D. L. Ashenfelder

Truly an American classic. There is somehow an enjoyable melancholy that Cather seem to be able to draw out of ones chest. A nostalgia for a time and place one has never occupied. It reminds one of the humble satisfaction that though life my not end up the way one envisions, it can still be something beautiful and worth reminiscing.

Over all, it was an informative and enjoyable read. However, I could have done without some of what seemed overly flowery and awkwardly forced descriptive verbiage. Also the last few paragraphs got a bit to politically preachy (with the author speaking from a modern conservative standpoint) for my liking. Other reviews want to give the impression that this is the active tone throughout the entire book, but that is simply untrue.

Over all I would recommend this book to others. This book however, will by its subject matter not be appealing to most readers. Not many find the lives of a 16th century clergyman interesting enough to commit to a 700+ page read.