent what history doesn't supply. He avoids metaphysical fiddle, embedding his narrative in domestic reality - familial affection, responsibilities, disasters...
All on his own, Buechner has managed to reinvent projects of self-purification and of faith as piquant matter for contemporary fiction notable for literary finish.
