Magnificent Corpses: Searching Through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Claire's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saints' Relics

This was a short book, but it was a slog and it has several problems. The first is that none of the Saints mentioned in the title are actually in the book. Instead, the book is about the author's trek around Europe looking for relics of obscure saints that are found in obscure places. At the beginning of the book the author says that she wondered why people venerated these objects, but she never does anything or writes anything that answers that question.

The book is structured in a series of vignettes about each saint and the trials and tribulations of trying to find these obscure relics and the equally obscure churches that house them. The searches themselves would be fodder for a book, but the author chooses to make snarky remarks show more about the churches, the relics, the saints, and the people she sees and meets along the way. In fact it is her snarky attitude about the people she meets that set my teeth on edge. I don't think a book about relics has to be totally glorified praise or filled with excessive reverence, but this kind of remark totally disrupt the flow of the book and are just plain sarcastic and mean-spirited. Relics are relics because they have some kind of religious significance and that alone requires a certain kind of respect and tolerance. This author displays none of that.

A sample of her snark - At one of the last churches she visits she sees an American frat boy who is visiting. He leans up against the glass casket, lays his hand on it, and says "Hi Amigo." The author then adds. He has buttocks that are going to grow larger and larger with age. As a reader, you are thinking "What?" And then "Why would she say that?" I won't be reading another of her books and wonder why I bothered to finish reading this one. show less

I am giving this book 2 stars only because I read a whole batch of gory and somewhat interesting stories of the lives of some saints that I did not know before. Despite having gone to Catholic school, I tussled and wrestled the nuns to the ground over my rebelliousness and questions - needless to say I was not a popular child.

I have always loved angels and saints. I am also the recipient of a few miracles thru praying novenas to a couple of saints, that science would not be able to explain. However, I am not into clergy or the Pope. It is a case of love the religion, despise who runs it.

This book was written by a woman who is not Catholic, or even Christian and her snarkiness, cynicism and general disrespect colors each page. I show more literally winced when she used the word ' crotch ' in the story of Maria Goretti, a little 12 year old girl who was savagely murdered, rather than allow herself to be raped. That word paired with a story of a 12 year old is cringe worthy. She made snide remarks throughout about the appearance of the saints or their stories.

I am not a fan of what was done to these bodies - I find it disgraceful. Once a person is gone, they need to have a proper and decent burial and not have their bodies hacked apart and sent all over the globe for people to venerate. So I too find it fairly bizarre and unholy to not bury someone, cut off their heads, or hands, or legs or whatever and ship them all over Europe - but that was what was thought right 200-2000 years ago, thankfully it is no longer done. Since she has no real regard for Christianity, has a hatred of missionaries, no love of saints or how they help mankind, it was inappropriate and insulting for her to have written this book at all. show less

I'm a big Anneli Rufus fan. This book definitly reached my weird and wonderful history bone. I've had the fortune to have visited some of the places that Rufus wrote about and her stories added to my visit.

This book was disappointing enough that I've just had to stop reading it. Bummer.