I finished reading A Case of Conscience, by Isabel C. Clarke, last night.  It was an enjoyable read, and besides being entertaining, it makes you think.  The story involves a love triangle between a man and two half-sisters.  You could almost call it a love square, because the Catholic faith is presented as a very solid obstacle to love and marriage.  The handling of this issue is quite interesting, as it is vitally important, yet many people think nothing of mixed marriages today.

Read the full review of Isabel C Clarke’s A Case of Conscience on our Novels page.  (Click on the link above.)

I recently bought an original copy of A Case of Conscience by Isabel C. Clarke.  This author wrote many well-received Catholic novels, and I look forward to reading, reviewing, and featuring more of her books on this site in the future.

I bought my copy of A Case of Conscience for a very reasonable price on Ebay, and began eagerly reading it last night.

Published by Benziger Brothers in 1927, A Case of Conscience is 370 pages long, and I am now on page 73.  This is not a fast-paced book, yet it is not cumbersome to read; the old-fashioned style just takes a little getting used to.

So far, the story takes place in Italy, at a lake-side villa where nineteen-year-old Elizabeth  lives with her ailing father(John), to whom she is very devoted, having no one else in the world since her mother left them both when Elizabeth was only a few weeks old.  When Elizabeth’s father dies, she decides to go see her mother, who lives in England with a second husband and a daughter, Opal, Elizabeth’s half-sister.

At the same time, handsome Timothy, a very distant relative, has inherited John’s ancestral land in England, and finds himself drawn to both Elizabeth and Opal.  He is a lax Catholic, while Elizabeth is a devout Catholic.

Certainly one can see the potential for twists, complications, and the voice of conscience . . .

We shall see, as the reading continues!

JMJ

There’s nothing like a good novel — especially when the “good” lives up to its meaning!

Welcome! This website is the product of a fervent desire to locate novels that are worthy to be called traditional Catholic novels. In the past, searching online for ”traditional Catholic novels” rarely yielded satisfying results; because while it’s not too difficult to find traditional Catholic nonfiction books, traditional Catholic fiction is another matter. Our goal is to change this.

The purpose of this site is to give voracious novel readers somewhere to turn without having to resort to the moral messes of many modern mass market books (try saying that ten times fast!) Whether young or old, you should never have to run out of good books to read.

Notable Novels Contain Values From The Past, For The Future:

Here you will find the titles of some old Catholic novels and some new, but all are enjoyably compelling and enriching. The purpose of the featured novels is not to preach, but to entertain while remaining compatible with traditional Catholic values. You don’t have to wonder if these books fit into a traditional Catholic lifestyle. Enjoy!

How to Find Traditional Catholic Novels:

Turn to us, because that’s what we’re here for. We will be constantly updating our list, as well as writing reviews of the books. While we will provide links for purchasing books still in print, many of the books may be out of print. This does not mean you won’t be able to locate them, however. Use the valuable “clues” provided by us (the book’s title and author) and do your own online search.  We recommend checking pcp.com,  AbeBooks.com, Amazon, and Ebay.

Libraries and online bookstores will likely yield more fruitful results than your local bookstore (unless it’s a used bookstore). Garage sales, estate sales, church sales, and auctions are all possibilities, although you may feel you’re searching for a needle in a haystack. (We prefer to think of it as a treasure hunt.) Happy hunting!

Write One!

We’re serious. If you have the desire, the imagination, and the God-given talent, this just may be your calling. The world needs more good novels, and the readers are out here! Check out this Writing Advice link to get started.  Also be sure to thouroughly read the Catholic Fiction Submission Guidelines for Sophia Institute Press. There you will find articles containing excellent Catholic fiction writing advice.

Finally, remember this:  All good writing starts with good reading!

“No one who bothers about originality will ever be original,

whereas if you try simply to tell the truth,

you will, nine times out of ten,

become original without ever having noticed it.”

– C.S. Lewis

y