Holy Pictures
by Clare Boylan
At a glance:
- Author: Clare Boylan
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 1925
- Setting: Dublin
- Characters: Nan Cantwell, Mary Cantwell, Mr. Cantwell, Mrs. Cantwell, Nellie, Doll, Ivor “Shyster” Schweitzer
- Genres: Long fiction, Novel
- Subjects: Girls, Maturation or coming of age, Adolescence, 1920's, Death or dying, Miracles, Ireland or Irish people
- Locales: Europe, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
In the Roman Catholic Church, holy pictures are reminders of the lives of persons or saints. On the front side of such an artifact is the picture itself, beautifully detailed in radiant colors; on the back side, one finds indulgences or prayers, the recitation of which buys remission of temporal (purgatorial) punishment for sins pardoned by the receiving of the sacrament of penance. This custom provides the title and the organizing principle for Clare Boylan’s first novel, Holy Pictures.
When her father dies, halfway through the novel, Mary Cantwell receives...
(The entire page is 2927 words.)
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