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G.K. Chesterton
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Saint Francis of Assisi: The Life and Times of St. Francis Kindle Edition

by G. K. Chesterton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 324 ratings
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Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. In Chesterton's portrayal St. Francis is a mysterious figure and a man of paradox. Putting him and his life into historical perspective, Chesterton describes why his asceticism was necessary for his cause and what drove him to his life.
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  1. Print length
    163 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    e-artnow
  5. Publication date
    February 5, 2019
  6. File size
    2573 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"his opinions shine from every page. The reader is rewarded with many fresh perspectives on Francis..." --Franciscan, May 2002

From the Publisher

HENDRICKSON CLASSIC BIOGRAPHIES
Hendrickson Classic Biographies feature enduring stories about real people whose lives have been touched and transformed by God, and who in turn have touched others with God's love. Each story has been carefully selected, gently edited if necessary, and freshly typeset, making every account--be it ancient or contemporary--a compelling read. Great lives reaching across the ages to touch lives today, encouraging, challenging, and inspiring.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NDJ19D9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ e-artnow; New edition (February 5, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 5, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2573 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 163 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 324 ratings

About the author

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G.K. Chesterton

G.K. Chesterton

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G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a prolific English journalist and author best known for his mystery series featuring the priest-detective Father Brown and for the metaphysical thriller The Man Who Was Thursday. Baptized into the Church of England, Chesterton underwent a crisis of faith as a young man and became fascinated with the occult. He eventually converted to Roman Catholicism and published some of Christianity's most influential apologetics, including Heretics and Orthodoxy.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
324 global ratings
Interesting and unique look at the life of St Francis
5 Stars
Interesting and unique look at the life of St Francis
A fascinating and unique look at St Francis by one of the greats; rather than simply detailing St Francis' life in biography form, Chesterton takes events from St Francis' life that show his uniqueness, and then weaves theology and Franciscan practice around them. Thu the life and beliefs of this great Saint are explained in ways an "ordinary" biography could not. A wonderful book.
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Top reviews from the United States

J. Cavaliere III
5.0 out of 5 stars Much More than Merely a Biography
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2010
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This book is written and crafted by a genius. What came in the mail was much more than merely a biography, this is a work of precision cultural criticism and wit which can be both pointed and beautiful at the same time.

I love how Chesterton picks out his contemporaries or past thinkers and then tells us why they are wrong for thinking x. There is so much truth in this book-- I could go on and on about how relevant this work is to us in the 21st Century. When talking about Ancient Rome: "Thus the effect of treating sex as only one innocent natural thing was that every other innocent natural thing became soaked and sodden with sex" (21).

What makes Chesterton so good, though, is that he is not parading merely his own opinion throughout the book-- he is speaking with the fullness of truth backing him up. The reader will experience what happens when Jn 8:32 is applied to literature: "the truth will set you free" and you will then be free to take down that which is not true-- and do it with style.
10 people found this helpful
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Jim Oubre
4.0 out of 5 stars Brief overview of a very good and influential man.
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2018
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Chesterton gives highlights of St. Francis’s life. It is unimaginable the charisma and passion he possessed to have inspired so many to follow his lead of poverty and joyful gratitude for all of God’s blessings. Not an easy read, but full of good characterizations of the saint’s life and the times he lives in.
2 people found this helpful
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Burt L
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2023
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As a book itself it is amazing
Chesterton captures the essence of the Saint in all his eccentric and transformative glory
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Tom Streppone
5.0 out of 5 stars A Deep and Historical Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2012
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Chesterton captures how St. Francis fits into his own medieval time and how he follows the asceticism of the first 1100 or so years prior to his birth. He captures the essence of the man for his and our times. St. Francis for him was a man whose humility, simplicity and actions all point to the gift of gratitude to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. His life, according to Chesterton just wasn't a was a song. He was a song.
Chesterton assumes that we know the life of St. Francis. i would suggest that, if you are not familiar with his life, that you read another book about his life before you read this one.
There is an issue with the black and white Kindle formatting. Adjusting the font to a larger size creates different font sizes within a chapter.
4 people found this helpful
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madalvin
3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of words .
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2024
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I had read many books about St. Francis prior to this one. I found the author uses many sentences and long paragraphs to make one point about St. Francis. Many facts of St. Francis are skimmed over. Chesterton has great writing skills but since I have read many other books written by people who knew St. Francis it was difficult to get through Chesterton’s approach.
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C. Gallagher
5.0 out of 5 stars St Francis in his authentic self
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2013
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Now, we all know the St Francis that is popular because he is easy to apply to our lives. Chesterton gives us back the authentic St Francis and says open your mind to the role model for Christian living and also the portal for Western Civilization as the seed of the Renaissance. St Francis in this short essay brings a new light to St Ignatius Loyola and the current Pope Francis. Understanding the context of the philosophy of Western Civilization and its theology is available in this little book. You will have to work at it, by reading some paragraphs again and again, but it is not really work. When you come to understand just half of what Chesterton presents to you, well, you will reclaim your optimism for ordinary living.
3 people found this helpful
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G. Gensbygel
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book; only a pity...
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2012
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Chesterton did a wonderful job, exploring St Francis' life and bringing his personality and faith to us. There is only one thing that spoiled the book for me: truly appalling printing errors - it appears there are no proof readers anymore... : it starts on the back cover where you can read "Assini" instead of Assisi and it gets worse inside the book.
Still, I can recommend the book and if you can find a different edition, all the better.
2 people found this helpful
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Dr. J. Zercher
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book on St. Francis by great author
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2015
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Although written almost 100 years ago, the book by G. K. Chesterton shows the remarkable life of St. Francis. Chesterton was a big admirer of Francis; the life and preaching of Francis was a factor in his conversion to Roman Catholicism. I am not going to convert, but I am also a huge admirer! Some of Francis' stories may be problematic for the modern reader (the stigmata, for example), but Chesterton approaches these in a thoughtful way. His prose may be a bit old-fashioned, but if you read it carefully, it is full of humor and insight. A wonderful read.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Joseph Stalmach
5.0 out of 5 stars A Superior Novel
Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2016
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An excellent account of a great saint. The book came in perfect shape.
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The Seldom Seen Kid
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2016
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When reviewing books I prefer not to give away any real detail so as not to spoil the read for any potential buyer. If like me you are Chesterton fan then this, along with any of his books actually, will be an enjoyable and as always enlightening read. What more is there to say really?
2 people found this helpful
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Nygil Thomas
1.0 out of 5 stars Saint Francis of Assisi
Reviewed in India on June 26, 2014
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Its a good book but tough to understand. Its written in tough language. But we are going to publish this Malayalam
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tom
1.0 out of 5 stars Pompous and very pleased with itself
Reviewed in France on September 29, 2021
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Inspired by Zeferelli’s film, my wife and I went in search of St Francis’ life story and found this book. Avoid this book in favour of a simpler, more austere telling of the story of St Francis, which i have yet to find...
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L. Di Nemuro
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2018
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Really good book, telling the story of Francis very delicately.
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