What do you think?
Rate this book
St. Xavier School
THAT OFFICE BOY
A new story by Father Finn! It will be glad news to many to learn that Father Finn has found time from his many duties to write a new story, and such a story! From the opening chapter to the last page of the book the interest never lags. The plot is very simple, turning on a prize contest for pianos offered by certain newspapers to the school, society or club that receives the greatest number of coupons. Of course, this calls for keen competition on the part of the young people of the city, and it is in this contest that Michael Desmond, "That Office Boy," figures prominently. The characters in the book are just those people that Father Finn delights in drawing—people that we meet every day, that we know intimately—good, straightforward folks and others, too, that we would not care to associate with. What the result of the contest is, who the successful competitors are, must be learned by reading the story.
Of course, there is a strain of Father Finn's delightful humor running through the book, with here and there a touch of genuine pathos that brings the tears to our eyes. Father Finn has so long been recognized as a master of fiction that he needs no words of commendation. Suffice it that "That Office Boy" is the equal of anything he has ever written. - Summary by American Catholic Quarterly Review
Of course, there is a strain of Father Finn's delightful humor running through the book, with here and there a touch of genuine pathos that brings the tears to our eyes. Father Finn has so long been recognized as a master of fiction that he needs no words of commendation. Suffice it that "That Office Boy" is the equal of anything he has ever written. - Summary by American Catholic Quarterly Review
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1915
7 people want to read
About the author
Francis J. Finn
59 books11 followersFather Francis J. Finn, S.J. was born to Irish immigrant parents at St. Louis, Missouri in 1859.
As a boy, Francis was deeply impressed with Cardinal Wiseman’s famous novel of the early Christian martyrs, Fabiola. After that, religion really began to mean something to him. Eleven-year-old Francis was a voracious reader; he read the works of Charles Dickens, devouring Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers. From his First Communion at age 12, Francis began to desire to become a Jesuit priest; but then his fervor cooled, his grades dropped, and his vocation might have been lost except for Fr. Charles Coppens. Fr. Coppens urged Francis to apply himself to his Latin, to improve it by using an all-Latin prayerbook, and to read good Catholic books. Fr. Finn credited the saving of his vocation to this advice and to his membership in the Sodality of Our Lady.
After graduating from St. Louis University, he became a Jesuit and was ordained a priest in 1893. He had already begun writing his debut novel Tom Playfair prior to this, as he was assigned to St. Mary s College in Kansas and dealt with unruly boys on a daily basis. He went on to write twenty-seven other books, and his novels for children were very successful. The books contain fun stories, likeable characters and themes that remain current in today's world. Each story conveys an important moral precept. He was much loved by young people, and thousands of them gathered to honor his death in 1928.
As a boy, Francis was deeply impressed with Cardinal Wiseman’s famous novel of the early Christian martyrs, Fabiola. After that, religion really began to mean something to him. Eleven-year-old Francis was a voracious reader; he read the works of Charles Dickens, devouring Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers. From his First Communion at age 12, Francis began to desire to become a Jesuit priest; but then his fervor cooled, his grades dropped, and his vocation might have been lost except for Fr. Charles Coppens. Fr. Coppens urged Francis to apply himself to his Latin, to improve it by using an all-Latin prayerbook, and to read good Catholic books. Fr. Finn credited the saving of his vocation to this advice and to his membership in the Sodality of Our Lady.
After graduating from St. Louis University, he became a Jesuit and was ordained a priest in 1893. He had already begun writing his debut novel Tom Playfair prior to this, as he was assigned to St. Mary s College in Kansas and dealt with unruly boys on a daily basis. He went on to write twenty-seven other books, and his novels for children were very successful. The books contain fun stories, likeable characters and themes that remain current in today's world. Each story conveys an important moral precept. He was much loved by young people, and thousands of them gathered to honor his death in 1928.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 5, 2019
89/100 (= 5.3/6) ≈ 5 Stars
-----------------------------------------
Same setting and a few of the same characters from FAIRY OF THE SNOWS! Awesome book! Strange contest to our 21st century ears (popularity contest of coupons from newspapers), but with time you really get into it and there are some fabulous lessons learned. Fr. Finn's writing is just great some times!!
-----------------------------------------
Same setting and a few of the same characters from FAIRY OF THE SNOWS! Awesome book! Strange contest to our 21st century ears (popularity contest of coupons from newspapers), but with time you really get into it and there are some fabulous lessons learned. Fr. Finn's writing is just great some times!!
Displaying 1 of 1 review