Review by Booklist Review
This sequel to Saints (2003)follows the same pattern, offering one-page profiles of 36 saints, each illustrated with a portrait. The first book covered saints of the first millennium; this one surveys the second. Consequently, there will be more familiar names here, including St. Francis, Joan of Arc, Padre Pio, and the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who is on the fast track to sainthood. As in the previous volume, this one harks back to old-fashioned saint books, and Sanderson shows no aversion to relating experiences that may seem odd to modern readers. For instance, Rita of Cascia knew that her volatile sons would seek revenge for their father's murder, so she prayed they would not have blood on their hands. Unexpectedly, they both died. Even though some of the stories are violent, the artwork is soft and gentle, the portraits often bordered with floral designs. Along with each story are the dates of the saint's birth and death and notation of feast day and patronage. A glossary, a short bibliography, and three Web sites are appended. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Because much of what we know today about saints is culled from legend, and the process of canonization remains a bit mysterious, these holy figures intrigue as much as they inspire. Sanderson (The Snow Princess) strikes a truly compelling tone in this fine collection of brief biographies, a sequel to her Saints: Lives and Illuminations, which featured saints from the first millennium. Here she profiles 34 saints and two blessed (who have been beatified, not yet canonized); each saint receives a full page of coverage that includes an elegantly bordered oil-and-pencil portrait, which occupies about half the space. Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Elizabeth Anne Seton and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta are among those who grace this volume, which serves as both an interesting read and a spiritual reference. Birth and death dates, feast day and patronage of each saint are included in the individual entries. In addition, an index and glossary of terms at book's end make it particularly user-friendly. All ages. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Sanderson's second volume of saints' lives profiles thirty-six saints and beatified persons of the second millennium, including Francis Xavier, Thomas Aquinas, Joan of Arc, and Mother Teresa. The text's old-fashioned approach blends fact and legend, and rarely dwells on the more violent aspects of some saints' stories. Each saint is depicted in a luminous oil painting bordered by Renaissance-inspired frames. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
