Death Comes for the Archbishop is a novel written by Willa Cather and was first published in 1927. It takes place during the mid-nineteenth century in New Mexico. It centers around the efforts of one Bishop Jean Marie Latour to establish a diocese in New Mexico. He and his friend, Father Joseph Vaillant, meet all kinds of people and face challenges in the desert landscape of New Mexico. The novel was apparently based on a couple of historical clergymen.
I don’t have much to say about this one since I read it for the purposes of a book club participation. This is not my usual type of preferred reading. I can recognize that Cather is a talented a writer. She does well with description of the landscape at the time. I did not find the characters all that interesting. It is not a long book, but it is a slow read at times. Willa Cather is a very acclaimed writer and probably deserves it. She is just not my cup of tea. Anyway, the setting is somewhat interesting and there are a few moments that piqued my interest, but those times were not frequent enough for me to consider returning to this one anytime soon….if ever.
Next up, I will return to something quite a bit more recent and will have a bit more action. Time to check out the works of Brad Thor, starting with The Apostle.
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