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Bread from Home: A Collection of Short Stories
In this follow-up volume to Big in Heaven and Secret Turning , we see the people of Saint Alexander the Whirling Dervish parish and those around them at their worst and at their best. We see God's grace shining into even the darkest corners of human life. These stories will make you laugh, cry, examine your own conscience, and look at the people around you with a more compassionate eye.
338 pages, Paperback
Published June 13, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 31, 2023
Bread From Home by Fr Stephen Siniari is the third in a series of Orthodox fiction books centered around the priest and parishioners of St Alexander the Whirling Dirvish Orthodox Church. It is an inner city parish, a Romanian priest as the rector, and a host of characters based on some true and some fictional stories.
The writing itself is a potent drama. Each chapter is a story to its own, with a different parishioner, or group of parishioners, as the main characters; the constant supporting character is the priest, Fr Naom, who discerns patiently, and sometimes reluctantly, the response and aid he offers to each of his flock. He is tender-hearted, and he sees the beauty in each person as though he truly sees each one as the icon of God. Something I realized after listening to each of his encounters is the immense weight that most parish priests really carry when they take on the role of the shepherd in their parish. Fr Naom holds the broken, feeds the hungry, pleads with the unrepentant, listens to the troubled, reflects on the innocence with children and their dead pet, and recalls all manner of memory as he measures his words and movements with each person, truly trying to make the best decisions he can for the sake of the Kingdom.
Complete honesty: I didn’t know what this book was about until I began to listen to it! It caught me off guard to listen to something so much more dramatic than what I am used to. But personally, I think it’s been good for my brain to tune into something more imaginative and relatable than what I’m used to reading. It is a dramatic work of fiction that is very well written. I listened to the audible version as Fr Stephen himself expressed each story, and his own city accent annunciated the characters and situations with the appropriate attitude and reflection for each he gave life to in his writing.
I would recommend this book for those who are searching for an Orthodox influenced fiction, who typically love dramatic writings but would like for them not to reflect the passions of the world; rather which reflect the hope of repentance from the passions. There are two preceding books, if you wish to read from the very beginning.
The writing itself is a potent drama. Each chapter is a story to its own, with a different parishioner, or group of parishioners, as the main characters; the constant supporting character is the priest, Fr Naom, who discerns patiently, and sometimes reluctantly, the response and aid he offers to each of his flock. He is tender-hearted, and he sees the beauty in each person as though he truly sees each one as the icon of God. Something I realized after listening to each of his encounters is the immense weight that most parish priests really carry when they take on the role of the shepherd in their parish. Fr Naom holds the broken, feeds the hungry, pleads with the unrepentant, listens to the troubled, reflects on the innocence with children and their dead pet, and recalls all manner of memory as he measures his words and movements with each person, truly trying to make the best decisions he can for the sake of the Kingdom.
Complete honesty: I didn’t know what this book was about until I began to listen to it! It caught me off guard to listen to something so much more dramatic than what I am used to. But personally, I think it’s been good for my brain to tune into something more imaginative and relatable than what I’m used to reading. It is a dramatic work of fiction that is very well written. I listened to the audible version as Fr Stephen himself expressed each story, and his own city accent annunciated the characters and situations with the appropriate attitude and reflection for each he gave life to in his writing.
I would recommend this book for those who are searching for an Orthodox influenced fiction, who typically love dramatic writings but would like for them not to reflect the passions of the world; rather which reflect the hope of repentance from the passions. There are two preceding books, if you wish to read from the very beginning.
August 18, 2023
“Bread from Home” is a fictional but very believable collection of short stories of an orthodox priest named Fr. Naum of St. Alexander the Whirling Dervish Orthodox Church in an area of North Philadelphia called “Fish Town”. I was surprised at the harshness of many of the situations chronicled in “Bread from Home” since I have never read the other short story collections of Fr. Stephen Siniari. Even so, I was inspired by the beautiful, kind, Christ-like manner in which Fr. Naum handled, at times, and took care of, at other times, the people in these situations. Fr. Siniari’s reading of his stories was on point whether he was narrating with the accent of Philadephia’s “Fish Town” or that of an Albanian American. Father Siniari’s descriptions of people, places, and even food paint a picture so vivid, I felt like I was with those people, in those places and could smell and taste the food described.
