Rating: 
Summary: UNBECOMING
Review: "Magnificent Corpses", by Anneli Rufus, sub-titled, " Searching Through Europe For St. Peter's Head, St. Chiara's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand And Other Saints' Relics". Marlowe & Company, New York, 1999. According to her "Introduction", Anneli Rufus was a Jewish child who was always intrigued by the practice of the collection and veneration of relics in the Christian church. As a child, she liked to read the Lives of the Saints. Her book is not just an unbeliever's examination of the idiosyncrasies of the Faithful in the belief in the efficacy of relics. Her writing is so unbecoming that it borders, in my opinion, on being nasty. In her first chapter, "So Many Maidens", on St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, she writes about the maidens: "...so much long silky hair and so many quarts of menstrual blood". (Page 12). Unbecoming! In writers' conferences, I have been taught that every written word should advance your central theme. What do "...quarts of menstrual blood" have to do with incorruptible corpses scattered as relics a round Europe? Where was the author's editor? Nasty. This tone of writing continues throughout. Later in the book the author describes being assailed by bad breath in one church. Personally, I have encountered bad breath on the subways of NYC and in the underground of London, but I do not think that descriptions of these encounters would advance a written travelogue on these two tourist cities. In describing the clothes tourists wear, the author makes a case for some formal tourist dress code, particularly, perhaps, for American tourists, but, then again, does this advance the central theme of the book? What does the dress of the visitors has to do with the practice of dismembering the bodies of Saints so that each little village can have their own relic? Where was the editor? Henry VIII beheaded St. Thomas More (1478-1531). More's body is buried under the chapel at the Tower of London. His head was stuck on a pike for all to see, but his daughter lovingly took the head away in the dark of night. Anneli Rufus might have written a better book if she had spent her time documenting where the head of this English Saint is rather than writing about menstrual blood, bad breath and graffiti. For the reader truly interested in the strange phenomenon of bodies that do not decay, along with practice of venerating such saintly relics, I would recommend the book, "The Incorruptibles", by Joan C. Cruz, Tan Books, 1991.
Rating: 
Summary: an enlightening travelogue into the world of saints
Review: A fascinating read. Though I found her narrative a bit dismissive at first (particulary when talking about worshippers and Europeans), the author found her groove around the middle. Up until that point, it was only the entrancing accounts of the saints' lives and the descriptions of the churches and relics that kept my attention. After her groove discovery, though, she began really nailing her social commentary, relating the lives of the saints to modern day as well as putting into light the repercussions some of these saints' "miracles" actually created (like St. Francis). Overall, informative, fun and even bred some wanderlust.
Rating:
Summary: Why Write It?
Review: A very unpleasant book, the author clearly holds these relics (and the saints) of which she writes in utter contempt. Bad Paul Theroux, at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting...
Review: Although I did find the stories of the relics interesting and creepy, I found Ms. Rufus' constant commentary on how silly and ridiculous it all was, insulting. Perhaps not all of us, even those of us who are Catholics, understand the reasons some are so devoted to the relics, but it certainly doesn't hurt anyone. It's rude to make fun of someone elses beliefs. I was hoping for an even handed look into the lives of the Saints, but I didn't get it.
Rating:
Summary: Disrespectful Towards Catholic Religion & Beliefs
Review: Although the practice of venerating relics may seem odd and somewhat bizarre to many modern Americans, this practice is nonetheless an ancient and hallowed tradition of the Catholic Church. It has been practiced not just by "serfs" as the author states, but also by many of the greatest leaders in antiquity, including Charlamagne and Constantine, not to mention countless European kings, queens and nobles. Quite frankly, it does not matter to me even slightly if the author of this book possesses the ability to comprehend or understand the practice. It is quite natural for people of different religions to misunderstand or be somewhat baffled by the practices and customs of another religion. This is the nature of religious diversity. The author of this book is Jewish, a religion for which I have tremendous respect (as I respect all religions). However, every religion contains various beliefs and practices which seem odd or bizzare to others. The practice of venerating relics by Catholics may seem as bizarre to those of the Jewish faith, as do Kosher practices which include the use of seperate sets of dishes for meat and dairy products, seem to many Catholics. Although I respect the author's desire to understand religious beliefs of others, I feel that this book assumes a subtle mocking and thinly veiled condescending tone. I feel that these subtle anti-Catholic views are guised under the pretense of a colorful travel jounal, through Europe. There is no justification to belittle the religious beliefs of others in modern American society. I kindly ask the author of this book to show more respect and dignity towards the religious beliefs of others, regardless of personal opinions or observations. The writing style used for the book is somewhat dry and tiring.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, but hostile
Review: An amusing account, but why the hostility towards Catholicism? Clearly this is written by someone with little or no personal understanding of faith and spirituality. I agree that the the practice of removing relics is gruesome, but it is a part of history. In modern times, few believers actually believe that the relics themselves have magical powers. They are, however, a physical presence of someone whose faith you admire, someone with a strong connection to God. When you think about it, visiting a reliquary is not all that far removed from visiting the gravesite of a loved one. And so much hostility towards the worshipers and other tourists! -- people have stupid t-shirts, bad haircuts, and abysmal manners anywhere you go, from an amusement park to a museum to a supermarket. Descriptions of the church visitors are often an unnecessary and annoying distraction. I think that Rufus has a fascination with relics in part because she wishes she could have faith in the unknown and could have the same level of happiness and optimism as believers. Her comments on Maria Goretti also show a close-minded opinion of her veneration -- the church values life and would not insist that a woman die rather than be raped. The point is that she was died for her beliefs and the level of her commitment is what is valued (if you recall the story, it's not that she asked to be killed but rather that her assailant turned homicidal when she refused him). All this having been said, the book is highly entertaining, and I also have enjoyed her "Weird Europe" book, but I think this could have be written without the attacks (criticism is good, but this is not "constructive")
Rating: 
Summary: A Deliciously Morbid Read!
