Publishers Weekly
The Last Confession by acclaimed Australian author Morris West (The Devil's Advocate; The Shoes of the Fisherman; The Ambassadors) is a posthumously published fictional account of Dominican monk Giordano Bruno's imprisonment before he is convicted of heresy and burned at the stake during the Inquisition in 1600. Presented in the form of a final testament written by Bruno in prison, the novel chronicles Bruno's life, his religious reflections and his final days in his cell. Introduction by Thomas Keneally. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
This sobering and intense novel is a tribute to both Giordano Bruno, a Dominican monk who was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600, and the author himself, who firmly believed in his right to question orthodoxy. West wrote over 20 novels, among them the well-known Devil's Advocate (1959), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963), and Clowns of God (1981), in which he raised complex moral and ethical issues involving the Catholic Church. Morris here presents a "reconstructive" portrait of Bruno through an imagined diary. This diary, Bruno's confession of an admittedly imperfect life written in the Inquisitors' prison, is an attempt to spread his plea for intellectual freedom. We learn about his travels as a monk, an academic, and an impassioned lecturer and his propensity for good wine and the company of women. Given Bruno's abrasive personality and forthright manner, it comes as a surprise only to himself that the Church silences him. Thanks to the author's talent for suspense, the reader awaits Bruno's fate on tenterhooks, right alongside the monk in the dank hell of persecution. Though the author died in 2001 before finishing the last chapters, the story draws to a natural conclusion and is a fitting farewell from West. Recommended for all public libraries. Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Genre: Historical
The Last Confession by acclaimed Australian author Morris West (The Devil's Advocate; The Shoes of the Fisherman; The Ambassadors) is a posthumously published fictional account of Dominican monk Giordano Bruno's imprisonment before he is convicted of heresy and burned at the stake during the Inquisition in 1600. Presented in the form of a final testament written by Bruno in prison, the novel chronicles Bruno's life, his religious reflections and his final days in his cell. Introduction by Thomas Keneally. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
This sobering and intense novel is a tribute to both Giordano Bruno, a Dominican monk who was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600, and the author himself, who firmly believed in his right to question orthodoxy. West wrote over 20 novels, among them the well-known Devil's Advocate (1959), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963), and Clowns of God (1981), in which he raised complex moral and ethical issues involving the Catholic Church. Morris here presents a "reconstructive" portrait of Bruno through an imagined diary. This diary, Bruno's confession of an admittedly imperfect life written in the Inquisitors' prison, is an attempt to spread his plea for intellectual freedom. We learn about his travels as a monk, an academic, and an impassioned lecturer and his propensity for good wine and the company of women. Given Bruno's abrasive personality and forthright manner, it comes as a surprise only to himself that the Church silences him. Thanks to the author's talent for suspense, the reader awaits Bruno's fate on tenterhooks, right alongside the monk in the dank hell of persecution. Though the author died in 2001 before finishing the last chapters, the story draws to a natural conclusion and is a fitting farewell from West. Recommended for all public libraries. Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Genre: Historical
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