[.uk] How Firm a Foundation (ISBN 0970262124)

Good, but a little over my head:
It was very difficult for me to put this book down! While I am only 16 (15 at the time I read it), I enjoyed it quite a bit. The plot is good, and so are the sub-plots (there is even a bit of romance!). However, some of it I skipped over because it goes very deep into theological things, which made some parts a bit dry. Even so, I recommend this book.

Very good read.:
Found the book engrossing from cover to cover. Interesting mix of theology and thriller. Fascinating look into difficulties of being a pastor, responsible for souls of his flock, and the issues of pleasing God and man. Highly recommended.

Suffering... fruit... negative reviews... mercy re. typos:
The 12 reviews written prior to mine are so complete and so reflect my thoughts that it took a while to think of something to add. Let me share three: 1) Suffering... Years ago I gained much from Peter Kreeft's "Making Sense of Suffering," but somehow that was amplified or confirmed in the few pages where Father Bourquet explains the Catholic view. Worth the price of admission by itself. 2) Sweet spirit... Because I have been involved in paradigm challenging sales for 40 years (starting with "word processing" years before it even had that name), it has become more than a hobby of mine to study conversion literature both in technical areas as well as religious. As is common in Catholic apologetics to audiences ranging from Protestants to Pagans, from Atheists to Jews, or from Mormons to Muslims, Grodi's "How Firm a Foundation" has the sweet fragrance of the "fruit of the Holy Spirit." Hooray for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful- ness, gentleness and self-control! 3) No negative reviews yet ... Not a single negative review has popped up yet. Karl Keating's 1988 "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" has had 17 years to attract 123 reviews, of which 9 are "one star." Compare to this book's three years. Maybe these will come as the book grows in influence. I find it instructive to note in such negative reviews whether the above listed gifts are evident or not. (Please read them on Keating's book and come to your own conclusions.) Oh! On the issue of typos. I find them so offensive that I fear I shall never write a book for fear of a typo slipping through. While they can be evidence of poor scholarship, they are not proof, so I'll give Marcus the mercy I'll want someday for myslef.

Intelligent Entertaining Catholic Fiction:
I picked up this novel because I really enjoy the author's tv show The Journey Home on EWTN. I've been looking for intelligent intriguing Catholic fiction, and this is it. The characters are believable, and the topics in the book stimulate your mind and soul while remaining very entertaining. I couldn't put it down.

Top-notch story-telling with insightful apologetic:
Mr. Grodi proves himself a gifted story-teller in this fictional account of a Protestant minister who discovers what so many others have discovered before him, his teaching foundation and authority is made of sand. Intertwined in the primary plot are a collection of subplots with the intricacies of a Tom Clancy novel giving the growing intense drama leading to an inevitable climax that shocks and tugs at our emotions. Along the way we learn a great deal about why the Catholic tradition is the most solidly biblical tradition. And we discover the root issue of authority in heart-wrenching detail as we relate to the minister wishing to be certain he is teaching the truth. This is a great story and a great way to convey the truths of the faith that grips both the heart and the mind. An entertaining, insightful, apologetic tale of a heartfelt search for absolutes. A challenge to the relativism of the Protestant movement and a must read for anyone interested in the key distinctives of the Catholic tradition.