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The Kappillan of Malta
As bombs pound Malta to dust, Father Salvatore--a simple priest, or kappillan, serving the poor--finds himself caught in the drama of World War Two. In the fragile safety of catacombs revealed by the explosions, he tends to the flood of homeless, starving, and frightened people seeking shelter, giving messages of inspiration and hope. His story, and that of the island, unfold in superbly graphic images of six days during the siege.
427 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1974
101 people are currently reading
908 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Monsarrat
90 books89 followersBorn on Rodney Street in Liverpool, Monsarrat was educated at Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge. He intended to practise law. The law failed to inspire him, however, and he turned instead to writing, moving to London and supporting himself as a freelance writer for newspapers while writing four novels and a play in the space of five years (1934–1939). He later commented in his autobiography that the 1931 Invergordon Naval Mutiny influenced his interest in politics and social and economic issues after college.
Though a pacifist, Monsarrat served in World War II, first as a member of an ambulance brigade and then as a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). His lifelong love of sailing made him a capable naval officer, and he served with distinction in a series of small warships assigned to escort convoys and protect them from enemy attack. Monsarrat ended the war as commander of a frigate, and drew on his wartime experience in his postwar sea stories. During his wartime service, Monsarrat claimed to have seen the ghost ship Flying Dutchman while sailing the Pacific, near the location where the young King George V had seen her in 1881.
Resigning his wartime commission in 1946, Monsarrat entered the diplomatic service. He was posted at first to Johannesburg, South Africa and then, in 1953, to Ottawa, Canada. He turned to writing full-time in 1959, settling first on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, and later on the Mediterranean island of Gozo (Malta).
Monsarrat's first three novels, published in 1934–1937 and now out of print, were realistic treatments of modern social problems informed by his leftist politics. His fourth novel and first major work, This Is The Schoolroom, took a different approach. The story of a young, idealistic, aspiring writer coming to grips with the "real world" for the first time, it is at least partly autobiographical.
The Cruel Sea (1951), Monsarrat's first postwar novel, is widely regarded as his finest work, and is the only one of his novels that is still widely read. Based on his own wartime service, it followed the young naval officer Keith Lockhart through a series of postings in corvettes and frigates. It was one of the first novels to depict life aboard the vital, but unglamorous, "small ships" of World War II—ships for which the sea was as much a threat as the Germans. Monsarrat's short-story collections H.M.S. Marlborough Will Enter Harbour (1949), and The Ship That Died of Shame (1959) mined the same literary vein, and gained popularity by association with The Cruel Sea.
The similar Three Corvettes (1945 and 1953) comprising H.M. Corvette (set aboard a Flower class corvette in the North Atlantic), East Coast Corvette (as First Lieutenant of HMS Guillemot) and Corvette Command (as Commanding Officer of HMS Shearwater) is actually an anthology of three true-experience stories he published during the war years and shows appropriate care for what the Censor might say. Thus Guillemot appears under the pseudonym Dipper and Shearwater under the pseudonym Winger in the book. H.M. Frigate is similar but deals with his time in command of two frigates. His use of the name Dipper could allude to his formative years when summer holidays were spent with his family at Trearddur Bay. They were members of the famous sailing club based there, and he recounted much of this part of his life in a book My brother Denys. Denys Monserrat was killed in Egypt during the middle part of the war whilst his brother was serving with the Royal Navy. Another tale recounts his bringing his ship into Trearddur Bay during the war for old times' sake.
Monsarrat's more famous novels, notably The Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956) and its sequel Richer Than All His Tribe (1968), drew on his experience in the diplomatic service and make important reference to the colonial experience of Britain in Africa.
Though a pacifist, Monsarrat served in World War II, first as a member of an ambulance brigade and then as a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). His lifelong love of sailing made him a capable naval officer, and he served with distinction in a series of small warships assigned to escort convoys and protect them from enemy attack. Monsarrat ended the war as commander of a frigate, and drew on his wartime experience in his postwar sea stories. During his wartime service, Monsarrat claimed to have seen the ghost ship Flying Dutchman while sailing the Pacific, near the location where the young King George V had seen her in 1881.
Resigning his wartime commission in 1946, Monsarrat entered the diplomatic service. He was posted at first to Johannesburg, South Africa and then, in 1953, to Ottawa, Canada. He turned to writing full-time in 1959, settling first on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, and later on the Mediterranean island of Gozo (Malta).
Monsarrat's first three novels, published in 1934–1937 and now out of print, were realistic treatments of modern social problems informed by his leftist politics. His fourth novel and first major work, This Is The Schoolroom, took a different approach. The story of a young, idealistic, aspiring writer coming to grips with the "real world" for the first time, it is at least partly autobiographical.
The Cruel Sea (1951), Monsarrat's first postwar novel, is widely regarded as his finest work, and is the only one of his novels that is still widely read. Based on his own wartime service, it followed the young naval officer Keith Lockhart through a series of postings in corvettes and frigates. It was one of the first novels to depict life aboard the vital, but unglamorous, "small ships" of World War II—ships for which the sea was as much a threat as the Germans. Monsarrat's short-story collections H.M.S. Marlborough Will Enter Harbour (1949), and The Ship That Died of Shame (1959) mined the same literary vein, and gained popularity by association with The Cruel Sea.
The similar Three Corvettes (1945 and 1953) comprising H.M. Corvette (set aboard a Flower class corvette in the North Atlantic), East Coast Corvette (as First Lieutenant of HMS Guillemot) and Corvette Command (as Commanding Officer of HMS Shearwater) is actually an anthology of three true-experience stories he published during the war years and shows appropriate care for what the Censor might say. Thus Guillemot appears under the pseudonym Dipper and Shearwater under the pseudonym Winger in the book. H.M. Frigate is similar but deals with his time in command of two frigates. His use of the name Dipper could allude to his formative years when summer holidays were spent with his family at Trearddur Bay. They were members of the famous sailing club based there, and he recounted much of this part of his life in a book My brother Denys. Denys Monserrat was killed in Egypt during the middle part of the war whilst his brother was serving with the Royal Navy. Another tale recounts his bringing his ship into Trearddur Bay during the war for old times' sake.
Monsarrat's more famous novels, notably The Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956) and its sequel Richer Than All His Tribe (1968), drew on his experience in the diplomatic service and make important reference to the colonial experience of Britain in Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
February 15, 2025
Strikingly powerful novel about a Catholic Priest (Kappillan) on Malta, wrestling with his faith, his family and World War Two. Father Salvadore's homilies to the community sheltering from Italian and German bombing in the catacombs take the form of histories of the islands during some of its greatest trials. Labeled "Hexamerons", after the six parts of Genesis, it would be insulting to call them Michener-esque (Monsarrat is the far better writer), they begin in 1500 B.C., threading through St. Paul, Suieiman, the Knights of Malta, etc.
