Best Catholic Fiction?

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For those who like the mystery genre, I heartily recommend the Sr. Frevisse series by Margaret Frazer . The titles all concern the telling of a tale - The Boy’s Tale, The Clerk’s Tale, etc. They are well researched and present information on the life of a sister in 14th century England. The added plus in these books are the manyquotes from the Liturgy of the Hours in Latin.
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I just finished reading Marcus Grodi’s How Firm a Foundation. It’s the story of a protestant minister and the events in his life that lead him toward Catholicism. Obviously it has a lot of apologetics worked in masquerading as dialog, but I think it still works as a piece of fiction. Interesting characters and plot.
 
I know I’ve posted a lot of suggestions on other threads, and maybe I’ve just missed it, but I can’t believe I haven’t seen Betty Smith’s “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn”.

This is a classic! The portrayal of poor Irish Catholic families in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn is touching (and funny). Francie Nolan’s pride in her Catholic heritage (and that being born in Brooklyn automatically makes you an American!) makes you smile.

This is a book I love to read over and over.

BlueRose
 
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Socrates:
I just finished reading Marcus Grodi’s How Firm a Foundation. It’s the story of a protestant minister and the events in his life that lead him toward Catholicism. Obviously it has a lot of apologetics worked in masquerading as dialog, but I think it still works as a piece of fiction. Interesting characters and plot.
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I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!
 
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Mijoy2:
MGEISING – can you recommened one to start with (Michael O’Brien)? Thanks
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Sorry it has taken me so long … :eek:

Strangers and SoJourners
Plague Journal
Eclipse of the Sun
Father Elijah

as you can see i read the first last. but i am reading Eclipse of the Sun and I am not at all lost!

Enjoy!
 
I’d like to recommend Excalibur by Sanders Anne Laubenthal. It’s an Aurthurian fantasy set in Mobile, Alabama – and it has a strong Catholic element. At least, that’s what I remember from having read it 20 years ago. But my daughter, who very recently read it, concurs.
 
Try “How Firm a Foundation”…very good book you could almost believe it is real…its by Marcus Grodi 👍
 
I just finished reading “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis. I highly reccomend it. “The Screwtape Letters” was also a good Catholic read.
 
Based on a reccomendation read on this forum, I recently completed The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. It now resides near the top of my list of favorite books. Greene’s prose is captivatingly efficient, and the characters (particularly, the protagonist, the “whiskey priest”) are complex and unforgettable. I cannot get this story out of my mind.
 
How Firm a Foundation by Marcus Grodi

*Hostage of the Devil *by Malachi Martin

I had a hard time putting down the books till I was finished with them.
 
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aimee:
Try “How Firm a Foundation”…very good book you could almost believe it is real…its by Marcus Grodi 👍
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I believe there is some truth to some of the facts in it! I loved it 👍 👍 👍
 
I’ll ditto the recommendations for Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter J. Miller. It’s really an amazing book about the preservation of our culture by monks after nuclear disaster.

Pillars of Earth by Ken Follett is one of my all-time favorite books.
Also, I have not read all of these books yet, but they were listed on adherents.com as science fiction novels featuring Catholicism. So if you’re into SF, here you go, but again I haven’t read them all so buyer beware.

Walter Miller, Jr.: Canticle for Leibowitz
James Blish: A Case of Conscience
Doria Russell: The Sparrow
Orson Scott Card: Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide
Andrew M. Greeley: The Final Planet
Greeley, ed.: Sacred Visions - anthology of Catholic science fiction
Dan Simmons: Hyperion; The Fall of Hyperion; Endymion; Rise of Endymion
Rebecca Neason: Guises of the Mind (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Brian M. Thomsen: “Infallibility, Obedience, and Acts of Contrition”
Clifford Simak: The Pope Project; Way Station
Arthur C. Clarke & Gentry Lee. Rama II
Vonda N. McIntyre: The Moon and the Sun
Paul J. McAuley: Pasquale’s Angel
Ben Bova: “In Trust” and “Acts of God”
Kingsley Amis: The Alteration
Lars Walker: Erling’s Word
Robert Merle: Malevil
Poul Anderson: “Kyrie”
 
I just want to reiterate all of the recommendations for Graham Greene - he is a remarkable prose stylists, and his characters are very well constructed.

I’m surprised not to have seen any mentions (I admit I might have missed them, though) of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It has been speculated (for whatever such speculation is worth) that if Dostoyevsky were alive today, he would be a Catholic. His themes are profoundly Christian, and his novels (particularly Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov) are captivating, rich stories. He has an unfortunate hatred of Jesuits, which, in some of his characters, is expanded to Catholics in general. But there is much good to be gotten from his fiction. I recommend it very highly.
 
You seem to have resurrected an old thread that is about 12 years old. However, the topic is a good one, so I will add my two cents. Perhaps folks have some new additions to submit with the passage of time.

I would have to say my all time 2nd favorite book of fiction would be- Island of the World by Michael O’Brien. That is my favorite work of his, but actually all of his books are good. They are an excellent study of man’s struggle and search for a sense of purpose and his existence. It is a fantastic read and character study whether one is Catholic or not.
 
Well, you can read my Catholic novel Nearer the Dawn free here:

wattpad.com/story/12468260-nearer-the-dawn

It’s my only novel that’s still free, although it will be for a limited time only.

My other two Christian novels, Rain from Heaven and Amaranth occasionally go up for free on Kindle, although normally I keep the price as low as Amazon will allow.

amazon.com/Rain-Heaven-J-Avila-ebook/dp/B00DPO6A3E

amazon.com/Amaranth-J-Avila-ebook/dp/B00WSCJT64

If you like mysteries, check out Catholic writer Amy M. Bennett’s novels End of the Road, No Lifeguard on Duty, and No Vacancy. Excellent!
 
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