The Road to Damietta

Rich in the atmosphere of thirteenth-century Italy, The Road to Damietta offers through Ricca di Montanaro’s eyes a new perspective on the man who became the famous Saint Francis of Assisi, the guileless, joyous man who praised the oneness of nature and sought to bring the world into harmony. “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace,” he said. “Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”

“O’Dell . . . has written what may be his finest novel. It will be a long time before readers cease to feel the impact of O’Dell’s drama and the influence of the saint who urged us to love each other and “all things great and small.” Publishers Weekly