What is your favorite Michael O'Brien novel or Bud McFarlane novel?

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I love Catholic fiction!šŸ˜ƒ

Sorry everyone if this has already been posted before, but I would love to know what is everyoneā€™s favorite Oā€™Brien novel or McFarlane novel.

If youā€™ve never read these guys, you have to, their books are must-reads; awesome, orthodox Catholicism through and through on every page!šŸ‘

My favorites are Strangers and Sojourners by Oā€™Brien and Pierced By a Sword by McFarlane.

Does anyone know of any authors similar to these?

Thanks yā€™all and God Bless!
Karen
 
I agree with Church Militant - has to Pierced by a Sword. I wish he would write another book soon!
 
Pierced By a Sword was my favorite of the three that I readā€¦ The others were: Conceived Without Sin and *House of Gold. *Has anyone heard if he is writing another book??
 
I have to admit that I loved Pierced By the Sword, but I also have to admit having tremendously mixed feelings in regard to Bud himself. If you havenā€™t heard, he left his wife Bai about two years ago and has been trying to take the children from her. Obviously there is always two sides to every story but I have a hard time understanding anything about this situation. Bai has been very open and vocal about things, publicly trying to fight no fault divorces in general and trying to fight her divorce siting the promises made through their marriage in the Church, and even writing a book about her ordeal, while Bud doesnā€™t respond to emails or make public statements of any kind. While I donā€™t know either of them personally, I have experienced great pain over this, and am left not knowing what to think. Bai has a web site marysadvocates.org/

Iā€™m sorry. I did love his books and donā€™t mean to derail this thread in any way, but this is a very difficult thing for me and itā€™s hard for me to love the books the same way I once did, and that makes me sad too.

God bless, Jen
 
I have a hard time seeing these two authors in the same sentence --except for their Catholicism, theyā€™re rather incomparable. Oā€™Brien is no Hemingway, but his novels at least have skillful dialogue, plot development and thematic elements. McFarlane might have good intentions, but his writing capabilities are on the level of Danielle Steelā€™sā€“easy-to-market fluff that simply uses a more ā€œserious, spiritualā€ subject.
 
I think Eclipse of the Sun slightly edges out Father Elijah, but both are great. EotS features a bishop who awakes from his slumber and starts taking out the trash by booting out all the hippy goofiness in his diocese. Canā€™t help myself pointing fingers in the air going ā€œw00t!ā€ šŸ™‚

Scott
 
I had heard of Bud and Baiā€™s problems and I have intentionally kept silent about them so as not to feed all the gossip. I believe that we should remember the good that these people have done and so remember them in our prayers, asking that God, who is capable of all things, will work a miracle in their lives. I also pray the Mary Foundation Rosary and DMC from their CD and every time I hear their voices I included them in my prayers. I HAVE NO DOUBT that Our Lord is working on their problems even as we speak. All we should do is thank God for te great gifts that he has given us through them and love and support them in our prayers.

Then perhaps give copies of these books to our friends and families. Let nothing stop the work of God my dear brothers and sisters.
Pax vobiscum,
 
You are so very right Church Militant. I didnā€™t mean for my post to be gossipy and am so glad that your post included the most important aspect of the entire situation, the aspect that I completely forgot to mention ā€“ PRAYER!!! Thank you also for what you said about not letting anything stop the work of God. Whatā€™s happening between Bud and Bai is so clearly something that comes from the influence of the evil one, it is surely intended to derail the spread of messages that people need to be getting. So, thank you thank you thank you for saying all that I meant to say but didnā€™t and for saying some other things that are so obvious that I didnā€™t even see them. Letā€™s all pray, pray, pray, and pray some more for Bud and Bai and hope that things get worked out between them very very soon.

God bless, Jen
 
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maendem:
I have a hard time seeing these two authors in the same sentence --except for their Catholicism, theyā€™re rather incomparable. Oā€™Brien is no Hemingway, but his novels at least have skillful dialogue, plot development and thematic elements. McFarlane might have good intentions, but his writing capabilities are on the level of Danielle Steelā€™sā€“easy-to-market fluff that simply uses a more ā€œserious, spiritualā€ subject.
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Your opinion is really appreciated and please know that Iā€™m responding to your post with charity, so I hope it doesnā€™t sound rude.

I just wanted to make it clear that I wasnā€™t comparing the two authors in any literary way, when I started this thread, other than the fact that theyā€™re both writers of Catholic fiction, which I happen to love. No matter how different their styles may be; I think we need more writers like these two, because they are spreading the Gospel to many secular readers who otherwise would never have the opportunity to learn the Truth. I am not a secular reader, I am a life long Catholic who kind of stumbled upon these books and I know it was no accident. However, I am, sadly to say, sometimes luke-warm in my faith, but each time I read a novel like this I get so fired up for my Faith and for Jesus, I just want to shout it from the rooftops ā€œIā€™m Catholicā€¦Please, Please, come join us!ā€

ā€œEasy-to-market fluffā€??..Bud, God Bless him, gives the books away for free.
 
i definitely agree with the statement that it causes me pain to see the two authors in the same sentence. shudder. šŸ™‚

michael oā€™brien is my third favorite writer of all time. i find him MUCH better than hemingway (in content AND in style), and rank him with the likes of buechner, proust, and f scott fitzgerald for style, and in the ranks of cs lewis for content. his works are wise, well written, thought provoking, and stirring.

bud macfarlaneā€™s books areā€¦ well, iā€™d recommend them for their CONTENT - they introduced me to some marian concepts and organizations with which iā€™d previously been unaware. but his style is unpleasant in the extreme. his dialog gives me physical pain. and some of his theology is sketchy.

as far as my fav goes: ā€˜father elijahā€™ was pretty great, ā€˜strangers and sojournersā€™ was fantastic, and iā€™m working through ā€˜eclipseā€™ now. great, great writer.
 