Yet Father Salvadore and his trials are the central focus. Born into the most noble family of Malta, and also the son of an English Naval Captain killed at Jutland, Salvadore doesn't move with the sleek and polished--in his 50s, he's still a parish priest. But, and perhaps because of his Naval heritage, one with greater compassion for deprivations caused by war, and the need for forgiveness for the sins so compelled. War is another path to loss of innocence, even if it's not so obvious to the brass and the bishops.
Readers will come away feeling as if they've walked every inch of two of the three Maltese islands; as if they know the rocks and shoals of the Grand Harbor of Valletta. But prepare also to be moved--by the mystery of faith, by the wisdom of simplicity, by the power of injustice over understanding. And, by the way Monsarrat lovingly describes Malta, the Maltese, and the events that made his character Father Salvadore a worthy heir of the Knights of old.
"The late fishermen were all going one way, down the harbour; the early stone-masons were going another, up to the heights where rich men were always building and poor men were always propping up poor houses. Lawyers were hurrying to catch an early tide of profitable envy and malice; shop-keepers were slamming back their barred doors, and rolling down the bamboo curtains which softly replaced them. Priests, crossing a slit of sunshine in a narrow street, passed businessmen who predictably kept to the shadows."
"It was time for honesty. 'People behave in the catacombs as they do in their own home. It *is* their own home, quite often. Their only home. But there is always fear, mother. Terrible fear of the war. So they----' He did not know how to phrase it, and it was very important. 'So they seize on life, before death seizes upon them. The good people are better, the bad people are worse. The drunkards drink more. The people in love are more in love. Those who hate find their hatred turned into loathing.' He was almost pleading with her, it was so important. 'But they are all God's children. What is in their souls, good or bad, was planted there by God, and it grows by His will and His mercy. I pray all the time that *all things*, even the wickedness of war, may be turned to good. But am I to say, Do not drink, when drink is the only thing that gives a man courage? Am I to say, Do not make love where others can see you? *They may never make love again!* Am I to tell a boy, Do not kiss so fiercely, it can lead to mortal sin? *It is his first kiss, but it may be his last!* Am I to tell a child, Be polite, say please and thank you, don't make a noise, Jesus tells you to be gentle and good? What does a child see and hear when he walks into the world outside?--blood and horror and enough noise to deafen him, and as much gentleness as he would find in hell! So where is Jesus Christ, his gentile Saviour? … I beg your pardon, mother,' he said, seeing her startled face even as he wondered in his own very soul: Did the child ask that terrible question or did I? 'I did not mean to be so--emphatic. But when people talk of bad behavior, I wonder where they spend their nights. I wonder where is their charity, their compassion. Let me assure you, I have seen *nothing* in the catacomb which God would not forgive.'"
"There was so much to do besides pray…He rose from his knees and, after looking round him, quietly joined in on the work of mercy.
He became aware of a moving, bending, fetching-and-carrying throng of grey and tired men: hard-pressed doctors, sick-berth attendants, ambulance men from ashore, stretcher-bearers from other ships in harbour. He fetched glasses of water. He sat and comforted and consoled. He bathed sweating foreheads. He eased bandages too tight for the raw wounds they covered. He brought bed-pans, and disposed of them. He held on to men's hands until he could feel that, out of two sets of clasped fingers, only one retained its grip.
He noticed, now and again, a servant like himself, a naval padre in tattered uniform surmounted by a blood-stained dog-collar, busy at the same work. Once they passed each other in a passageway. They were both carrying vase-shaped urinals, one full, one empty. The Englishman grinned, and spread his hands ruefully, and passed on. It seemed to Father Salvatore that the brotherhood of Christ had never been better expressed."
"She had been to midnight Mass, a few hours earlier, but it had been a woeful performance.
All the time her thoughts had strayed. Try as she would, she could only think of him. He was up there, flying somewhere in the black night: nearer to the Star of Bethlehem than anyone in the church. Nearer to the Birth, nearer to death.
It was love in war. Michael was going to telephone, as he always did: not immediately he got back, which was what they both wanted, but as early as he could interrupt a great household. It was love in war, uncertain and beset by unmentionable fears. Marriage was not yet even a word between them. The family was aware of him, but only on a careful plane of non-involvement."
"As spectators screamed in anger, Mason lost his nerve, whipped his horse round, and galloped back to the citadel. But he had made too many enemies. On foot, chased by a howling mob, he ran through the narrow streets for the house of Notary Bezzina and there, panting, took refuge. Within minutes, the doors were battered down and the mob surged in; within minutes, a balcony window above was flung open, and Colonel Mason's body, sailing through the air like the pebble [from the slingshot that first hit him], landed with a crash on the cobbled street. The priest who ran forward and knelt beside him was too late to catch his soul."
Yet Father Salvadore and his trials are the central focus. Born into the most noble family of Malta, and also the son of an English Naval Captain killed at Jutland, Salvadore doesn't move with the sleek and polished--in his 50s, he's still a parish priest. But, and perhaps because of his Naval heritage, one with greater compassion for deprivations caused by war, and the need for forgiveness for the sins so compelled. War is another path to loss of innocence, even if it's not so obvious to the brass and the bishops.
Readers will come away feeling as if they've walked every inch of two of the three Maltese islands; as if they know the rocks and shoals of the Grand Harbor of Valletta. But prepare also to be moved--by the mystery of faith, by the wisdom of simplicity, by the power of injustice over understanding. And, by the way Monsarrat lovingly describes Malta, the Maltese, and the events that made his character Father Salvadore a worthy heir of the Knights of old.
"The late fishermen were all going one way, down the harbour; the early stone-masons were going another, up to the heights where rich men were always building and poor men were always propping up poor houses. Lawyers were hurrying to catch an early tide of profitable envy and malice; shop-keepers were slamming back their barred doors, and rolling down the bamboo curtains which softly replaced them. Priests, crossing a slit of sunshine in a narrow street, passed businessmen who predictably kept to the shadows."
