Pre-numbered label used for registration.

Received from jacinta2000

RELEASE NOTES:

Taking to the London Meet Up

Picked up at meet-up. I really like Willa Cather's books set among the american pioneers. I've heard that this is good, too, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

This was a warm, humane book - a different perspective on life on the frontier, as two missionaries establish the Catholic church in California and Mexico. In the portrait of Archbishop De Latour and his vicar Father Vaillant, we see a lifetime of friendship. Episodes and anecdotes, some major, some minor, follow on, no greater weight given to one over another, in Cather's style, as we see the two men tend their congregation and take christianity to a developing country. The story of their lifelong friendship is revealed through litle details and asides, but by the end of the book you know and admire them both.
There's something a little like the wry, warm atmosphere of the Don Camillo books in some of the stories here. There's also a real sense of time and place, and an appreciation of the good things in life - good meals shared with friends seem to occur throughout the narrative. Even without sharing their beliefs, I found it easy to like and admire Latour and Vaillant.

Picked up at the Unconvention. It's funny how there were so many people there but we ended up picking up books that have passed through the hands of a few familiar people!

I recently read and very much enjoyed "My Antonia" by this author, so am looking forward to this. And luckily I have come off the Book Diet now so this has a chance of being read by the end of the year!

Well I did read it by the end of the year though Mt TBR seems to be adding to the new books as soon as I finish a current one!

I loved this book. I am so glad I've finally read Cather as I looked at her for years but never read. Like Londonmet says, although I don't share the priests' faith, it is a lovely touching story of a long friendship and dedication to their community, and having an understanding of the religious aspects was enough to make that make sense.

What made this more poignant to me was that I have actually been to Santa Fe and seen the churches and cathedral - and spent time in Albuquerque, so it was lovely to read about places I have actually been. I am going to try to send this to Santa Fe or Albuquerque as it would be cool to see it travel there.

RELEASE NOTES:

Posting to labmomnm in New Mexico, so the book can be read and then released in the State where it's located!

Thanks, LyzzyBee (for the postcard, too!) - I'll read this and haul it up to "the City Different" (that would be Santa Fe) to be released in the next few weeks. I've read some Cather, but never this book - I'm prepared to be somewhat appalled, based on the blurb on the back cover but I have faith that WC will not wander into the "noble savage" trap. Fingers crossed!

24 March '06 - Well, so much for releasing this, "in the next few weeks"! I finished reading it last night and really liked it. The only thing I didn't like was that there wasn't enough about Father Vaillant's time in Colorado; I'm going to have to see if I can find anything about his time up there. The "noble savage" stuff was minimal, but it was there along with some of the "lazy Mexican" bit - I kept reminding myself of the period during which this was written and tried not to get riled up.

I probably won't make it up to Santa Fe this weekend, but probably next and I'll try to leave this in Latour's cathedral.

12/2006 - Well, rats! I realized that I never made release notes for this; it is months later & probably long gone by now, so I'm just going to change the status & be more careful in the future.

On holiday staying in Santa Fe, and was visiting Madrid 20 miles away. Stopped for a coffee and found the book on the table - very exciting!