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Zina Gomez-Liss's avatar

Joel, I really enjoyed your analysis here about Latour, a character I wish I could see more of in our current times. I like how you say that he is "principled but measured" while Vaillant is more passionate (he is also one of my favorite literary characters). And both men seem to need the other and are sustained by *philia* -- walking the difficult road of the missionary priesthood as brothers. Cather's ability to depict this love makes the death scene more poignant.

Death Comes for the Archbishop is one of my rotating Lenten reads. For a while I had three, but now there are four. The others are The Power and the Glory, Laurus, and the book I am reading now, A Lesson Before Dying. Cather's book is a deeply reflective portrayal of Roman Catholicism during a specific timeframe in American history when the Southwest was undergoing a dramatic transformation. So beautiful. It is always lovely to revisit it, and it is wonderful to meet others who appreciate the novel as well!

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Zina, yes, they do need each other. It’s a refreshing depiction of a life-long friendship where each person has come to fully know and value the other. I can also see why it’s a rotating Lenten read for you. I decided to read it in March for the same reason. It’s enriched the experience.

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Ruth Gaskovski's avatar

This book is on my "to read" list and I want to know absolutely nothing about it before digging in. So I'll save this post for later and see what your insights were then :)

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Ruth, you’ll love everything about it and I can’t blame you for wanting to avoid spoilers!

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Lucy S. R. Austen's avatar

If I was moving to a cell and could only take ten books I think this would be one. And I wholeheartedly agree regarding Cather's work as a landscape artist. I think of her, like Sarah Orne Jewett, Wendell Berry, Joan Didion, etc., as an iconic writer of place.

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Stacy Cole's avatar

How lovely this is. She indeed is quite the artist. It reminds me of how Wendell Berry writes - very visual. These two characters are like a good marriage. Annoying as it may be, you really need both types. I am definitely the short, get'r done guy and my husband, while not tall, is a thorough-thinker. Maybe too much so. :) It took 12 years to paint the kitchen. God bless him.

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Richard Ritenbaugh's avatar

Haha! Your husband sounds like me. I took about that long to put wooden doors on my wife's pantry. But I got 'er done!

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Joel J Miller's avatar

LOL. That cracks me up! But it’s TRUE!

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Teri Hyrkas's avatar

"One might almost say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love..." What a beautiful and insightful quote from the book.

I learned while on a visit to the mission church of San Xavier Del Bac in Tucson, AZ, (founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino and still an active parish) that the church is mentioned in Death Comes for the Archbishop. Worth a visit if you are ever in Tucson.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

I’d love to see that!

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Allison Woods's avatar

I am the last person to say that Scripture doesn't tell us enough, but it seems to be Cather's book sort of "fills in the blanks" that are left in the story of Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary. For too long, our culture has said we need to choose action OR contemplation. I'm grateful we have proof that, instead of choosing the "or," we must insist on the "with."

Thanks for a great post.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

I never made that connection until that moment, but yes! Exactly! Thanks for pointing that out!

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Sharon Piasecki's avatar

I love Willa Cather, and I think I need to read this one again. Thanks for the inspiration!

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Joel J Miller's avatar

My pleasure! It’s a delightful and beautiful book.

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Mark Armstrong's avatar

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” says Blaise Pascal. “You must not stay sleeping and dallying there in the house,” answers Walt Whitman.

The eternal conundrum!!-- great juxtaposition!! I've never read the book, and I've always wondered about the title. A superb review, and I thoroughly enjoyed it-- many thanks! 👍🙏

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John Poling's avatar

Thank you. I read several Cather books, including this one, some years back. I’d forgotten most of it. Your review awakened my memory of the book. This is a compelling review of a wonderfully written book.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Thank you, John! Glad to trigger some fond memories. I bet this one rewards a re-reading!

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Cheryl Grey Bostrom's avatar

Fabulous.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Yes. It’s so good.

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Katy Sammons's avatar

I am finishing up a masters in Christian spiritual formation and leadership, and this sounds like a novel that speaks to much of what I have been learning. I will place it at the top of my TBR!

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Mar 27
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Joel J Miller's avatar

Thanks, Tracy! It’s a wonderful book.

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