Though written for the young reader it is entertaining enough to hold the interest of any age group. Parents as well as grandparents confess that their willingness to read to the children is an excuse to peruse the novels for their own entertainment. Fr. Finn has a unique style which is irresistible to all.
Summary: All the children who thronged Baum Street were unanimously attracted to their hero, Paul Francis, a tall 27 year old gentleman whom they actually knew nothing about. His name, occupation and residence were all a mystery to them. They vied for his attention and were content to call him Lord Bountiful, the name bestowed on him by Joe Dowling.
Joe was one of seven children living in poverty in a four room suite with their mother since the disappearance of their father who was missing in military service. Their situation deeply touched Lord Bountiful who was to play a significant role in the welfare of this family. Somehow, Mrs. Dowling had sensed from their first meeting that Paul was sent to them by the Little Flower. The family's ongoing devotion to St. Therese is edifying and proves to be most fruitful.
Mrs. Dowling, a devoted mother who cleaned and scrubbed to support her family, had been forced by dire straits to give up her four-year-old twins. Her patient resignation to God's Holy Will gained for her the virtue of hope and the perseverance to keep going.
This book, as most of Fr. Finn's works, deals with real life situations and people, teaching valuable lessons and yet it is hilariously entertaining at the same time.
A new release from the foremost Catholic writer of fiction for young people, Fr. Finn. Back in print after 75 years, this book provides a wondrous world full of exciting people and great adventure for all boys and girls. Reflecting Catholic life in the early days of the 20th century, the triumphs are always over the forces of evil.
Father Francis J. Finn was born to Irish immigrant parents at St. Louis, Missouri in 1859. He loved to read Charles Dickens works as a boy, including The Pickwick Papers, and eventually became a priest thanks to the influence of Father Charles Coppens. After graduating from St. Louis University, he became a Jesuit and was ordained a priest in 1893. He had already begun writing his debut novel Tom Playfair prior to this, as he was assigned to St. Mary s College in Kansas and dealt with unruly boys on a daily basis. He went on to write twenty-seven other books, and his novels for children were very successful. He was much loved by young people, and thousands of them gathered to honor his death in 1928.
