New novel offers unique view of love, death, grief, Catholic Church
MILWAUKEE (MMD Newswire) September 13, 2010 -- A Widow of the Roman Church by Paula Dáil seeks to offer a unique perspective on love, death, grief and the Catholic Church through a fictional romance between a feminist professor and a Catholic priest. "The story presents, among other things, a strong argument for the vital, life-sustaining role women occupy in the lives of emotionally healthy Catholic priests," says Dáil.
The novel illuminates Professor Gillian Spencer's and Monsignor Sam Kennedy's intimate 14-year relationship, which lasted until Kennedy's untimely death. In this story, a sequel to Dáil's earlier novel, Uneasy States of Grace, readers follow Spencer's intense struggle with grief following Kennedy's death, and watch her reconstruct her life on her terms, as a single woman. "By inviting the reader into her world, Spencer shows us how both love and grief have lives of their own, and each must be fully embraced if a woman's life is to be richly experienced and deeply rewarding," says Dáil.
"For those willing to allow it to happen, the story can be a magically transforming one," notes Dáil, "by encouraging the reader to share Spencer's quest for meaning following Sam's death." Dáil believes readers can learn from Spencer's feminist beliefs as they guide her in saving a corner of her heart for Sam while at the same time suffering through grief so profound it transforms her.
Dáil also seeks to challenge what she feels is the typical, callous American view of the grief process, one that expects someone who is grieving to move on as quickly as possible, with a view toward returning to their previously normal and productive life. "The book suggests that grief is a transformative process for those willing to undertake it on their own terms and in their own time," Dáil states. "This usually results in a 'new normal' emerging. I feel that all women can identify with the turbulent emotions this story evokes and the surprises it contains."
A Widow of the Roman Church is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
About the Author
Paula Dáil received her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently under contract with McFarland Publishing Company to write a nonfiction book on women in poverty. She has published extensively both in the social sciences and as a creative writer.
MEDIA CONTACT
Paula Dáil
Email: pdail@charter.net
Phone: (414) 610-0163
Web: www.writingladllc.com
REVIEW COPIES AND INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE
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