Faith in letters and memories
VALLEY OF FAITH — Sisters of Mercy in Pawarenga 1927–1990 (Available at St Mary’s Convent, New Street, Auckland, ph. 360 8009); $25. Reviewed by BEATE MATTHIES.
The cover picture Tangiwai...
Lovely guide to early NZ churches
HISTORIC CHURCHES — A Guide to Over 60 Early New Zealand Churches by Linda Burgess, photography by Robert Burgess (Penguin Random House New Zealand, to be published September 1);...
A fitting tribute to school’s founders
ON THIS ROCK — 75 Years of St Peter’s College, Mountain Road by Matt Elliot, 2015 (Available from St Peter’s College, (09) 524-8108, admin@st-peters.school.nz); $35, plus postage (if required)....
When collecting ‘stuff’ gets out of control
by MICHAEL MORRISSEY
Outside, the house looks normal. Inside is the greatest garage sale in history — toys,
teddy bears, tennis racquets, books, clothes, ornaments, jugs, newspapers, crockery,
knick knacks, cheap jewellery,...
Solid version of the Hardy classic
by JOSEPH MCALEER
NEW YORK (CNS) — Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel about romantic entanglements in the English countryside returns to the big screen in Far from the Madding Crowd (Fox).
In...
Drone drama flies on moral dilemmas
War films typically come in two kinds: straightforward action shows that depict heroism or have a satisfactory outcome, and those where conflicting motives produce uncertain outcomes.
History also judges specific wars into those that had...
Worship: A wonderful testament to our nation’s faith
WORSHIP — A History of New Zealand Church Design by Bill McKay (photography by Jane Ussher) (Penguin, Random House, 2015); $85. Reviewed by TERESA WACKROW.
In September this year...
Timely reflections on NZ’s early Christian missionaries
Reviewed by PAT LYTHE.
TE RONGOPAI 1814, TAKOTO TE PAI — Bicentenary Reflections on Christian Beginnings and Developments in Aotearoa New Zealand edited by Allan Davidson, Stuart Lange, Peter Lineham,...
The untold story of married Catholic priests
In Keeping the Vow, author Fr D. Paul Sullins, a sociologist and a former Episcopal priest, presents his research on a tiny but fascinating subcategory of American Catholic priests — married Catholic priests who...
The complex truth about Hitchens’ faith explored
by NANCY ROBERTS
When Christopher Hitchens died of esophageal cancer at the age of 62 in 2011, he was famous as a left-wing polemicist who argued passionately for atheism. Author...
Good things from the West Coast
GOD KNOWS WHERE THEY COME FROM! — Four Faith Stories from Hokitika (Craigs Design & Print Limited, Invercargill, 2014; www.craigprint.co.nz); $29.90. Reviewed by Bishop PATRICK DUNN.
This is a fascinating...
Much more than an important pastoral handbook
CANON LAW IN ACTION by Brendan Daly (St Paul’s Publications, 2015); $36 (incl. postage). Reviewed by PATRICIA HANNAN.
Msgr Brendan Daly is the principal of Good Shepherd College and a...
The passion of the Coens
by NEVIL GIBSON
Distinct comedy styles are usually based on genres rather than those of individuals who specialise on a smaller palette.
A few examples are the droll and self-effacing concoctions...
Jean Aunty has spent herself for children
by PETER GRACE
New Zealand author Jean Watson was in her 50s when she started a life in India, helping
orphans.
She and New Zealand author Joy Cowley travelled together to India...
Final of NZ show proves to be an anticlimax
by SUSAN FOGARTY
If you’re uncertain about when the word “anticlimax” should
be used, just watch the final episode of The Great Food Race
(TV3).
The final, which screened on April 27...
Sky-high choices get better
by NEVIL GIBSON
Nearly 800,000 long-distance trips were made by New Zealanders last year. They travelled
to Asia, Europe and across the Pacific on flights lasting at least nine hours.
In-flight entertainment (IFE) systems have become a...
Gang drama scores cheque mate
by NEVIL GIBSON
It is customary to describe a group of films that have common characteristics as a “genre”, and it can now be fairly claimed that this country has...
American drug drama puts action above morality
by NEVIL GIBSON
Like heaven and Earth or black and white, the borderlands between the United States and Mexico depict opposites —
the contrast between the rule of law and the...
For those with a desire to be affected by music:...
One place I go looking for ideas for this column is the several boxes of CDs which have survived recent downsizing efforts in our house and are now residing...
Power play among shearing gangs
by NEVIL GIBSON
Last year’s hiatus of local films is about to end. Their absence was a huge contrast to 2014 when cinemagoers bought $2 million worth of tickets to...
Bowie grew through his tough times
by SAM HARRIS
“Society,” wrote Pope St John Paul II at the beginning of his 1996 Letter to Artists, “needs artists ... to probe the true nature of man, his...
Rugby ‘doco’ kicks for effect
by NEVIL GIBSON
At their best, fly-on-the-wall documentaries reveal more about their subjects than they would
admit, while also reinforcing their own self-beliefs.
Kiwi husband and wife team Christopher Pryor and Miriam...
Story of Maori missionary is fascinating
HENARE WIREMU TARATOA — Noble Warrior by Patricia Brooks (Published by the author, available
from 4 Briannell Valley Rd, Pyes Pa (patriciabrooks@xtra.co.nz)); $15 (including
postage). Reviewed by GEMMA SINNOTT.
is a...
Authenticity drives duo’s music
“Help me out / My friends and I, we’ve got a lot of problems ... While you’re doing fine, there’s some people and I/ Who have a really tough time getting through...
Women’s lives before feminism
It’s difficult to turn great works of literature into great films. But that doesn’t stop many from trying, particularly when themes still resonate in modern times.
One is the subordination...
Socialite singer spotlighted
Hollywood ’s most honoured actress, Meryl Streep, has more than met her match with France’s Catherine Frot in their latest roles.
Probably more by accident than design, both of their latest films are about the same person.
Many dozens of successful French films...
The Catholic Voices approach to defending the Faith
HOW TO DEFEND THE FAITH WITHOUT RAISING YOUR VOICE by Austen Ivereigh and Kathryn Jean Lopez (Our Sunday Visitor, 2015). 192pp. Reviewed by PAT McCARTHY.
It’s a situation we’ve...
Late priest has written well about 20 great mystics
AN INNER MUSIC — Living a life in God by Craig Larkin, SM (Fitzbeck Publishing, 2016; available from good bookshops, or the Society of Mary); $35. Reviewed by LYNDSAY FREER.
In this most...
Time to act on the words of this wonderful encyclical
LAUDATO SI’ — An Encyclical Letter on Ecology and Climate by Pope Francis (St Paul’s Publications, Australia, 2015); $14.99. Reviewed by SUSAN SMITH.
Recently I was talking with a parishioner...
Jobs: too much of a good thing
by NEVIL GIBSON
Two films in the past few years about a legendary American businessman Steve Jobs would normally be considered excessive.
But Apple Computer cofounder is no ordinary man. He...