"It was time for honesty. 'People behave in the catacombs as they do in their own home. It *is* their own home, quite often. Their only home. But there is always fear, mother. Terrible fear of the war. So they----' He did not know how to phrase it, and it was very important. 'So they seize on life, before death seizes upon them. The good people are better, the bad people are worse. The drunkards drink more. The people in love are more in love. Those who hate find their hatred turned into loathing.' He was almost pleading with her, it was so important. 'But they are all God's children. What is in their souls, good or bad, was planted there by God, and it grows by His will and His mercy. I pray all the time that *all things*, even the wickedness of war, may be turned to good. But am I to say, Do not drink, when drink is the only thing that gives a man courage? Am I to say, Do not make love where others can see you? *They may never make love again!* Am I to tell a boy, Do not kiss so fiercely, it can lead to mortal sin? *It is his first kiss, but it may be his last!* Am I to tell a child, Be polite, say please and thank you, don't make a noise, Jesus tells you to be gentle and good? What does a child see and hear when he walks into the world outside?--blood and horror and enough noise to deafen him, and as much gentleness as he would find in hell! So where is Jesus Christ, his gentile Saviour? … I beg your pardon, mother,' he said, seeing her startled face even as he wondered in his own very soul: Did the child ask that terrible question or did I? 'I did not mean to be so--emphatic. But when people talk of bad behavior, I wonder where they spend their nights. I wonder where is their charity, their compassion. Let me assure you, I have seen *nothing* in the catacomb which God would not forgive.'"
"There was so much to do besides pray…He rose from his knees and, after looking round him, quietly joined in on the work of mercy.
He became aware of a moving, bending, fetching-and-carrying throng of grey and tired men: hard-pressed doctors, sick-berth attendants, ambulance men from ashore, stretcher-bearers from other ships in harbour. He fetched glasses of water. He sat and comforted and consoled. He bathed sweating foreheads. He eased bandages too tight for the raw wounds they covered. He brought bed-pans, and disposed of them. He held on to men's hands until he could feel that, out of two sets of clasped fingers, only one retained its grip.
He noticed, now and again, a servant like himself, a naval padre in tattered uniform surmounted by a blood-stained dog-collar, busy at the same work. Once they passed each other in a passageway. They were both carrying vase-shaped urinals, one full, one empty. The Englishman grinned, and spread his hands ruefully, and passed on. It seemed to Father Salvatore that the brotherhood of Christ had never been better expressed."
"She had been to midnight Mass, a few hours earlier, but it had been a woeful performance.
All the time her thoughts had strayed. Try as she would, she could only think of him. He was up there, flying somewhere in the black night: nearer to the Star of Bethlehem than anyone in the church. Nearer to the Birth, nearer to death.
It was love in war. Michael was going to telephone, as he always did: not immediately he got back, which was what they both wanted, but as early as he could interrupt a great household. It was love in war, uncertain and beset by unmentionable fears. Marriage was not yet even a word between them. The family was aware of him, but only on a careful plane of non-involvement."
"As spectators screamed in anger, Mason lost his nerve, whipped his horse round, and galloped back to the citadel. But he had made too many enemies. On foot, chased by a howling mob, he ran through the narrow streets for the house of Notary Bezzina and there, panting, took refuge. Within minutes, the doors were battered down and the mob surged in; within minutes, a balcony window above was flung open, and Colonel Mason's body, sailing through the air like the pebble [from the slingshot that first hit him], landed with a crash on the cobbled street. The priest who ran forward and knelt beside him was too late to catch his soul."
October 10, 2015
I don't really want to write a review of this amazing book, but here goes: The story is fascinating, the writing is just gorgeous - every word, every sentence counts - and all protagonists are loved. There is gentle humour, deep feeling and much information. It's an extraordinary book about an extraordinary place in extraordinary times, when lives where cheap and yet the simple joy of living more often than not won the day.
But it's not just about Malta in the Second World War. It's about the Maltese. Told by a lowly village priest (by choice), descendant of one of Malta's original noble families, the story gives a vivid picture of Malta's idiosyncrasies and its history: from St Paul, the knights of St John (and their epic battle with the Turks), Napoleon, Lord Nelson, and Captain Ball, eventually the Islands first British Governor.
That's why I didn't want to write the review - that paragraph of 'what it's all about' can't possible do credit to a novel where history and imagination meet masterfully until you can't tell any longer what's which, a story which pulls you in until you fall asleep thinking of Marij and her lover, where you root for Dun Salv in the catacombs...
When I got to the end, it was like losing a friend.
But it's not just about Malta in the Second World War. It's about the Maltese. Told by a lowly village priest (by choice), descendant of one of Malta's original noble families, the story gives a vivid picture of Malta's idiosyncrasies and its history: from St Paul, the knights of St John (and their epic battle with the Turks), Napoleon, Lord Nelson, and Captain Ball, eventually the Islands first British Governor.
That's why I didn't want to write the review - that paragraph of 'what it's all about' can't possible do credit to a novel where history and imagination meet masterfully until you can't tell any longer what's which, a story which pulls you in until you fall asleep thinking of Marij and her lover, where you root for Dun Salv in the catacombs...
When I got to the end, it was like losing a friend.
February 17, 2023
3.5 stars
A hefty work of historical fiction, published in 1973, revolving around a priest in Malta during World War II, and exemplifying the best and worst of those chunky mid-20th century historical novels. On the positive side, it’s thorough and immersive, bringing the time and place home to the reader and teaching you a bit about many other eras of Maltese history along the way. On the negative side, it’s long and time-consuming (my copy only has 427 pages, but they’re big pages), without a real driving plot, and with some pitfalls, particularly around views of women.
The novel follows Father Salvatore, a humble, middle-aged priest from an aristocratic family, for two years of WWII (the period known as “the Siege of Malta,” though it wasn’t a traditional siege), with each long chapter focusing on a single day. There are interludes in which Salvatore lectures his surprisingly enraptured flock about their country’s history, and a frame story from the point-of-view of a writer who sounds like a stand-in for Monsarrat himself, who stumbles upon the kappillan’s funeral. Monsarrat was in the British Navy during WWII, later lived in Malta for a time, and the novel certainly feels authentic, in its scene-setting and in its detours about naval battles fought around Malta, which aren’t strictly plot-related but are certainly dramatic. The war was especially hard-fought there, the Axis powers just as determined to capture the island as the Allies were to hang onto it for a base; so many convoys were destroyed in trying to supply Malta that the population suffered intense privation, all while they endured several bombings per day.
