This work will surely stand as Sorin’s definitive biography.” —H-Net
“Tracing the astonishing career of this remarkable man has produced not only a definitive biography but a model of how good history should be written. [H]is well crafted, sympathetic narrative is a terrific read.... O’Connell’s magnificent biography, priced reasonably, is a treasure.” —Catholic Library World
“This is a great book, extremely well written, about a great man who made an enormous difference.” —Theological Studies
“The thirty chapters of this book are thoroughly researched and beautifully crafted with rhapsodic descriptions of the place, complex character development and a fine sense of pacing. It reads like a good novel.” —American Historical Review
“Anyone interested in the origins of the University of Notre Dame will cherish this excellent biography of Fr. Edward Sorin. Edward Sorin can be highly recommended. It deserves a place of honor in any well-stocked library.” —Cistercian Studies Quarterly
“Complemented by 40 pages of photos and very through index, this biography of Edward Sorin yields endless rewards and insights for dedicated readers.” —St Anthony Messenger
“O’Connell’s theme is the tug-of-war between two complex personalities, Sorin the obstinate aristocrat and Moreau the quarrelsome peasant. This approach is instructive because their competition serves as a paradigm for a larger issue in American history: the struggle of European institutions—in this case, a religious congregation—to adapt to the American environment. It is an old story, but one to which an important chapter has been added by this excellent biography.” —The Journal of American History
“O’Connell is one of the finest story-tellers of our day, with a craftsman’s handling of the language. This work is a fine tribute to Sorin, to the university which he founded, and to the many fine men and women associated with Holy Cross over the years.” —Catholic Historical Review
“This work is well written, blending historical facts with delightful stories and the humor of human foibles.”—Catholic Southwest
“With the precision of a calligrapher and the lyrical voice of a librettist, Notre Dame professor emeritus Marvin R. O’Connell has crafted a monumental biography... of Edward Sorin. O’Connell’s biography is a respectful and balanced account of a preeminent nineteenth-century Catholic churchman. The student of higher education will find much of interest here in the anecdotal accounts of Notre Dame’s development under Sorin’s leadership...."—History of Education Quarterly
To say that I liked the book is the understatement of the year. O’Connell has a gift for synthesizing details and supplying sufficiently succinct background information to enable the reader to understand such necessary factors as the French Revolution and its effect on nineteenth century France and the Church in that country; the differing impact that the Revolution had on the families of Sorin and Moreau; the contrasts in seminary training of both men and the resulting spirituality of each one; the nature of the American Church; the ‘disobedience’ of Sorin and of Moreau....
Magisterial … [Sorin] was a man composed of equal parts St. Paul and Tom Sawyer.
This is a great book, extremely well written, about a great man who made an enormous difference.
Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., brought the Congregation of Holy Cross—priests, brothers, and sisters—to the United States in the 1840's, founded the University of Notre Dame, and served as his international community's Superior General for the last twenty-five years of his life. In this scholarly, absorbing, and well written biography, Fr. Marvin O'Connell brings to life the extraordinary labors and accomplishments of this dedicated missionary, educator, builder, controversial administrator, and widely influential American churchman.
Marvin O'Connell's mastery of the sources, his critical but sympathetic insight, and his extraordinary gifts as a stylist, bring us face to face with one of the true giants of American Catholic history. Founding the University of Notre Dame and guiding its survival for half a century was Edward Sorin's crowning achievement. But to be fully understood it must be seen against the background of spiritual crises, conflicts of interest, and clashes of personality set forth so vividly in this book. It is a fascinating story, magnificently told.
The satisfying story O’Connell weaves of the obstacles Sorin overcame to secure the survival of his college ... is the result of some painstaking research, an ear for effective anecdotes, and a palpable emotional attachment to the consequences of Sorin’s efforts. This biography is a history of Notre Dame that has nothing to do with football, and that, all by itself, is reason enough to check it out.
Virginia Quarterly Review
History in Indiana captured in detail.
O’Connell’s theme is the tug-of-war between two complex personalities, Sorin the obstinate aristocrat and Moreau the quarrelsome peasant. This approach is instructive because their competition serves as a paradigm for a larger issue in American history: the struggle of European institutions—in this case, a religious congregation—to adapt to the American environment. It is an old story, but one to which an important chapter has been added by this excellent biography.
The Journal of American History
Complemented by 40 pages of photos and very through index, this biography of Edward Sorin yields endless rewards and insights for dedicated readers.
This work will surely stand as Sorin’s definitive biography.
Anyone interested in the origins of the University of Notre Dame will cherish this excellent biography of Fr. Edward Sorin. Edward Sorin can be highly recommended. It deserves a place of honor in any well-stocked library.
Cistercian Studies Quarterly
With the precision of a calligrapher and the lyrical voice of a librettist, Notre Dame professor emeritus Marvin R. O’Connell has crafted a monumental biography... of Edward Sorin. O’Connell’s biography is a respectful and balanced account of a preeminent nineteenth-century Catholic churchman. The student of higher education will find much of interest here in the anecdotal accounts of Notre Dame’s development under Sorin’s leadership...."
History of Education Quarterly
This work is well written, blending historical facts with delightful stories and the humor of human foibles.
Father Marvin R. O’Connell gives the life of this amazing man its due in this definitive biography that at times reads more like an adventure.
Edward Sorin has long enjoyed a somewhat mythical status among Notre Dame alumni and many American Holy Cross religious. O’Connell’s biography at times dispels the myth and at other times grounds it in evidence."
The thirty chapters of this book are thoroughly researched and beautifully crafted with rhapsodic descriptions of the place, complex character development and a fine sense of pacing. It reads like a good novel.
American Historical Review
Tracing the astonishing career of this remarkable man has produced not only a definitive biography but a model of how good history should be written. [H]is well crafted, sympathetic narrative is a terrific read.... O’Connell’s magnificent biography, priced reasonably, is a treasure.
O’Connell is one of the finest story-tellers of our day, with a craftsman’s handling of the language. This work is a fine tribute to Sorin, to the university which he founded, and to the many fine men and women associated with Holy Cross over the years.
Catholic Historical Review
To say that I liked the book is the understatement of the year. O’Connell has a gift for synthesizing details and supplying sufficiently succinct background information to enable the reader to understand such necessary factors as the French Revolution and its effect on nineteenth century France and the Church in that country; the differing impact that the Revolution had on the families of Sorin and Moreau; the contrasts in seminary training of both men and the resulting spirituality of each one; the nature of the American Church; the ‘disobedience’ of Sorin and of Moreau....
A skilled biographer and professor emeritus of history at Notre Dame, O'Connell (Blaise Pascal: Reason of the Heart) honors the legacy of Edward Sorin with blunt honesty and fraternal esteem. Drawing on archival resources, many housed at the University of Notre Dame, and on his own travels and studies, O'Connell chronicles the life of the missionary priest from France who founded the world-famous University of Notre Dame. O'Connell has thoroughly researched and documented the life and labor of Sorin, beginning with his birth in Ahuille, France, and concluding some 79 years later in the presbytery at Notre Dame, surrounded by his beloved religious co-workers. Sorin was given the task of creating a college, and in a short 800 pages the reader enters into the world of 19th-century Catholicism and experiences Sorin's challenges and joys as he faced this daunting goal. This encyclopedic work is both engaging and academic and destined to be the definitive work on Edward Sorin. Recommended for all academic libraries. John-Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin, Platteville Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.