Looking for good catholic fiction!

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Although I haven’t read them personally, the books by Kristen Undser have been highly recommended to me several times. She is a Nobel prize winning author of two (that I know of) series of fiction - the Kristin Lavransdatter series and the Master of Hestviken series. They are medieval fiction.
 
It’s Sigrid Undset, and her Kristin Lavransdatter is the best book ever written by a woman–ever. After you read it, get Andrew Lytle’s companion called Kristin.

Also:

Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy and
In this House of Brede
By
Rumer Godden (sp?)

Also:
Robert Hugh Benson’s Lord of the World

Also The World the Flesh and Fr. Smith
(can’t remeber the author just now)

Chris
 
Try out some Walker Percy. He and Flannery O’ Connor were both southern Catholics and bring that flavor with them in their writing. Both were excellent writers as well as faithful Catholics. Don’t expect thinly-veiled screeds aka “Left Behind” (or the soon-to-be followup “Right Behind” or the great finale “The Big Behind” 😉 ). Walker Percy, like O’ Connor, is serious good lit.

mule
 
Riabia and others,

Maybe I can help you out.

I’m no Tolkien by a long shot. I’m not even a professional writer. I’m a med tech who loves to write and has done lots of writing miscellaneous stuff for my entire life (47 years old).

Two years ago I was kicked out of my Protestant evangelical church (see the thread in “Non Catholics” section of this Forum). This was the start of a journey home to the Catholic Church, although looking back, I believe the journey started long, long before the ousting.

After I was kicked out, I had no friends, no activities, no life anymore; those of you who have Protestant evangelical friends can attest to the “busy-ness” of their lives with their churches and evangelical activities, Bible studies, etc…

So partially to keep my sanity, I started writing novels. I wrote six novels in a series for children/young teens, and then liked the stories so much that I turned the first novel inside-out and wrote it from the point of view of the adults in the story. The result was a ROMANTIC/ADVENTURE novel, about 100,000 words long.

Here’s the good part: the male and female protagonists in my novels are devout CATHOLICS!

In fact, my own novels actually played a big part in my conversion to Catholicism. I had no idea when I first started writing my novels what would happen to me and “church;” I was estranged from all churches because of the way my evangelical church treated me. But as I wrote the noves, especially the romance novel, I realized that I was “trying out” Catholicism through others (fictional characters) and I liked what they were experiencing.

On April 10, 2004, my husband and I were received into the Catholic Church.

Anyway, one of my friends (Catholic) told me pretty much the same thing I’m hearing here: she wants to read a good, fun, tear-jerking romance with a Catholic couple who actually act like Catholics.

So I’ve written one. I haven’t tried to have it published, but if anyone wants to test-read it for me and give me a critique, go ahead and PM me. I would love to get a copy to you. Only one other person has read my Romance novel, my college-age daughter (a non-Catholic). She cried through it. My husband has read it through, also; he cries through parts of it. But maybe my family members are just being nice to me! So I invite you to try it out, too. Thanks!
 
I also read The Red Horse. It was excellent, and I learned so much history from it!

Right now I’m reading Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather. I can recommend Death Comes for the Archbishop, which she also wrote. The Catholic faith & morals are woven throughout them.
 
Try www.catholicity.com, bud macfarlane has some exceletn books, some have a little private revelation thrown in it, but they are solid and good to read…
 
Amen to Eugenio Corti’s THE RED HORSE. The book is available in English, now from Ignatius, but it has been wildly popular in Europe for years. Corti is probably the greatest living Christian novelist.

If you’ve never read any Walker Percy, start with Love in the Ruins.

Oh, and let’s not forget the greatest RC writer of all time: William Shakespeare. Want Catholic doctrine? Read Hamlet.

Chris
 
You also might want to try Nicholas Sparks. Some of his books have been turned into movies, ie. Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember, and one coming out this month I think. You could also hear a past interview he did with Raymond Arroyo on The World Over Live at www.ewtn.com.
 
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Cat:
Riabia and others,

Maybe I can help you out.

I’m no Tolkien by a long shot. I’m not even a professional writer. I’m a med tech who loves to write and has done lots of writing miscellaneous stuff for my entire life (47 years old).

Two years ago I was kicked out of my Protestant evangelical church (see the thread in “Non Catholics” section of this Forum). This was the start of a journey home to the Catholic Church, although looking back, I believe the journey started long, long before the ousting.

After I was kicked out, I had no friends, no activities, no life anymore; those of you who have Protestant evangelical friends can attest to the “busy-ness” of their lives with their churches and evangelical activities, Bible studies, etc…

So partially to keep my sanity, I started writing novels. I wrote six novels in a series for children/young teens, and then liked the stories so much that I turned the first novel inside-out and wrote it from the point of view of the adults in the story. The result was a ROMANTIC/ADVENTURE novel, about 100,000 words long.

Here’s the good part: the male and female protagonists in my novels are devout CATHOLICS!

