Rating: 
Summary: Searching for Miracles
Review: The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn is a story about people in search of miracles, people who need a change in their lives. Francesca Dunn is a rather ordinary 8th grader, with divorced parents, and perhaps some sort of eating disorder. She works at a local diner serving food to the homeless and one of the men there--a kind man, but mentally unstable--believes that she is the Virgin Mary returned to earth. He is convinced she has healed several of those around him and his beliefs start what becomes Francesca's cult following. Many people attach on to Francesca in search of their own miracles--a financial turnaround, spiritual awakening, something. Francesca's presence is merely a catalyst, not a "miracle". The story here is interesting, but frankly I think it lacked a certain extra something to make it really special. It's a good quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Searching for Miracles
Review: The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn is a story about people in search of miracles, people who need a change in their lives. Francesca Dunn is a rather ordinary 8th grader, with divorced parents, and perhaps some sort of eating disorder. She works at a local diner serving food to the homeless and one of the men there--a kind man, but mentally unstable--believes that she is the Virgin Mary returned to earth. He is convinced she has healed several of those around him and his beliefs start what becomes Francesca's cult following. Many people attach on to Francesca in search of their own miracles--a financial turnaround, spiritual awakening, something. Francesca's presence is merely a catalyst, not a "miracle". The story here is interesting, but frankly I think it lacked a certain extra something to make it really special. It's a good quick read.
Rating:
Summary: ¿How can he be so sure how God works¿
Review: The meaning of "annunciation" in the Christian religion is the announcement to the Virgin Mary by the angel Gabriel of the incarnation of Christ. This basic tenant provides the backdrop to The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn, a gorgeously written but slightly uneven novel by Janis Hallowell. Told in sparingly almost disparate prose, and full of delicate imagery and rich emotion, the story poses fundamental questions of science and faith and conveys the ever-present dichotomies that exist between the two. Told in irregular chapters by four different characters, we witness Francesca Dunn's startling transformation into a Virgin Mother - one who is gifted and is given the gift to perform miracles on members of a small community in Connecticut. This is a story about the elusive nature of the spirit and how people try to reconcile their faith and religious beliefs in a modern, secular, twenty first century world where the world of science takes precedence. The novel begins with the voice of Chester, the homeless man. He names himself the protector of Francesca and he believes she is the Blessed Virgin after seeing her perform miracles on his fellow homeless friends in a local cafe. For Chester, the virgin becomes his only guide, the only one to tell him what to do. Francesca, the centerpiece of the novel is an average, somewhat spoilt fourteen year-old who plays the cello and wishes that her mother would pay more attention to her. When she releases that she has the power to change people's lives and can hold the mystery of life in her hands, she becomes a celebrity and a deity; but no one ultimately knows exactly what kind of power that Francesca possesses. Another narrative voice is Sid, Francesca's troubled girlfriend who has her own demons to contend with as she battles with a drunken, useless mother, and in a duplicitous act of betrayal, tries to make money from Francesca's miracle workings. For me though, the most interesting character is Anne, Francesca's paleobotanist Mom, who believes fervently in science and in the God of natural selection, "his was a rigged-up junkyard full of life, held together with spit and baling wire." She initially scoffs at Francesca's annunciation and likens it to a drop of water between two slides, like in biology lab, squashed flat so that nobody could move, so that everything could be seen, as if being put under a huge microscope. Hallowell packs the story with meaning and symbolism, but she does it with a grace and simplicity of voice that is impossible not to like. The narrative does lose some of its impetus towards the end, and the sudden death of one of the major characters doesn't quite work. There is still, however, a certain dramatic tension that permeates the entire novel that should keep the reader involved until the end. I like the questions that Hallowell raises on the uses of medicine and how prescribing medication to prevent the creative forces of visionaries, mystics and martyrs would prevent more suffering, but at the same time, would produce a world without the creativity of saints and madman, because "someone has to walk on the outer edges, Someone has to stir things up." Mike Leonard April 04.