So it’s an informative novel, and I enjoyed the immersion. My favorite thing about these old-fashioned historical novels is their lack of commercially-driven plot focus, their willingness to take the time to bring their world to life. Though my favorite thing about this particular book is probably Father Salvatore himself, who made me wonder why more authors don’t make priests their heroes. Father Salvatore is a nuanced but admirable character: someone who genuinely lives to serve, yet has his own failings and moments of selfishness; who loves his family, despite having rejected their lifestyle; who regularly searches his own soul, has to remind himself to forgive, but does stand up for himself and his flock when pushed. And being a priest, he has access to all levels of society and to dire events, as he generally moves toward danger to assist those in need. Monsarrat was not Catholic himself, but he certainly seems to have done his homework, and comes across (to an outsider at least) as knowledgeable and respectful.
That said, there are obvious disadvantages to a priestly hero: the occasional moments where Father Salvatore’s actions are hard for a modern secular reader to support (such as pressuring his sacristan to stay in a marriage in which neither party is happy), and in Monsarrat’s mind at least, the lack of opportunity for romance. He fills this perceived gap with a first-love subplot involving Salvatore’s teenaged niece and a British airman, which I minded mostly because it showcases the viewpoint that sex, romance and motherhood are what women are for. Meanwhile, despite showing the horrors of war in some detail, the book seems to endorse the notion of war as a proving ground for masculinity. And there are some howlers in the historical lectures, such as the portrayal of invading Turkish armies as ravenous, unfeeling barbarians.
All that said, I think the story still mostly works; the truly unfortunate bits are brief. My other major hesitation about the book is its ending. We know from the start that Salvatore’s life post-WWII was isolated and anticlimactic, as he lived out his days in a monastery on the small island of Gozo; but no one seems to know what went wrong. From the actual end, This is an incredible downer ending, without ever being properly explored: we know what happened only through implication and secondhand information, without ever seeing how Salvatore himself thought and felt about it, and without the novel quite acknowledging what a downer it is.
In the end, there’s some strong writing here; I’m glad I read the book, which was a unique experience and put Malta on my mental map. But it’s hard to recommend without caveats.
A hefty work of historical fiction, published in 1973, revolving around a priest in Malta during World War II, and exemplifying the best and worst of those chunky mid-20th century historical novels. On the positive side, it’s thorough and immersive, bringing the time and place home to the reader and teaching you a bit about many other eras of Maltese history along the way. On the negative side, it’s long and time-consuming (my copy only has 427 pages, but they’re big pages), without a real driving plot, and with some pitfalls, particularly around views of women.
The novel follows Father Salvatore, a humble, middle-aged priest from an aristocratic family, for two years of WWII (the period known as “the Siege of Malta,” though it wasn’t a traditional siege), with each long chapter focusing on a single day. There are interludes in which Salvatore lectures his surprisingly enraptured flock about their country’s history, and a frame story from the point-of-view of a writer who sounds like a stand-in for Monsarrat himself, who stumbles upon the kappillan’s funeral. Monsarrat was in the British Navy during WWII, later lived in Malta for a time, and the novel certainly feels authentic, in its scene-setting and in its detours about naval battles fought around Malta, which aren’t strictly plot-related but are certainly dramatic. The war was especially hard-fought there, the Axis powers just as determined to capture the island as the Allies were to hang onto it for a base; so many convoys were destroyed in trying to supply Malta that the population suffered intense privation, all while they endured several bombings per day.
So it’s an informative novel, and I enjoyed the immersion. My favorite thing about these old-fashioned historical novels is their lack of commercially-driven plot focus, their willingness to take the time to bring their world to life. Though my favorite thing about this particular book is probably Father Salvatore himself, who made me wonder why more authors don’t make priests their heroes. Father Salvatore is a nuanced but admirable character: someone who genuinely lives to serve, yet has his own failings and moments of selfishness; who loves his family, despite having rejected their lifestyle; who regularly searches his own soul, has to remind himself to forgive, but does stand up for himself and his flock when pushed. And being a priest, he has access to all levels of society and to dire events, as he generally moves toward danger to assist those in need. Monsarrat was not Catholic himself, but he certainly seems to have done his homework, and comes across (to an outsider at least) as knowledgeable and respectful.
That said, there are obvious disadvantages to a priestly hero: the occasional moments where Father Salvatore’s actions are hard for a modern secular reader to support (such as pressuring his sacristan to stay in a marriage in which neither party is happy), and in Monsarrat’s mind at least, the lack of opportunity for romance. He fills this perceived gap with a first-love subplot involving Salvatore’s teenaged niece and a British airman, which I minded mostly because it showcases the viewpoint that sex, romance and motherhood are what women are for. Meanwhile, despite showing the horrors of war in some detail, the book seems to endorse the notion of war as a proving ground for masculinity. And there are some howlers in the historical lectures, such as the portrayal of invading Turkish armies as ravenous, unfeeling barbarians.
All that said, I think the story still mostly works; the truly unfortunate bits are brief. My other major hesitation about the book is its ending. We know from the start that Salvatore’s life post-WWII was isolated and anticlimactic, as he lived out his days in a monastery on the small island of Gozo; but no one seems to know what went wrong. From the actual end, This is an incredible downer ending, without ever being properly explored: we know what happened only through implication and secondhand information, without ever seeing how Salvatore himself thought and felt about it, and without the novel quite acknowledging what a downer it is.
In the end, there’s some strong writing here; I’m glad I read the book, which was a unique experience and put Malta on my mental map. But it’s hard to recommend without caveats.
January 10, 2018
A bit old fashioned but a lovely story and a great Maltese history lesson.
April 30, 2013
Whilst spending the winter on Malta I sought out some books set there. This is quite a struggle to read at times, telling not only a story of Malta under siege in WWII, but also extracts from various earlier periods in its history. However, as Malta has had such a long, complicated & dramatic history it is quite an achievement to get so many historical events in to one book.
After a slow start I really got into the WWII part of the story, which spells out just how horrific life on Malta was during those years. Living amongst the areas described in the book made it even more graphic. The story of the family of the main character was engaging and enjoyable, although some of the prose was overly wordy.
However, I felt that the book lost its way towards the end, and I was very disappointed in the ending, which I didn't feel held true to the character described about throughout the rest of the book. I would have liked to score this book higher, but felt let down by the ending.
After a slow start I really got into the WWII part of the story, which spells out just how horrific life on Malta was during those years. Living amongst the areas described in the book made it even more graphic. The story of the family of the main character was engaging and enjoyable, although some of the prose was overly wordy.
However, I felt that the book lost its way towards the end, and I was very disappointed in the ending, which I didn't feel held true to the character described about throughout the rest of the book. I would have liked to score this book higher, but felt let down by the ending.
