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roscoehuxley's review against another edition
4.0
I love expatraite-living-in-Europe tales, and this one didn't fail. Not only did Farley describe amusing experiences living in Italy, we learn a great deal about an obscure relic, the Holy Foreskin. (OK, at least I didn't know this existed....)
Looking for an adventure, Farley and his wife move to a very small town in Italy where the Holy Foreskin is said to have been for hundreds of years. Lots of Catholic history later, we learn that there have been many supposed Holy Foreskins, and many tales of these relics.
While the history bit was pretty essential to the tale, I found the stories of the personalities far more intriguing. The unpredictable town historian. The restaurant owner. The whimsical bird-owner lady who lives in a cave. The list goes on. These personalities are well worth the read, just for them.
Looking for an adventure, Farley and his wife move to a very small town in Italy where the Holy Foreskin is said to have been for hundreds of years. Lots of Catholic history later, we learn that there have been many supposed Holy Foreskins, and many tales of these relics.
While the history bit was pretty essential to the tale, I found the stories of the personalities far more intriguing. The unpredictable town historian. The restaurant owner. The whimsical bird-owner lady who lives in a cave. The list goes on. These personalities are well worth the read, just for them.
pemuth59's review against another edition
4.0
As one who was reasonably entertained by the "DaVinci Code," I found it interesting to consider how much different Dan Brown's books would be if his characters ever stopped running long enough to consider the utter absurdity of what they were "discovering." Maybe instead of encountering murderous zealots at every turn, they met a series of harmless goofballs with rather eccentric beliefs. The books might well resemble David Farley's charming "An Irreverent Curiosity."
The book tells the saga of a writer who goes in search of -- and finds -- a great story in a obscure place. In the process, Farley spins an often very funny tale about hunters of religious relics and how one particularly odd relic weaves a magical spell over a deeply bizarre Italian town. In this age of globalization, it is beyond refreshing to read about a dot on the map where people can still behave today like you imagine people might have behaved centuries ago.
The utter absurdity of religious relics -- and if you don't find them absurd, you will not find this book very funny -- is a great premise for any comic novel, but this story actually happened in the not-too-distant 1990s.
The author's mini-history of the carnival sideshow that is the relics business is worth the price of the book alone. But the weird relic mystery is sometimes only a backdrop for Farley's encounters with characters straight out of, well, I'd say a Fellini movie if I knew more about Italian cinema. Safe to say you won't soon forget these folks -- or their little piece of sham history.
The book tells the saga of a writer who goes in search of -- and finds -- a great story in a obscure place. In the process, Farley spins an often very funny tale about hunters of religious relics and how one particularly odd relic weaves a magical spell over a deeply bizarre Italian town. In this age of globalization, it is beyond refreshing to read about a dot on the map where people can still behave today like you imagine people might have behaved centuries ago.
The utter absurdity of religious relics -- and if you don't find them absurd, you will not find this book very funny -- is a great premise for any comic novel, but this story actually happened in the not-too-distant 1990s.
The author's mini-history of the carnival sideshow that is the relics business is worth the price of the book alone. But the weird relic mystery is sometimes only a backdrop for Farley's encounters with characters straight out of, well, I'd say a Fellini movie if I knew more about Italian cinema. Safe to say you won't soon forget these folks -- or their little piece of sham history.
changwinnie's review against another edition
3.0
I skipped most of the travelogue-type sections, but the history of the Holy Foreskin (and the associated miracles) was utterly fascinating.
marceamh's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a fun read. You don't even have to be catholic to enjoy it! There is alot of background about the history of relics, and the adventures the author went on while researching/writing this book were very entertaining. I loved the descriptions of the town and the people and the food (you can't talk about Italy without talking about food afterall!). And while the conclusion is not the most satisfying it is thought provoking.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
Ridiculous and silly but still truly fascinating at the same time. Pretty good fun about a weird esoteric historical quirk.
mw_bookgraph's review against another edition
3.0
Great story, great writing. Makes me want to visit Calcata.
Woo! I love first reads!!
Woo! I love first reads!!
meganreadsome's review
4.0
This was a truly enjoyable read! The narrative was fun and made the book a page turner. It was full of colorful characters and interesting history. I can't wait to amaze and freak my friends out with my knowledge of random and fun facts on the holy foreskin and the Catholic Church!
thenotoriousmeg's review
4.0
Like a more believable and far better written Dan Brown book, this is a fun and engaging story about the search for the Holy Foreskin. Farley is not a historian, but does a wonderful job of interjecting the history of the relic and its last known location into his own experience living in a quirky Italian town on the hunt for the prepuzio.
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