In fact, my own novels actually played a big part in my conversion to Catholicism. I had no idea when I first started writing my novels what would happen to me and “church;” I was estranged from all churches because of the way my evangelical church treated me. But as I wrote the noves, especially the romance novel, I realized that I was “trying out” Catholicism through others (fictional characters) and I liked what they were experiencing.

On April 10, 2004, my husband and I were received into the Catholic Church.

Anyway, one of my friends (Catholic) told me pretty much the same thing I’m hearing here: she wants to read a good, fun, tear-jerking romance with a Catholic couple who actually act like Catholics.

So I’ve written one. I haven’t tried to have it published, but if anyone wants to test-read it for me and give me a critique, go ahead and PM me. I would love to get a copy to you. Only one other person has read my Romance novel, my college-age daughter (a non-Catholic). She cried through it. My husband has read it through, also; he cries through parts of it. But maybe my family members are just being nice to me! So I invite you to try it out, too. Thanks!
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I am currently working on some Catholic historical fiction and would love to get into some free-lancing as a Catholic writer. I would highly enjoy reading your work, if you would send it my way. Send me an email at captaincatholic@yahoo.com!
 
“The Last Ugly Person: And Other Stories” published by Ignatius Press, written by Roger B. Thomas. Real thought provokers!

Debbie
(wishing I had more time to read fiction!)
😦
 
I second Kristen Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter, it’s a beautiful series.
No one has mentioned Charles Williams, a friend of C.L. Lewis and Tolkien’s, His 6 “theological thrillers” are among my favorite books of all: I like best The Place of the Lion. and* All Hallows Eve.*
I also have a book out which is the story of Norse hero Sigurd Dragonsbane,The Ring of the Dark Elves, obviously not about Catholics but written from a Catholic point of view (mine): my website is www.talesoffantasy.com.
 
For some light reading, (sorta like candy, sweet, quick and enjoyable) try any in the Sister Mary Helen mysteries, written by Sister Carol Anne O’Marie. These are a little hard to find (try Barnes & Noble, ebay, your local library) but worth it as a nice treat for a rainy afternoon!
 
For more light reading, you could try the Sr. Joan mystery series by Veronica Black. I got them all out of my library. Some of the murders are grisly, but overall these are good books!

Nicole
 
Just have to second whoever suggested Evelyn Waugh. Try Brideshead Revisted. It’s very English but also, profoundly Catholic, gorgeously written, and a fascinating story to boot!
 
I’ve gotten some good ideas here. I also recommend The Red Horse, by Eugenio Corti and all of Michael O’Brien’s wonderful books.
 
Some fiction, some biography, some general suggestions here…

Yes, anything by Michael D. O’Brien, especially if, like me, you always feel like you’re getting your money’s worth when the novel is big and fat!

You didn’t mention kids, but O’Brien’s A Landscape with Dragons is invaluable here. It’s a study of how children’s literature has gone secular (and become worse in literary terms) and how that shapes your kid’s mind. But invaluable is the long appendix at the back with a list of recommended books for kids from picture-book/read-to-me age through young adult. The books listed are either Catholic or thoroughly acceptable to Catholics for forming the imaginations and consciences of their kids. The list is excellent for parents to photocopy and hand round to relatives (who are all too eager to buy your kids video games or some other toy you find objectionable). Tell them, ‘Anything not crossed off from this list - we already have it - is a welcome gift for our kids.’ Simplifies gift-giving. Also great for sorting through what your kids can pick up on their own from the library: Anything on this list, kids, is fine; anything off this list, I have to read first. Terrific resource for school librarians, too. If you have kids - get A Landscape with Dragons!

For adults:

Biographical/true (hey, God writes some pretty good stories, too!): The Soul of a Lion: Dietrich von Hildebrand, his biography, written by his wife, Alice von Hildebrand.

Walter Ciszek, *With God in Russia, *the memoirs of a priest who went into the U.S.S.R. as an underground priest at the start of the Second World War and was imprisoned in Siberia, etc. Great reading.

Father Gereon Goldmann: The Shadow of His Wings. Father Goldmann was drafted into the SS in Hitler’s army when he was a seminarian, and he was ordained and served as a priest while also being in the SS. Amazing story.

Historical novel: Philip Trower: A Danger to the State is about the suppression of the Jesuits. I found the description of the Jesuits’ work with native peoples in America fascinating.

I specialized in British Literature at University, so when I read Josheph Pearce’s Literary Converts I kept a pen and pad next to me and wrote down every author and title he mentioned in the book. His describes a sort of Catholic (convert) Renaissance among 20th-century English writers (Waugh, Tolkien, Sitwell, Muggeridge…). That list alone would keep a person in reading for years to come.

EWTN’s Bookmark program in the archives has lots of leads on good things to read for pleasure, and if it doesn’t have to be strictly Catholic, CRISIS Magazine’s staff puts together a list of their recommended reading that Deal Hudson sends out once or twice a year. I imagine you can find it on their website.

So many books! So little time! Heaven must be a library of some sort…
 
Then there is a story written by an obscure priest from Poland.

“The Jewelershop” by Karol Wojtyla. He took the name John Paul II when he was elected to the papacy.

It has also been made into movie as well.
 
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