At first, I really thought that I wouldn’t like this book and I didn’t really want to hear the sad, scary, depressing situations depicted. But as I pressed on, I soon discovered how much I enjoyed hearing about the humble and Holy Spirit-filled Father Naum. He brought God’s love to all the people in these sad, scary, depressing situations. He brought God’s light into the very dark places that too many people live in. Now, I can hardly wait to read the other collections of short stories that Fr. Siniari wrote.
Despite having a couple of unnecessary political comments here and there, I recommend this book of short stories for the reader who can bear the reality of what some priests experience in their calling and who want to experience how God’s love is shared to others through the gentle Father Naum.
At first, I really thought that I wouldn’t like this book and I didn’t really want to hear the sad, scary, depressing situations depicted. But as I pressed on, I soon discovered how much I enjoyed hearing about the humble and Holy Spirit-filled Father Naum. He brought God’s love to all the people in these sad, scary, depressing situations. He brought God’s light into the very dark places that too many people live in. Now, I can hardly wait to read the other collections of short stories that Fr. Siniari wrote.
Despite having a couple of unnecessary political comments here and there, I recommend this book of short stories for the reader who can bear the reality of what some priests experience in their calling and who want to experience how God’s love is shared to others through the gentle Father Naum.
July 31, 2023
Oh, how much I have come to love Fr. Naum, the members of St. Alexander the Whirling Dervish Orthodox Church and the community of Fish Town. Bread from Home is the third installment of short stories about this fictional (or maybe it is mystical) parish that sheds insight to all of humanity and the life of the church. From the pilgrimage of Pandi to the heart wrenching love of a daughter and a mother challenged by poverty, immigration, and substance abuse, to two kids whose beloved dog has died, Fr. Naum loves people, his parish, his community through humbleness and prayer. He never claims to have all the answers, he just demonstrates love and faithfulness even while sometimes fighting his own battles. He is all too aware of his human frailty but is always listening for that still small voice.
Each story is a parable of God’s love for mankind and makes me want to be more faithful, more loving and more aware of how often God places us in situations so that we can shine His light in the darkness. I have read AND listened to the audible version of each of these books and listening to Fr. Stephen Siniari narrate these stories is a true treasure. This book is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.
Each story is a parable of God’s love for mankind and makes me want to be more faithful, more loving and more aware of how often God places us in situations so that we can shine His light in the darkness. I have read AND listened to the audible version of each of these books and listening to Fr. Stephen Siniari narrate these stories is a true treasure. This book is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.
September 6, 2023
Bread From Home - A Collection of Short Stories, written by Stephen Siniari is an interesting read, full of intriguing characters with compelling stories. Observing them all is Fr. Naum, a humble and unassuming priest who serves not only his parishioners, but those who cross his path in the community. The people of St. Alexander the Whirling Dervish parish come from all walks of life and range from those who have roots in the community to immigrants who were looking for a better life. Somehow they are drawn to Naum - and often through him, to St Alexander the Whirling Dervish Church. While he may not always be able to help them solve their problems, he does his best work by simply listening to them.
Through vignettes we see people who are struggling with addiction, loneliness, anger, relationships, illness, and more. Naum is there serving those who come to him, while also living alongside them as a coworker and parish priest. We learn of his life and how he was called to serve the church. Their stories are tough; the light they often receive is a blessing. Lives are entwined. Not all are saved. All are heard and prayed for. Take a visit to this colorful community and experience a unique perspective of the life of a parish priest.