May 29, 2019
A very good book by a non-Maltese offering a kaleidoscope on Maltese history , this book is a must for all persons wishing to get to know about the Island and its people. If I had known about its content I would have read this book long ago.
These are I feel highlights from the book which speak for themselves :
....In the great siege the St. Elmo garrison in one day alone received 6000 cannon balls of iron , stone and marble .It stood for 31 days when the Turks were expecting to take it in 4 or 5 days and in exchange for 1500 soldiers and 109 knights 8000 Turks were killed including Dragut Reis by a sliver of his own cannonball ...
The chain boom threaded through stakes driven through the sea bed protecting Senglea and when the Turks armed with hatchets and knives tried to cut away through they were routed by the accomplished Maltese swimmers .....
.....The official pre war policy on Malta was that if the Italians came into a future war it could never be defended from the air since Sicily 60 miles and 5 minutes flying time away was impossibly close , that although the Navy thought the Island crucially important , the Royal Air Force had decided that its air fields were inadequate , its supply impossible , and the place a thousand miles from the nearest British bases of Gibraltar or Alexandria , therefore untenable , and that the Army , with all sorts of other things on its mind had concurred.
Malta had been stripped down to the bone and written off before a shot was fired , the definitive brief had been marked No Action like a loan application from a bankrupt..
The 4 Gloster Gladiators were branded as boxed spares and had been left behind by the aircraft carrier Glorious and were therefore property of the Royal Navy not the Air Arm....
.......Apart from the damage to be seen all over Valletta , all over Malta , there were particular hurts which drove home the fact of total war . There were big blows which could put a small nation in fear... Part of this fear was the fear of the unknown ...
....What exactly were ‘ magnetic mines’ what were’ acoustic mines’ which dropped by parachute ...
....How could men and women going about their business in broad daylight be machine gunned on the streets of St. Paul's Bay ?
... How could a mine be 9 feet long like the one which destroyed 60 houses in Zebbug ?
...How could roads be set on fire by flaming kerosene and burn for 3 days ?
...it hurt intimately when the church of St Publius had been half ruined in a single stroke,
... when a local cinema was hit and a hundred people died in the midst of their enjoyment
...when the” Chapel of Bones “ was demolished and the skulls of men long dead mingled with the flesh and blood of their descendants .
....all the signposts and milestones erased
..rationing system which made every day a secondary battlefield for the housewife when bread rations were down to 10 ounces per day
... robbers from Gozo who priced their eggs at half a crown each take it or leave it and exchanged potatoes only for gold articles
... 250 German bombers in Sicily , 60 miles away ,pouncing on anything that moved and brought a shadow of hope
....Malta had saved the Illustrious , dockyard workers by the thousands toiled all around the clock for 14 days to get the poor wreck ready for sea ... in spite of a continuous rain of bombs which plastered the dock area and the Three Cities with a lethal carpet of destruction ... at one point it was so bad that all the three cities were evacuated ...
Mr Winston Churchill broadcasting a few weeks later had recorded that ‘ in his effort to beat the harbour to pieces , the German air force lost 90 planes .’
“We have a thousand ancestors to be proud of , bravery and adventure is in our blood .
We have been conquered before but NOT forever .
We have always survived and overcome .
We Are Maltese !!
These are I feel highlights from the book which speak for themselves :
....In the great siege the St. Elmo garrison in one day alone received 6000 cannon balls of iron , stone and marble .It stood for 31 days when the Turks were expecting to take it in 4 or 5 days and in exchange for 1500 soldiers and 109 knights 8000 Turks were killed including Dragut Reis by a sliver of his own cannonball ...
The chain boom threaded through stakes driven through the sea bed protecting Senglea and when the Turks armed with hatchets and knives tried to cut away through they were routed by the accomplished Maltese swimmers .....
.....The official pre war policy on Malta was that if the Italians came into a future war it could never be defended from the air since Sicily 60 miles and 5 minutes flying time away was impossibly close , that although the Navy thought the Island crucially important , the Royal Air Force had decided that its air fields were inadequate , its supply impossible , and the place a thousand miles from the nearest British bases of Gibraltar or Alexandria , therefore untenable , and that the Army , with all sorts of other things on its mind had concurred.
Malta had been stripped down to the bone and written off before a shot was fired , the definitive brief had been marked No Action like a loan application from a bankrupt..
The 4 Gloster Gladiators were branded as boxed spares and had been left behind by the aircraft carrier Glorious and were therefore property of the Royal Navy not the Air Arm....
.......Apart from the damage to be seen all over Valletta , all over Malta , there were particular hurts which drove home the fact of total war . There were big blows which could put a small nation in fear... Part of this fear was the fear of the unknown ...
....What exactly were ‘ magnetic mines’ what were’ acoustic mines’ which dropped by parachute ...
....How could men and women going about their business in broad daylight be machine gunned on the streets of St. Paul's Bay ?
... How could a mine be 9 feet long like the one which destroyed 60 houses in Zebbug ?
...How could roads be set on fire by flaming kerosene and burn for 3 days ?
...it hurt intimately when the church of St Publius had been half ruined in a single stroke,
... when a local cinema was hit and a hundred people died in the midst of their enjoyment
...when the” Chapel of Bones “ was demolished and the skulls of men long dead mingled with the flesh and blood of their descendants .
....all the signposts and milestones erased
..rationing system which made every day a secondary battlefield for the housewife when bread rations were down to 10 ounces per day
... robbers from Gozo who priced their eggs at half a crown each take it or leave it and exchanged potatoes only for gold articles
... 250 German bombers in Sicily , 60 miles away ,pouncing on anything that moved and brought a shadow of hope
....Malta had saved the Illustrious , dockyard workers by the thousands toiled all around the clock for 14 days to get the poor wreck ready for sea ... in spite of a continuous rain of bombs which plastered the dock area and the Three Cities with a lethal carpet of destruction ... at one point it was so bad that all the three cities were evacuated ...
Mr Winston Churchill broadcasting a few weeks later had recorded that ‘ in his effort to beat the harbour to pieces , the German air force lost 90 planes .’
“We have a thousand ancestors to be proud of , bravery and adventure is in our blood .
We have been conquered before but NOT forever .
We have always survived and overcome .
We Are Maltese !!
May 9, 2015
The tiny state of Malta is not blessed with too many novels taking place on its islands, but with 'The Kappillan of Malta' it at least has its very own "Great Maltese Novel", for Monsarrat does not only tell of the title priest, he has clearly tried to squeeze the history of Malta, its people and their spirit conveniently into the novel, often too obviously so.