Review: Anneli Rufus takes the reader on a jaunt through Europe, creating "word paintings" of medieval times juxtaposed with modern attributes of the cities which house the specific relics discussed in the book. It is difficult for the mind to grasp the researched histories and vignettes that tell the story of each relic! We find ourselves both horrified and intrigued at once. Many of the behaviors of the sainted women portrayed are highly suggestive of anorexia nervosa, misdirected and/or suppressed eroticism, self-destructiveness, and obsessive compulsive disorder and would be viewed very differently in our modern world. I highly recommend this to any reader who is interested in the offbeat and the early history of the Catholic Church and its traditions.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent Disappointment
Review: As a non-Catholic who finds the Catholic church and all of its excesses fascinating, I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, Magnificent Corpses is quite a disappointment in both structure and substance. The book is a collection of barely strung together essays on the history of saints and their modern relics. The loose collection only magnifies the lack of editing in the book. I had no idea why the author always commented about an "incorrupt corpse" until the last chapter or so when she finally explained it to us all. She also repeats stories without referring back to her earlier statements. The stories themselves are also repetitive with constant cutesy references to girls in tube tops, women with shopping bags, or men in Bermudas to bring the reader back to present day. After the second time, we get the picture already! Finally, I can do without the heavy dose of late 20th Century politically correct morals laced in her commentary of the saints and the present day countries that she visited. It's enough to make a liberal, like myself, want to scream!
Rating:
Summary: unsatisfying and superficial
Review: Having visited a few relics myself (St. Oliver Plunkett's head in Drogheda, Ireland and Blessed Brother Andre's heart in Montreal), I was quite excited to find this book. I knew that the author isn't a Catholic, so I wasn't expecting a book heavy on either background or doctrine. Instead, I was expecting a light hearted, but respectful, look at the relics and the people who worship them. What I found was a lot more background, but a lot less respect, than I expected. It's clear Rufus has studied her Butler's Lives of the Saints very thoroughly, because she does an excellent job of giving the historical details of the saints' lives and telling how their relics ended up in the places where they are located. She even does a great job of describing the appearance of the churches and the saints' reliquaries. Where the book falls short is in its compassion for those who believe in a relic's power. Rufus uses a Joan Didion-esque style to talk about the people visiting the relics at the same time she was visiting them. In these asides, she primarily focuses on people who either clearly did not want to be visiting the relics or were visiting only as part of a tour. She also tends to show most people either not knowing where these relics are located, or so focused on day to day activity that they don't pay attention to them. By focusing on these people and situations, Rufus gives the impression that the relics are not a part of today's life, and that the people who visit them for faith reasons aren't "normal". Rufus backs up this impression by interjecting her opinions on the psychological and physiological conditions of the saints. These comments give the book a cynical tone that isn't appropriate for the topic. Discussing relics is not an easy subject to write about. Focusing on the morbid or gruesome aspects of the relics will only get the devout angry. Focusing on the spiritual side to relics would bore the non-believer audience. Rufus attempted to find a middle road by taking a journalistic approach to the topic. Yet, she undermines the journalistic intent of her study by interjecting her commentary into each chapter. The result is a book that is an interesting introduction to the history of these relics, but one that lacks any spiritual perspective to place these items into their proper context.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Informative, But Too Cynical For The Topic
Review: Having visited a few relics myself (St. Oliver Plunkett's head in Drogheda, Ireland and Blessed Brother Andre's heart in Montreal), I was quite excited to find this book. I knew that the author isn't a Catholic, so I wasn't expecting a book heavy on either background or doctrine. Instead, I was expecting a light hearted, but respectful, look at the relics and the people who worship them. What I found was a lot more background, but a lot less respect, than I expected. It's clear Rufus has studied her Butler's Lives of the Saints very thoroughly, because she does an excellent job of giving the historical details of the saints' lives and telling how their relics ended up in the places where they are located. She even does a great job of describing the appearance of the churches and the saints' reliquaries. Where the book falls short is in its compassion for those who believe in a relic's power. Rufus uses a Joan Didion-esque style to talk about the people visiting the relics at the same time she was visiting them. In these asides, she primarily focuses on people who either clearly did not want to be visiting the relics or were visiting only as part of a tour. She also tends to show most people either not knowing where these relics are located, or so focused on day to day activity that they don't pay attention to them. By focusing on these people and situations, Rufus gives the impression that the relics are not a part of today's life, and that the people who visit them for faith reasons aren't "normal". Rufus backs up this impression by interjecting her opinions on the psychological and physiological conditions of the saints. These comments give the book a cynical tone that isn't appropriate for the topic. Discussing relics is not an easy subject to write about. Focusing on the morbid or gruesome aspects of the relics will only get the devout angry. Focusing on the spiritual side to relics would bore the non-believer audience. Rufus attempted to find a middle road by taking a journalistic approach to the topic. Yet, she undermines the journalistic intent of her study by interjecting her commentary into each chapter. The result is a book that is an interesting introduction to the history of these relics, but one that lacks any spiritual perspective to place these items into their proper context.
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