PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR MINNESOTA BOOK AWARD WINNER "Reimringer knows well the landscape of the Catholic Church
seminary mentoring, rectory loneliness, the bonding of men of the cloth
and he writes about these things with a combination of affection and ruthless honesty. He also knows the fragility of the human heart, broken as is the body of Christ at ... Read moreEucharist, with an embedded promise of healing."
America: The Catholic Weekly "Vestments is a pitch-perfect account of priestly life."
Commonweal "Luminous... [a] beautiful debut."
Pioneer Press "A stunning debut."
ForeWord Reviews "In this potent debut about a wayward yet devout young priest who struggles to reconcile his faith with longings of the flesh, Reimringer has crafted a suspenseful, illuminating, and highly readable saga... Reimringer excels, most notably, at revealing how the sensual delectations of Catholic ritual and the forbidden delights of the flesh are part of the same continuum, as sin and repentance feed off each other."
Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Through his thoughtful themes and lyrical prose, Reimringer effortlessly restores a measure of dignity to the priesthood even as he pays tender homage to the working-class roots of St. Paul."
Booklist "A plainspoken but finely turned debut novel... [James Dressler] is full-blooded in a way fictional proests so often aren't, and he stars in an admirably complex study of family ties."
Minneapolis Star Tribune "Ribald and wry, concerned at heart with faith and forgiveness, Vestments is a rich, involving debut."
Stewart O'Nan, bestselling author of Emily, Alone "This book knows the soul of the great old city: the yellowing taverns and fraying neighborhoods, the sense of grace in decline, the doubtful saints wrangling their disbelief. John Reimringer writes with the confidence and observation of one who was there at the time and is there still, and his novel has the knuckles and shouting and beer breath of glory."
Leif Enger, author of Peace Like a River "In this memorable, skillful novel, Reimringer writes compassionately about the tie between violence and yearning, the calls of the body and the calls of the spirit. Many writers can write well about one or the other. The gift of this writer is his rich understanding and love of both. Vestments is a wise, wide, and eloquent book."
Erin McGraw, author of Lies of the Saints "Deeply rooted in history, burning with family furies, and told by a narrator-priest you find yourself rooting for (and wondering about), this is a captivating novel, scene by scene."
Patricia Hampl, author of The Florist's Daughter "A compelling tale that provides a little-seen, interior, first-person point of view of the priesthood."
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