The novel follows Father Salvatore, a priest who takes care of the war victims, on six eventful days during World War II, in which Malta was bombed relentlessly, and almost drawn into starvation. However, Monsarrat at times takes sidetracks, foremost to the love affair of his niece Marija, but also to events his hero couldn't possibly have known, for example stories of convoys trying to reach Malta. Here Monsarrat's own military history shines through, as he was on such convoys himself then.
The novel is written rather leisurely, and the book is surprisingly low on conflict, despite the war setting. But the book's biggest flaw is that most of its content is information-driven, not plot-driven. This means many sentences, alineas and even great chunks of chapters are devoted to information on Malta or on war ships, which in no case have anything to do with the characters we're following. Moreover, Father Salvatore's speeches (the hexamorons) are most obviously there solely for the purpose of telling of Malta's history.
Meanwhile Monsarrat's view on the war is even less complex than that of wartime movies like Casablanca, and his characters are remarkably flat and cliched, with the love affair between Marija and Michael the British pilot as a particular low point.
The book's best chapter is 'In Limbo', in which Father Salvatore suddenly evolves as a character. Unfortunately, the consequences of his personal change are never resolved, and the reader remains behind, puzzled and disappointed.
This book is interesting (but no more than that) for anyone visiting Malta - all other readers should avoid this.
The novel follows Father Salvatore, a priest who takes care of the war victims, on six eventful days during World War II, in which Malta was bombed relentlessly, and almost drawn into starvation. However, Monsarrat at times takes sidetracks, foremost to the love affair of his niece Marija, but also to events his hero couldn't possibly have known, for example stories of convoys trying to reach Malta. Here Monsarrat's own military history shines through, as he was on such convoys himself then.
The novel is written rather leisurely, and the book is surprisingly low on conflict, despite the war setting. But the book's biggest flaw is that most of its content is information-driven, not plot-driven. This means many sentences, alineas and even great chunks of chapters are devoted to information on Malta or on war ships, which in no case have anything to do with the characters we're following. Moreover, Father Salvatore's speeches (the hexamorons) are most obviously there solely for the purpose of telling of Malta's history.
Meanwhile Monsarrat's view on the war is even less complex than that of wartime movies like Casablanca, and his characters are remarkably flat and cliched, with the love affair between Marija and Michael the British pilot as a particular low point.
The book's best chapter is 'In Limbo', in which Father Salvatore suddenly evolves as a character. Unfortunately, the consequences of his personal change are never resolved, and the reader remains behind, puzzled and disappointed.
This book is interesting (but no more than that) for anyone visiting Malta - all other readers should avoid this.
December 9, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book. It was different from the usual stuff that I am drawn to. The book has two threads. One is about the WWII siege of Malta, told through six important days in the life of a local Catholic priest. The other thread is a history of Malta, told through six pivotal moments in her history, when personal bravery made a difference. Well constructed, good characters. Long.
February 10, 2018
It's a big old book and, as happens in such sagas, you have time to become involved in the characters. It's an engrossing account of Malta's siege during WWII as experienced by the singular priest, Dun Salv, who himself sees their shared ordeal from the perspective of history. By the by, there are insights into the major conflicts which Malta has experienced through the ages.
May 2, 2020
As I had lived in Malta and knew it well, I was attracted to this book. The historical aspect was fascinating but I found the book very slow.
Nevertheless, I was especially moved by the devastating descriptions of the ships that staggerd into Grand Harbour, some of which survived the terrible battering they had endured during the War. I also enjoyed some of the humour injected into the story.
Nevertheless, I was especially moved by the devastating descriptions of the ships that staggerd into Grand Harbour, some of which survived the terrible battering they had endured during the War. I also enjoyed some of the humour injected into the story.
November 27, 2012
Fascinating story of a priest on the Island of Malta during the war - I really couldn't put this book down. Having been to the Island, it really bought it back to life for me
October 4, 2016
If you are going to Malta,buy this.
Having been wed in Malta this May, it was always going to have a special place in my heart but it greatly exceeded my expectations. The beautiful Mediterranean climate, the fantastic coastline and the magnificent Valletta. However what really captured me was the astonishingly rich history of the little island. That such a small place could play such a pivotal role in the history of the world. This book pays tribute to that history in a wonderful story of a humble hero. Poignant and inspiring.
If you're going there or been there buy it!
Having been wed in Malta this May, it was always going to have a special place in my heart but it greatly exceeded my expectations. The beautiful Mediterranean climate, the fantastic coastline and the magnificent Valletta. However what really captured me was the astonishingly rich history of the little island. That such a small place could play such a pivotal role in the history of the world. This book pays tribute to that history in a wonderful story of a humble hero. Poignant and inspiring.
If you're going there or been there buy it!
December 19, 2009
A colleague of mine recommended this book. The story has many interesting aspects, including a great deal about the history of Malta. The hero is a priest who is a devoted shepherd of the terrified residents of the island during World War II.
The writing is crisp and descriptive.
Where I got unsettled was with some anti-Jewish overtones the author inserts when telling some of the story.
The writing is crisp and descriptive.
Where I got unsettled was with some anti-Jewish overtones the author inserts when telling some of the story.
July 20, 2013
A fascinating book, well written telling three stories:
1) the smuggles of a priest with a deep faith, an amazing compassion and enduring the physical and spiritual difficulties only a saint person can overcome
2) the grueling siege of Malta of WW2 thru the lives of a Priest and very different characters
3) the history of Malta, destined because of its geographic position to the the object of superhuman struggles,
1) the smuggles of a priest with a deep faith, an amazing compassion and enduring the physical and spiritual difficulties only a saint person can overcome
2) the grueling siege of Malta of WW2 thru the lives of a Priest and very different characters
3) the history of Malta, destined because of its geographic position to the the object of superhuman struggles,
September 9, 2018
An extremely well written and captivating account of the siege of Malta.
I would not normally get stuck in to anything as literary as this, but Nicholas Monsarrat has the ability to draw you into a story and makes you feel as if you are experiencing life as it was in those harsh times.
Now I need to go and reread The Cruel Sea.
I would not normally get stuck in to anything as literary as this, but Nicholas Monsarrat has the ability to draw you into a story and makes you feel as if you are experiencing life as it was in those harsh times.
Now I need to go and reread The Cruel Sea.