Rating:
Summary: ¿How can he be so sure how God works¿
Review: The meaning of "annunciation" in the Christian religion is the announcement to the Virgin Mary by the angel Gabriel of the incarnation of Christ. This basic tenant provides the backdrop to The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn, a gorgeously written but slightly uneven novel by Janis Hallowell. Told in sparingly almost disparate prose, and full of delicate imagery and rich emotion, the story poses fundamental questions of science and faith and conveys the ever-present dichotomies that exist between the two. Told in irregular chapters by four different characters, we witness Francesca Dunn's startling transformation into a Virgin Mother - one who is gifted and is given the gift to perform miracles on members of a small community in Connecticut. This is a story about the elusive nature of the spirit and how people try to reconcile their faith and religious beliefs in a modern, secular, twenty first century world where the world of science takes precedence. The novel begins with the voice of Chester, the homeless man. He names himself the protector of Francesca and he believes she is the Blessed Virgin after seeing her perform miracles on his fellow homeless friends in a local cafe. For Chester, the virgin becomes his only guide, the only one to tell him what to do. Francesca, the centerpiece of the novel is an average, somewhat spoilt fourteen year-old who plays the cello and wishes that her mother would pay more attention to her. When she releases that she has the power to change people's lives and can hold the mystery of life in her hands, she becomes a celebrity and a deity; but no one ultimately knows exactly what kind of power that Francesca possesses. Another narrative voice is Sid, Francesca's troubled girlfriend who has her own demons to contend with as she battles with a drunken, useless mother, and in a duplicitous act of betrayal, tries to make money from Francesca's miracle workings. For me though, the most interesting character is Anne, Francesca's paleobotanist Mom, who believes fervently in science and in the God of natural selection, "his was a rigged-up junkyard full of life, held together with spit and baling wire." She initially scoffs at Francesca's annunciation and likens it to a drop of water between two slides, like in biology lab, squashed flat so that nobody could move, so that everything could be seen, as if being put under a huge microscope. Hallowell packs the story with meaning and symbolism, but she does it with a grace and simplicity of voice that is impossible not to like. The narrative does lose some of its impetus towards the end, and the sudden death of one of the major characters doesn't quite work. There is still, however, a certain dramatic tension that permeates the entire novel that should keep the reader involved until the end. I like the questions that Hallowell raises on the uses of medicine and how prescribing medication to prevent the creative forces of visionaries, mystics and martyrs would prevent more suffering, but at the same time, would produce a world without the creativity of saints and madman, because "someone has to walk on the outer edges, Someone has to stir things up." Mike Leonard April 04.
Rating: 
Summary: Audio CD version - a great unabridged listen
Review: This audiobook on CD was a great listen. It is unabridged on 8 CDs and runs for 8 hours. The narrators do an excellent job of reading; the narrators each seemed to really understand their character's personalities, and it helped me enjoy the book more, hearing it read aloud.
My only complaint about the book or the narration was that the narrator's voices sounded much too alike, and I often got confused as to which character's point of view I was listening to at any given time. It was easy to figure out within a moment, but I would have preferred it to be clearer.
As to the plot and writing itself, I found the book very thought provoking and engaging. I cared about the characters and could see even the conflicting points of view. I'd recommend this book highly, either on audio or in a hard copy.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected...
Review: This book was not what I expected but was wonderful nevertheless.. Francesca Dunn is a 14 year old girl on the cusp of becoming a woman but still very much a child, her parents have recently divorced and she feels abandoned by her previously doting father whose dream it was for Francesca to be a famous celloist.. She begins to realize she is not the prodigy her father had hoped for, at about the same time as a homeless man at the soup kitchen where she works announces that she is the virgin mother.. a frenzy of adulation ensues.. making Francesca feel special once again and her mother doubt her daughters sanity.. told in the alternating pov's of Anne the mother, Francesca, her bestfriend Sid and the homeless man Chester.. Excellent I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A mystery in these pages...
Review: Throughout the book, you'll be asking yourself if Francesca truly is the religious icon her community comes to believe she is. Is she carrying an immaculate conception? Can she heal people with a touch? Well told, this story is one you'll find as thought provoking as it is entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A Subtle, Yet Provocative Novel
Review: While some people might have thought that The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn is just all about a 14-year old girl who has been disillusioned that she is the Virgin Mother, it was for me more about the nature of God and how it affects everyone. Some might have thought that the ending was not as interesting as it was hoped to be, but I think that the author must created it for the purpose of making the reader ponder the timeless questions, "Is there a God?" and "Is science God?". I have derived this conclusion (for those who don't want to know the plot, stop here :)) because Chester (who was one of the four characters who supposedly reveals that Francesca is the Virgin) became well after being treated by a doctor, as well as Francesca, who ceased to stop thinking she was the Virgin after she took medication for her "mental illness". Here we can see "divinity" being overshadowed by scientific efforts. Well, this book is certainly more philosophical than I expected it to be, and I would recommend it to those with open minds, ready to embrace the possibilities of things that we both know so well and those that we do not... :)
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