Katherine Rundell
2022
5/5 stars
Disclaimer: I am a long-time John Donne fangirl.
Rundell examines the poet and Protestant priest John Donne (1571 or 1572 - 1631) through the lenses of the various facets of his life and personality, bringing him vividly to life. Her prose is wonderful, and the book is engaging and engrossing. She is an unabashed lover of Donne, admitting that this is as much an "act of evangelism" as a biography, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
My only quibble is that Rundell credits Donne with an unusual outlook on pain and suffering, when said outlook is actually the traditional Catholic one that he (raised as Catholic) would have grown-up practicing.
Given my history, I was bound to love this book on an emotional level, but I feel that it is worthy of praise on the intellectual level as well.
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| John Donne, c. 1595 |