September 3, 2018
The Kappillan of Malta
The Kappillan of Malta is a wonderful meandering historical novel which cleverly blends a no holds barred view of total war in the Mediterranean with the uplifting and spiritual story of an ordinary Maltese priest and Malta’s tumultuous history.
Plot in a Nutshell
Father Salvadore’s mother is Maltese aristocracy, his father was a British admiral. Despite this he is a simple parish priest working hard to build a church for his parishioners. During the second world war his plans are changed by the relentless bombardment of Malta. His church and most of his parish are destroyed on the first day of bombing. Undaunted his parishioners move into the Catacombs within the cliffs of Valetta and there suffer through terrible deprivations throughout the violent war. The Kappillan of Malta follows not only Father Salvadore but also Malta itself as the brave priest tells the stories of Malta’s history.
Thoughts
The Kappillan of Malta was written in 1973 by an aging author. At times this shows with slightly old-fashioned language and narrative voice. This is however a small criticism compared to all there is to love.
The novel tells the story of specific events on 6 days between 11 June 1940 to August 1942. As time progresses the situation becomes more dire and the suffering of the people more pronounced. The difficult narrative of life under extreme bombing and terrible rationing are interspersed with scenes from Malta’s history which Father Salvadore tells his flock at night in the caves.
Father Salvadore is an endearing protagonist. He is incredibly well rounded and through him and his circle of friends and family I really felt the painful reality of war on a terrified civilian population.
Salvadore’s family are key in helping flesh out the wider community and experience. His mother is aging but proud, whilst his sister is married to an unpleasant, self absorbed man who had been a vocal supporter of Italy. In the younger generation his teenage niece meets and falls for a British airman, one of hundreds of military men who occupy the island whilst his nephew dreams of joining the airforce. In his parish life goes on despite the terrible conditions and we see normal human interactions play out down in the catacombs with births and marriages being celebrated. The characters who Monserrat has drawn are wonderfully lifelike with both good and bad on display
The Kappillan of Malta is a wonderful meandering historical novel which cleverly blends a no holds barred view of total war in the Mediterranean with the uplifting and spiritual story of an ordinary Maltese priest and Malta’s tumultuous history.
Plot in a Nutshell
Father Salvadore’s mother is Maltese aristocracy, his father was a British admiral. Despite this he is a simple parish priest working hard to build a church for his parishioners. During the second world war his plans are changed by the relentless bombardment of Malta. His church and most of his parish are destroyed on the first day of bombing. Undaunted his parishioners move into the Catacombs within the cliffs of Valetta and there suffer through terrible deprivations throughout the violent war. The Kappillan of Malta follows not only Father Salvadore but also Malta itself as the brave priest tells the stories of Malta’s history.
Thoughts
The Kappillan of Malta was written in 1973 by an aging author. At times this shows with slightly old-fashioned language and narrative voice. This is however a small criticism compared to all there is to love.
The novel tells the story of specific events on 6 days between 11 June 1940 to August 1942. As time progresses the situation becomes more dire and the suffering of the people more pronounced. The difficult narrative of life under extreme bombing and terrible rationing are interspersed with scenes from Malta’s history which Father Salvadore tells his flock at night in the caves.
Father Salvadore is an endearing protagonist. He is incredibly well rounded and through him and his circle of friends and family I really felt the painful reality of war on a terrified civilian population.
Salvadore’s family are key in helping flesh out the wider community and experience. His mother is aging but proud, whilst his sister is married to an unpleasant, self absorbed man who had been a vocal supporter of Italy. In the younger generation his teenage niece meets and falls for a British airman, one of hundreds of military men who occupy the island whilst his nephew dreams of joining the airforce. In his parish life goes on despite the terrible conditions and we see normal human interactions play out down in the catacombs with births and marriages being celebrated. The characters who Monserrat has drawn are wonderfully lifelike with both good and bad on display
December 17, 2022
This is a very good book, very interesting, well structured, well told. It holds the attention well considering it's about topics I don't know, from the perspective of someone who could hardly be less familiar to me if he tried. That's a mark of good writing.
It probably deserves an extra star, but I kept getting distracted during the sections set during the war. Not in a bad way, but it did mean I took far too long to finish it.
Irrelevant to anyone else, but. I actually don't believe that despite an entire afternoon spent in the war museum in Fort St Elmo, it was this novel which told me exactly where the 10th Submarine Flotilla was based. Absolute joke
It probably deserves an extra star, but I kept getting distracted during the sections set during the war. Not in a bad way, but it did mean I took far too long to finish it.
Irrelevant to anyone else, but. I actually don't believe that despite an entire afternoon spent in the war museum in Fort St Elmo, it was this novel which told me exactly where the 10th Submarine Flotilla was based. Absolute joke
October 18, 2025
Beautifully written, though not the easiest language.
It's the perfect read for anyone planning to visit the beautiful Malta, going through a few major stops in the history of the country to great detail.
The lead character is a priest and the main story is heavily religious, so it wasn't a surprise to find the women's role so minor with some sprinkles of misogyny here and there.
It's the perfect read for anyone planning to visit the beautiful Malta, going through a few major stops in the history of the country to great detail.
The lead character is a priest and the main story is heavily religious, so it wasn't a surprise to find the women's role so minor with some sprinkles of misogyny here and there.
May 3, 2023
Not a book I’d read again nor necessarily recommend. It was an okay read, just not compelling enough to rate higher.
December 18, 2021
It's time to accept that I am not going to finish this book. It was fun to read while I was in Malta. But I put it down and can't get back into it.
May 22, 2017
This was recommended to me while I was visiting Malta, and I am SO sorry that I've got to the end! Possibly only of initial interest to visitors and/or those with an interest in military matters, but this story of a priest in Valletta during the Second World War (an unlikely subject for my usual reading!) has opened my eyes to the cross-currents of history around the Mediterranean. Well written and highly recommended.
July 6, 2016
Wonderful
Having recently been on holiday to Malta and having visited gozo I wanted to learn something of the history of Malta a saw this book while visiting St. Elmos fort . Very interesting and educational and a tribute to all the Maltese who have suffered over the centuries. I loved t book a love the country.
Having recently been on holiday to Malta and having visited gozo I wanted to learn something of the history of Malta a saw this book while visiting St. Elmos fort . Very interesting and educational and a tribute to all the Maltese who have suffered over the centuries. I loved t book a love the country.
November 21, 2018
Too wordy for my liking, but a really useful book to read in advance of a trip to Malta, as it is an easy way to get your head around some of the history.
Not quite sure why the story is framed by the funeral of the Kappillan - was this device really necessary? or was the author just trying to keep himself interested?