Through vignettes we see people who are struggling with addiction, loneliness, anger, relationships, illness, and more. Naum is there serving those who come to him, while also living alongside them as a coworker and parish priest. We learn of his life and how he was called to serve the church. Their stories are tough; the light they often receive is a blessing. Lives are entwined. Not all are saved. All are heard and prayed for. Take a visit to this colorful community and experience a unique perspective of the life of a parish priest.
August 15, 2023
I wanted to read this one because I had heard so much about the people of Saint Alexander the Whirling Dervish parish in commercials for the book and interviews of the author. Others who read the earlier books told me how much they enjoyed the stories of the people of this parish.
There are bits within some of the stories which are written in a poetic style which I sometimes found difficult to understand. Poetry isn’t my preferred style, but lack of poetic understanding isn’t a reason to skip this book. These are stories told simply and honestly. Sometimes happy and sometimes not. Some have a lighthearted feel and some peel back the curtain on the hardships of life or enlightens us to the hidden battles some people are fighting.
What the blurb on the back says is true. “These stories will make you laugh, cry, examine your own conscience, and look at the people around you with a more compassionate eye.” This book delivered every bit of that. There are several stories I will read and re-read because of the impact they had on my heart and conscience. I think my next book purchases will need to be the first two books.
There are bits within some of the stories which are written in a poetic style which I sometimes found difficult to understand. Poetry isn’t my preferred style, but lack of poetic understanding isn’t a reason to skip this book. These are stories told simply and honestly. Sometimes happy and sometimes not. Some have a lighthearted feel and some peel back the curtain on the hardships of life or enlightens us to the hidden battles some people are fighting.
What the blurb on the back says is true. “These stories will make you laugh, cry, examine your own conscience, and look at the people around you with a more compassionate eye.” This book delivered every bit of that. There are several stories I will read and re-read because of the impact they had on my heart and conscience. I think my next book purchases will need to be the first two books.
July 30, 2023
Father Siniari brings us another delightful collection of short stories from Orthodox parish life. This is the third in his series. I loved the humanity that Fr. Siniari brings out in this collection. We see the good, bad, and sometimes ugly in all of us. His wonderful story telling skills bring to life those who strive to be better in their struggle of moving closer to God. We can find something for each of us in his stories. I found myself relating to more than one of his characters, and it made me reflect a little more upon my own journey. Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I was angry and even a little sad. Yet I also found once I started, I could not wait to move on to the next story. The Audible book is a little over eight hours but was easy to listen to thanks to Father's wonderful speaking voice. This would be the perfect vacation read, or to listen to on those long trips. All in All, highly recommend this series of books and especially this last one in the series.
July 20, 2023
I have enjoyed all of Father Stephen’s short story collections, and this newest volume is no exception! In this book, I found myself particularly struck by the humanity of each of the stories. The real world is often not a place of easy, simple answers, and I am grateful for Father Stephen’s willingness to explore hard questions.
Love for people and for God hums through each of these stories, and they have given me strength, hope, and a desire to rise above the constant battle for “correctness” and really try to experience God’s love and mercy. These stories help me believe that He is patient, and that He is good.
Love for people and for God hums through each of these stories, and they have given me strength, hope, and a desire to rise above the constant battle for “correctness” and really try to experience God’s love and mercy. These stories help me believe that He is patient, and that He is good.
July 16, 2023
Bread from Home is the third book of short stories by Fr. Stephen Siniari. My reviews of his previous two collections, Big in Heaven and Secret Turnings, could be repeated here.
Our parish recently had the honor of a Zoom meeting with Fr. Stephen and his wife Priftesha Margot. I came away believing that these were stories he took from his life at the parish which encompassed much of his life having been baptized and raised there and then 16 years as its priest. And I think he honestly appreciated our love and enthusiasm for these stories.
Our parish recently had the honor of a Zoom meeting with Fr. Stephen and his wife Priftesha Margot. I came away believing that these were stories he took from his life at the parish which encompassed much of his life having been baptized and raised there and then 16 years as its priest. And I think he honestly appreciated our love and enthusiasm for these stories.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews