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Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Their Son Audiobook
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(3.12) - 162 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The 1950s was a boom time for the Catholic Church in America, with large families of devout members providing at least one son or daughter for a life of religious service. Boston was at the epicenter of this explosion, and Bill Manseau and Mary Doherty — two eager young parishioners from different towns — became part of a new breed of clergy, eschewing the comforts of homey parishes and choosing instead to minister to the inner-city poor. Peter Manseau's riveting evocation of his parents' parallel childhoods, their similar callings, their experiences in the seminary and convent, and how they met while tending to the homeless of Roxbury during the riot-prone 1960s is a page-turning meditation on the effect that love can have on profound faith.
Once married, the Manseaus continued to fight for Father Bill's right to serve the church as a priest, and it was into this situation that Peter and his siblings were born and raised to be good Catholics while they witnessed their father's personal conflict with the church's hierarchy. A multigenerational tale of spirituality, Vows also charts Peter's own calling, one which he tried to deny even as he felt compelled to consider the monastic life, toying with the idea of continuing a family tradition that stretches back over 300 years of Irish and French Catholic priests and nuns.
It is also in Peter's deft hands that we learn about a culture and a religion that has shaped so much of American life, affected generations of true believers, and withstood great turmoil. Vows is a compelling tale of one family's unshakable faith that to be called is to serve, however high the cost may be.
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"The thoughtful and well written story of the author's parents, a priest and a nun, who married during the turbulent post Vatican II era. One sees the secretive and powerful institutional structure which hid abusive priests which so damaged the church's faithful. Fascinating book. "
— Ellen (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Manseau’s memoir returns to the 1950s, the early years of his parents’ devotion to the church, and their eventual straying…Lawlor stakes out a tone part nostalgic, part removed and part regretful, nicely duplicating the feel of Manseau’s book and its conflicted feelings about the Church that so thoroughly dominated its protagonists’ lives.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This is a strange and marvelous story, told with unerring grace. In the Manseau family, the call to religious service is like the call of the ancient Sirens. And yet they survive. Peter Manseau’s writing is keen-eyed, lyrical, muscular, and more, and while Vows is a story about big ideas—religion, devotion, sacrifice—it is above all a love letter to his own family.”
— Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics and author of Turbulent Souls -
“An elegant, sonorous story of how faith can turn and bite you clear through, from a son of the bitten.…Manseau feels intellectually and emotionally drawn to religion. His quest provides a study in contrast with that of his parents, yet the final chapter shows how close they remain. Quiet yet resounding testament to genuine religious striving.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Vows Listener Reviews
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" This book was interesting but I would have prefered to read the story from the mother or father's point of view and not the son's. "
— Johanna, 2/5/2014 -
" The thoughtful and well written story of the author's parents, a priest and a nun, who married during the turbulent post Vatican II era. One sees the secretive and powerful institutional structure which hid abusive priests which so damaged the church's faithful. Fascinating book. "
— Ellen, 1/21/2014 -
" Very thought provoking - certainly a different religious experience than I grew up with. Author was able to examine a very complex, emotional, and personal issue while maintaining an objective presentation. "
— Marilyn, 1/20/2014 -
" Wow, finished reading it yesterday. A must read if from Boston with any family from Dorchester. Sad some of the story of of the abuses of priests, sad it ever even happened. "
— Lmbrence, 1/19/2014 -
" Great story of a priest with a family, written by the son. "
— Lori, 12/26/2013 -
" Not as interesting as I'd hoped--still I'm a sucker for "Nun lit" "
— Lisa, 12/18/2013 -
" He is so loving of his family, and he uses the church and social developments as a frame. Could work? "
— Liz, 12/2/2013 -
" Provides background of Peter Manseau, aughor of Songs for the Butcher's daughter. Fascinating, well written story of his parents' hard choices to maintain their faith while chosing each other. "
— Ellen, 11/17/2013 -
" A book showing some of the best people have to offer and some of the worst religion has to offer. Celibacy just isn't natural and is no virtue. "
— Mike, 11/16/2013 -
" Excellent, very interesting especially for anyone who grew up Catholic. "
— Ellen, 10/11/2013 -
" Just OK. I didn't find it as interesting as I expected. Too much of it is just chronological. His parents seem to be interesting characters - I would have liked to read more about their personalities in detail. "
— Judy, 10/3/2013 -
" A well told and complex story of the calamities of the catholic church and some of its servants. Manseau did a lovely job telling a tale that is so close to him. "
— Martha, 10/1/2013 -
" Long and sometimes boring, but still worth a read if religion (and its associated politics) interests you. "
— Sarah, 7/18/2013 -
" For those raised in Catholic homes, this is a great book. It drags on a bit... but I think it is interesting and filled with insight into the church, and those that devote their lives to God. "
— Tyler, 7/14/2013 -
" Very well written and it's done from a completely new perspective. Definitely recommend it if you have even a passing interest in religion. "
— Corrie, 9/22/2012 -
" This book gives a lot of background into the Catholic church. I also learned that those Priests who chose to marry were considered to be a part of the sex scandal in the Catholic church. Really good read! "
— Jncperrin, 8/24/2012 -
" Long and sometimes boring, but still worth a read if religion (and its associated politics) interests you. "
— Sarah, 3/20/2011 -
" Provides background of Peter Manseau, aughor of Songs for the Butcher's daughter. Fascinating, well written story of his parents' hard choices to maintain their faith while chosing each other. "
— Ellen, 9/24/2010 -
" Great story of a priest with a family, written by the son. "
— Lori, 3/17/2010 -
" not what i was hoping for or expecting -- too much about the priest scandals & not as much about the couple & family life "
— Michelle, 10/17/2009 -
" A book showing some of the best people have to offer and some of the worst religion has to offer. Celibacy just isn't natural and is no virtue. "
— Mike, 9/6/2009 -
" Very thought provoking - certainly a different religious experience than I grew up with. Author was able to examine a very complex, emotional, and personal issue while maintaining an objective presentation. "
— Marilyn, 8/3/2009 -
" Not as interesting as I'd hoped--still I'm a sucker for "Nun lit" "
— Lisa, 1/26/2009 -
" This book was interesting but I would have prefered to read the story from the mother or father's point of view and not the son's. "
— Johanna, 10/11/2008 -
" This book gives a lot of background into the Catholic church. I also learned that those Priests who chose to marry were considered to be a part of the sex scandal in the Catholic church. Really good read! "
— Jncperrin, 7/12/2008 -
" This book contains way more about the scandals in the Church than I anticipated. I wanted to know more about the relationships in the families. "
— Gina, 7/7/2008
About Peter Manseau
Peter Manseau is a novelist, memoirist, and historian and serves as curator of religion at the Smithsonian Institution. His first novel, Songs for the Butcher's Daughter, won the National Jewish Book Award, the American Library Association's Sophie Brody Medal, and the Ribalow Prize. A Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, it was shortlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize as well as France's Prix Medicis Étranger and has also been published in Spain, Italy, Israel, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Along with his novels, he is the author of eight nonfiction books.
About Patrick Lawlor
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.