The Rosary (Book Review)

Gary Wills, The Rosary, New York: Penguin Books, 2006, ISBN 0-14-303797-8, pp. 190, $15, Can. $18.50.

Garry Wills is a well known and respected writer. He has authored books that have become huge successes. Some of his works include What Jesus meant, What Paul meant, Saint Augustine, Why I am a Catholic, Papal Sin and Under God: Religion and American Politics. He has received the Pulitzer Prize for his book Lincoln at Gettysburg.

The book is written in simple language and presents the devotion of the rosary well. Each of the mysteries are explained, thus fostering the rosary’s spirit of prayer and meditation. The author uses the paintings of Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti) to drive messages. He provides us with a short theological reflection of each painting which nearly corresponds to each mystery of the rosary.

In his introduction, the author presents the rosary as a timely and timeless form of prayer. Timely because people are longing for quiet and regeneration and timeless because it has alternative variations in other faiths like Hinduism and Buddhism and also because it has been used for ages to aid contemplation. The first chapter gives us the background of the rosary, comprising of its history and elements. The succeeding chapters are devoted to each set of mysteries, namely the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious. Each mystery has the authors reflection besides the pertinent text from the Bible and a reflection on Tintoretto’s painting. The reflections are lucid and appealing but what I liked best were the reflections on the paintings. The paintings are immensely beautiful. The coloured copies are inserted in addition to greyscale ones.

The book is worth reading and instructional. The paintings are a treat but cannot be enjoyed fully as they are spread over two pages and folded into the spine of the book. The author needs to be commended for his work. Those looking to understand the rosary and delve deeper into its mysteries will find wealth in this work.