Vatican Waltz

by Roland Merullo

Overview

The Wall Street Journal called Vatican Waltz "a welcoming place for parishioners and interlopers alike," continuing "Catholics will identify with its plaintive call for the kind of renewal . . . But others, too, if they have kept their minds open, will be surprised at how uplifted they are by its story of individual courage and conviction."

"Merullo's latest is a page-turning novel of religious ideas written with love and imagination," wrote Publishers Weekly in a starred review. PW named the book to their "Best of 2013" list and said "It also sings with finely observed details of family relationships, ethnic neighborhood life, and the life of prayer."

Cynthia Piantedosi lives a quiet, unassuming life outside of Boston, guided by her Catholic faith. When she loses her beloved grandmother, she begins experiencing "spells" of such intense spiritual intimacy that she wonders about her sanity. Devoted to her elderly father and not particularly interested in dating and socializing, she develops a deep friendship with her parish priest. His congregation sees him as provocative and radical, but he encourages Cynthia to explore her faith--however it presents itself.

When he is killed in a mysterious accident, a message begins to emerge from Cynthia's prayers: God is calling her to be the first female Catholic priest. Her revelation is met with ridicule by certain of the more reactionary officials she reaches out to within the Church. Unable to tune out the divine messages, she lets the power of unswerving faith drive her all the way to the Vatican in pursuit of a destiny she doesn't fully understand--and a turn of events that will inevitably bring long overdue change to the Catholic Church.

"Fans of Alice McDermott and Merullo's earlier work will appreciate the heart, soul, and sheer joy found in Vatican Waltz and one woman's commitment to a life far more miraculous than she ever imagined," said Booklist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997024890
Publisher:	Pfp Publishing
Publication date:	07/01/2017
Pages:	262
Sales rank:	272,124
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Roland Merullo is the acclaimed author of fifteen previous books, including Revere Beach Boulevard, Golfing with God, and Breakfast with Buddha. Merullo’s work has been translated into German, Spanish, Korean, and Croatian, and he has won numerous prizes, including the Massachusetts Book Awards in both fiction and nonfiction. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

Editorial Reviews

"Merullo's latest is a page-turning novel of religious ideas written with love and imagination. ...With fillips of The Da Vinci Code conspiracy and Eat Pray Love gourmandism ...It also sings with finely observed details of family relationships, ethnic neighborhood life, and the life of prayer. The shoulda-seen-it-coming ending is a miracle. Merullo's prior novels about faith have sold well; here's praying for a similar outcome for this fresh take on institutional religion and what it means to hear God's voice."-- Publisher's Weekly [starred review]

"In Merullo's warmhearted addition to his series of unusual religious novels a young Massachusetts woman is prompted to share her messages from God with the Catholic Church hierarchy...Cynthia grows to believe that God is calling her to be a priest. ...Cynthia is impelled by the increasing force of her visions (beautifully depicted by Merullo as experiences of the world's divine harmony and unity) to press her case all the way to the Vatican in Rome. ...thriller elements provide additional narrative energy as Cynthia goes from Rome to Genoa to meet with a reform-minded cardinal, and the denouement is decidedly dramatic. But the real drama here is in the heroine's relationship with God--and secular-minded readers who think such matters don't interest them will think again if they give half a chance to Merullo's loving portrait of a quiet, unassuming woman impelled by faith into deeper engagement with sorrowful, suffering humanity. ...A fresh, moving portrait of religion as it could and should be. The cliffhanging finale offers hope that we will see more of Cynthia's odyssey in future books." -- Kirkus [starred review]

"Roland Merullo manages to create a surprisingly absorbing portrayal...Cynthia Piantedosi is unerringly likable and honorable...The novel becomes not just a portrait of a quiet woman, but of a troubled institution at a historical crossroads. Cynthia's awakening aspirations coincide with the closing of churches and the waning of trust in the wake of the priest child-abuse scandals. ...Along the way, Merullo skillfully turns her into a mirror of the complex and arrested world of church traditionalists, literalists, and self-preservationists." -- Boston Globe