Not quite sure why the story is framed by the funeral of the Kappillan - was this device really necessary? or was the author just trying to keep himself interested?
June 29, 2012
Having been to Malta and interested in its history this book is very good read and very enlightening about a very bad time in Malta's history.
August 6, 2017
Well-written historical novel about a priest on Malta during the WWII bombings.
Read this if you're going to visit Malta.
Read this if you're going to visit Malta.
October 5, 2017
If you ever want to tour Malta, this is an excellent book to read to understand its history. It takes a while to get into the story, but well worth it.
December 29, 2024
I'm very glad I read this, but honestly it was not always an easy read. The story is about a priest, the Kappillan aka Dun Salv, who takes as his parishioners the Maltese population sheltering in abandoned train tunnels during the worst of the bombings in WWll. During his time with the people of the catacombs he delivers a number of speeches to given the people hope, to let them know that Malta has suffered wars before, that because of the heroism of others in those time of the past Malta has survived, and that they must be as courageous as those heroes to insure their survival. In these speeches the author gives us a full history of Malta, from the arrival of the Phoenicians, to the Carthagenians, the Romans, the Normans, the Knights Hospitaller, Napoleon, the English and then through present times to WWl and WWll. It's a fascinating way to learn what I wanted to learn about Malta so the book certainly delivers on that point. Dun Salvo's story is a little less inspiring and really very sad. The books shows him growing from a sensitive and intelligent son of a loving couple to penitent parish priest, hounded by jealous church officials and forced into a sequestered existence in a Gozo monetary because they were jealous of his popularity. At times funny but also really very tragic it's everything you wanted to know about Malta and the Maltese people wrapped up in a sweet story of a humble little priest and his love for this countrymen.
November 4, 2025
I have not written a review in a while, but felt this one deserved more than a dry 2 star rating, or at least some justification as it is inherently and objectively a good work of literature.
I think this is one of those books where one can appreciate the genius and labor that go into writing historical fiction, but the style was not for me. Better suited for readers who enjoy lengthy descriptions of battle scenes , relentless like the bombings that go on through this whole period. It was skillfully done but not easy to read, as I tend to enjoy more dialogue and character dynamics than descriptive passages and I could not get as immersed as I wished. Perhaps something to do with my attention span.
I however appreciated how some of these effects were flushed out through character development and if there was more of that, this book would have been more gripping for me. Some of the characters were endearing and I found myself looking forward to when we would see the Debrincats or the baroness. The interwoven critique of the theatricals and hierarchies entrenched in organized religion as well as in the social makeup were spot also on, and very much a driver of a faith crisis (without spoilers).
The book did help me gain a better understanding and appreciation for what Malta went through in those times, and having recently visited some of the sites described here, it felt special.
I think this is one of those books where one can appreciate the genius and labor that go into writing historical fiction, but the style was not for me. Better suited for readers who enjoy lengthy descriptions of battle scenes , relentless like the bombings that go on through this whole period. It was skillfully done but not easy to read, as I tend to enjoy more dialogue and character dynamics than descriptive passages and I could not get as immersed as I wished. Perhaps something to do with my attention span.
I however appreciated how some of these effects were flushed out through character development and if there was more of that, this book would have been more gripping for me. Some of the characters were endearing and I found myself looking forward to when we would see the Debrincats or the baroness. The interwoven critique of the theatricals and hierarchies entrenched in organized religion as well as in the social makeup were spot also on, and very much a driver of a faith crisis (without spoilers).
The book did help me gain a better understanding and appreciation for what Malta went through in those times, and having recently visited some of the sites described here, it felt special.
January 15, 2018
By the author of The Cruel Sea, The Kappillan of Malta is the story of a humble parish priest of noble lineage who ministers to the residents of Valletta, Malta who have taken refuge from the unremitting bombing of their tiny island by the Italians and Germans during WWII. Malta, a British territory, was only 60 miles from Sicily and served as a submarine port interfering with Italian and German activities in North Africa.
Father Salvatore Santo-Nobile, son of the powerful Baroness Santo-Nobile, had no need to seek out power or recognition. He was pious and yet had a good sense of humanity and some of the failings of individuals which allowed them to survive in an environment of death and destruction on a daily basis. When the bombing started on the first day of the war, catacombs were uncovered that provided shelter for many of the displaced of Valletta. In these cramped confined quarters there existed very human people, who expressed terror and love and a need for spiritual support. Father Salvatore, Dun Salv, provided that despite the disapproval of his superiors.
Excellent story about a good man and a history of the War of which I was unaware.
Father Salvatore Santo-Nobile, son of the powerful Baroness Santo-Nobile, had no need to seek out power or recognition. He was pious and yet had a good sense of humanity and some of the failings of individuals which allowed them to survive in an environment of death and destruction on a daily basis. When the bombing started on the first day of the war, catacombs were uncovered that provided shelter for many of the displaced of Valletta. In these cramped confined quarters there existed very human people, who expressed terror and love and a need for spiritual support. Father Salvatore, Dun Salv, provided that despite the disapproval of his superiors.
Excellent story about a good man and a history of the War of which I was unaware.
March 22, 2019
Ahead of a visit to Malta I wanted to read a novel set on its islands, but not sure where to find what I was looking for did a general search with some key terms. How lucky was I to find Goodreads, with a category containing such books!
I don’t think I could do this book justice in a brief paragraph or two, so recommend for a plot synopsis you read some of the other excellent reviews on here. However, I would highly recommend this book to anyone, whether or not you have an interest in Malta. The characters are so well-written, particularly Dun Salv, who is, not just a Catholic priest, but a man with imperfections, doubts and struggles. He eloquently speaks to his people of tumultuous periods in Malta’s history to comfort, inspire and provide hope, in the dark days of WWII. A wide range of Maltese history is covered but does not detract from the narrative, and the writing is detailed: at times brutal and shocking, and at others simply beautiful.
I don’t think I could do this book justice in a brief paragraph or two, so recommend for a plot synopsis you read some of the other excellent reviews on here. However, I would highly recommend this book to anyone, whether or not you have an interest in Malta. The characters are so well-written, particularly Dun Salv, who is, not just a Catholic priest, but a man with imperfections, doubts and struggles. He eloquently speaks to his people of tumultuous periods in Malta’s history to comfort, inspire and provide hope, in the dark days of WWII. A wide range of Maltese history is covered but does not detract from the narrative, and the writing is detailed: at times brutal and shocking, and at others simply beautiful.
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