Eclipse of the Sun (?) Is that an Oā€™Brien title? I found Fr. Elijah at our library and liked it a lot, so am getting the whole series.

Has anyone read Marcus Grodiā€™s new book? Itā€™s fictional, but contains Catholic truths and has other factual elements.
 
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im_wildrose:
I have to admit that I loved Pierced By the Sword, but I also have to admit having tremendously mixed feelings in regard to Bud himself. If you havenā€™t heard, he left his wife Bai about two years ago and has been trying to take the children from her. Obviously there is always two sides to every story but I have a hard time understanding anything about this situation. Bai has been very open and vocal about things, publicly trying to fight no fault divorces in general and trying to fight her divorce siting the promises made through their marriage in the Church, and even writing a book about her ordeal, while Bud doesnā€™t respond to emails or make public statements of any kind. While I donā€™t know either of them personally, I have experienced great pain over this, and am left not knowing what to think. Bai has a web site marysadvocates.org/

Iā€™m sorry. I did love his books and donā€™t mean to derail this thread in any way, but this is a very difficult thing for me and itā€™s hard for me to love the books the same way I once did, and that makes me sad too.

God bless, Jen
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Iā€™m right in there with you. The McFarlane novels(especially Pierced by a Sword) were one of the catalysts that let to my conversion. This whole thing with Bud and Bai has me really sad.

As for the Oā€™Brien novels, I like Fr. Elijah.
 
Then look at just how mightily God used them to bring you to the faith and realize that there but for the grace of God go I ā€¦and you ā€¦and you ā€¦and you. I too was greatly influenced by Budā€™s books and Iā€™m still lookinā€™ for a Father Chetā€¦and hoping for a Pope Patrick after this marvelous Pole.

Donā€™t we owe it to God and to our friends to make the best use of the great gifts that God made of them in our lives. This is always a spiritual warfare and if my brother and sister have fallen in battle then I will (God helping me) step up in the line and do battle in such a way that it will honor their memory and maybe, just maybe, we can intercede for them and see the hand of God move in their lives again. I donā€™t wanna hear the gory detailsā€¦that becomes scandalous gossip and I wouldnā€™t want it if I was in their place. I DO wanna hear that you are using those books to help bring others into the faith and the Mary Foundation CDs and tapes as well.

Itā€™s not about usā€¦itā€™s about the Body of Christ and our task is to love the wounded among us and pray from them and serve Our Lord. Letā€™s not, for the love of God, make Madeline Murry Oā€™Hareā€™s terrible indictment of Christianity more true than it already is:
She said: Christianity is the only army that shoots their wounded."
Pax vobiscum,
 
Church Militant:
Then look at just how mightily God used them to bring you to the faith and realize that there but for the grace of God go I ā€¦and you ā€¦and you ā€¦and you. I too was greatly influenced by Budā€™s books and Iā€™m still lookinā€™ for a Father Chetā€¦and hoping for a Pope Patrick after this marvelous Pole.

Donā€™t we owe it to God and to our friends to make the best use of the great gifts that God made of them in our lives. This is always a spiritual warfare and if my brother and sister have fallen in battle then I will (God helping me) step up in the line and do battle in such a way that it will honor their memory and maybe, just maybe, we can intercede for them and see the hand of God move in their lives again. I donā€™t wanna hear the gory detailsā€¦that becomes scandalous gossip and I wouldnā€™t want it if I was in their place. I DO wanna hear that you are using those books to help bring others into the faith and the Mary Foundation CDs and tapes as well.

Itā€™s not about usā€¦itā€™s about the Body of Christ and our task is to love the wounded among us and pray from them and serve Our Lord. Letā€™s not, for the love of God, make Madeline Murry Oā€™Hareā€™s terrible indictment of Christianity more true than it already is:
She said: Christianity is the only army that shoots their wounded."
Pax vobiscum,
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Well Said, Michael! Pierced By A Sword was one of the books which helped me at a time of a deep ā€œconversion experienceā€ about 4 years ago.
As others have said, PRAY, PRAY, AND PRAY!
Annunciata:)
p.s. My husband is an E5 husband which was a great thing started by Bud and Catholicityā€¦has helped our marriage tremendouslyā€¦ I canā€™t help but think of the saying, ā€œNo good deed goes unpunishedā€ā€¦you get the gistā€¦šŸ˜‰
 
I canā€™t help but think of the saying, ā€œNo good deed goes unpunishedā€ā€¦you get the gistā€¦
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I do indeed.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
 
I didnā€™t care too much for Cry of Stone. Iā€™ve tried starting it multiple times and just canā€™t get into it.

The other 3 were good. I actually thought Plague Journal was the best.

Rich
 
FR. Fr. Elijah was my absolute favorite. I have Eclipse of the Sun - but I just canā€™t get into it ā€¦ and I am almost done Plague Journal.

I loved Pierced By The Sord by Bud McFarlane. His books also helped my sister who was Catholic, then Converted to Baptists and then came back to the Catholic Church - and his books played a key role in her re-version!

Marcus Grodiā€™s book How Firm a Foundation is the greatest!
 
Among Oā€™Brienā€™s books, Iā€™d like to put in a good word for Cry of Stone, which I read in only 3 or 4 days. It was absolutely fascinating and uplifting. Iā€™ve read and enjoyed all the others also.

Although I agree that Bud M. is not the writer Oā€™Brien is, his books are nonetheless extremely powerful despite their obvious flaws.
 
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