"Vatican Waltz is a welcoming place for parishioners and interlopers alike. . . . Catholics will identify with its plaintive call for the kind of renewal . . . that for many has been embodied in the inspiring figure of Pope Francis. But others, too, if they have kept their minds open, will be surprised at how uplifted they are by its story of individual courage and conviction."-- Wall Street Journal

"While the novel refrains from proselytizing, Merullo's explanations of relevant church doctrines allow non-Catholics to understand Cynthia's journey. His love for the subject matter is evident on every page, and his lush prose is particularly impressive when he describes Cynthia's travels through Rome and Genoa, allowing the reader a glance inside some very sacred places. Fans of Alice McDermott and Merullo's earlier work will appreciate the heart, soul, and sheer joy found in Vatican Waltz and one woman's commitment to a life far more miraculous than she ever imagined." --Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 10/14/2013
Merullo’s (Breakfast with Buddha) latest is a page-turning novel of religious ideas written with love and imagination. Cynthia Piantedosi is a devout young Catholic woman studying to be a nurse. From her childhood she has had “spells”—times of intense absorption in prayer. With the help of her parish priest, she gradually discerns that God is calling her to the priesthood, and she sets off for Rome to make her argument for change to the Catholic hierarchy. With fillips of The Da Vinci Code conspiracy and Eat Pray Love gourmandism (in novels, every meal eaten in Italy is divinely inspired), this book will speak loudly to Catholic readers; some will cheer and others will object loudly. It also sings with finely observed details of family relationships, ethnic neighborhood life, and the life of prayer. The shoulda-seen-it-coming ending is a miracle. Merullo’s prior novels about faith have sold well; here’s praying for a similar outcome for this fresh take on institutional religion and what it means to hear God’s voice. Agent: Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff Literary Agency. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Narrator Cassandra Campbell perfectly portrays the shy, spiritually sensitive Cynthia Piantedosi, a young Italian-American Catholic who lives with her widowed father and grandmother in Boston's suburbs. Although enrolled in nursing school, Cynthia is drawn to a life of prayer. Eventually, she experiences such spiritual intimacy that she questions her sanity when she becomes convinced that God wants her to become a priest. Campbell captures Cynthia’s emotions and varied experiences—from visiting her dear friend, a provocative and radical priest, to traveling to the Vatican to speak with a cardinal. Listeners can rely on Campbell for a polished and compelling delivery of this controversial story of Catholic faith. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2014 - AudioFile

★ 2013-11-03
A young Massachusetts woman is prompted to share her messages from God with the Catholic Church hierarchy in Merullo's warmhearted addition to his series of unusual religious novels (American Savior, 2008, etc.). Cynthia Piantedosi attends nursing school and lives quietly with her taciturn, widowed father in Revere, Mass.; the constricted yet nurturing working-class milieu she describes in the novel's early chapters will be familiar to readers of In Revere, in Those Days (2002). Since she was a child, Cynthia has had "spells," visions carrying her away from the everyday world. "You are being asked by God to do something," says Father Alberto, the unconventional priest who becomes her mentor. After his death in a traffic accident, Cynthia grows to believe that God is calling her to be a priest. She's aware, as the unsympathetic local Monsignor tells her, that this is against church teachings, but Cynthia is impelled by the increasing force of her visions (beautifully depicted by Merullo as experiences of the world's divine harmony and unity) to press her case all the way to the Vatican in Rome. There, she is accosted at her hotel and then followed on the street by a mysterious man who may have been sent by forces within the Vatican hostile to the changes Cynthia believes are necessary to keep the Catholic Church as a living spiritual force in people's lives. These thriller elements provide additional narrative energy as Cynthia goes from Rome to Genoa to meet with a reform-minded cardinal, and the denouement is decidedly dramatic. But the real drama here is in the heroine's relationship with God--and secular-minded readers who think such matters don't interest them will think again if they give half a chance to Merullo's loving portrait of a quiet, unassuming woman impelled by faith into deeper engagement with sorrowful, suffering humanity. A fresh, moving portrait of religion as it could and should be. The cliffhanging finale offers hope that we will see more of Cynthia's odyssey in future books.

Kirkus Reviews