Vestments Hardcover – September 7, 2010

The short: If you like thoughtful, provocative (albeit sometimes slow) reading, I would recommend this book. You might also like this book if you enjoy reading memoirs (though this is a fictional story, it reads like a memoir). I think it is especially fitting for group discussions, like a book club. If you have a shorter attention span in reading or if you read for a short-term thrill or entertainment, this may not be the one for you. Good use of foreshadowing, character development, and chronographic splicing by the author. While not necessary a book that I would read multiple times, its themes and story will stick with me for a long time. There is some strong language throughout to be aware of, if that is something that bothers you.The long: At first I wasn't sure about this book, as the online description made it seem boring, but it had many positive reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I found it engaging, enlightening, and had trouble putting it down once I started. Like any good literature, I think the meaning and depth of the book is different for each person depending on their life circumstances as they read it, and I could easily see how many people might derive a different meaning of the book. Possible central themes or discussion topics:* The [un]changeable nature-personality of man* The need for companionship/love -and/or- the agony of loneliness* Choice and accountability -or- sin and forgiveness* Duty to God (and duty to family/fellow man)* The cycle of life and death and the legacy we leave* Importance of family (pride in family, support of family), warts and all* Struggle between will of man and will of God (Devout Catholics might also pick up on something that was lost on me as a reader)* The value of fulfilling your vows/promises (in reality vs. only on the surface), personal integrityIn a nutshell, the story is about a man who grows up, becomes a priest, makes some mistakes and is censured by the church, and how he deals with it (oversimplified to avoid spoilers). Of course, not being Catholic, I had to do some side research to understand some of the rites and vernacular, but also enjoyed learning about that, as well. (Note, however, that this is by no means a "Christian" or evangelical book, and religion is only a tertiary theme.) That seems like a pretty basic story to tell in over 400 pages, but part of the reason I found the book to be rewarding is because the author goes into great details to illustrate environments, describe personal histories, and re-tell stories germane to the storyline. The author really sets the stage well for the main story. In doing so, I felt as a reader that I was "plugged-in" to the narrator's life, and could connect with each of the individuals in a very real way, even drawing parallels to those that I know in real life. However, as some of the critical reviews stated, this makes the book seem longer than it needs to be to get the story and themes related, and makes it start slow (p. 192 is where it picks up), so it's a tradeoff; if you are the type of person who wants to "get lost" in a book for several hours, this book might be more fitting for you than than for those who like to burn through many books each week/month. In that regard, I felt like this would make a terrible movie (as cinema simply cannot do justice to character development like that), but an excellent book. Another critical review mentioned that the book does not have a climax and has very few entertaining sections. To this I would absolutely agree--I felt that the purpose of this book is not to entertain or to thrill a reader, but rather to invoke some poignant thoughts and reflections as a reader. And though it doesn't have the traditional context-buildup-climax-resolution pattern in movies or other books, the piece does have a solid and coherent storyline that ends with a sensible conclusion.

Reading any novel involves surrendering yourself to the thoughts, attitudes and perspectives of the book's narrator. In Vestments, Reimringer has fashioned a narrator whose voice it is a pleasure to have banging about in one's head; his Father James is--like most of us--a mess of contradictions, weak here and strong there, certain of some things and full of doubt about others. But he is also eloquent, fundamentally decent, sensitive and aware of his own potential for destruction. What resonates after one finishes the book is this tough and tender voice, clear, perceptive, tinged with regret. It is Reimringer's singular achievement in his novel that Father James comes so fully to life, that he seems to breathe and live on after the book is closed.The book's measured pace will make some readers chafe early on, but even in Vestments' quiet moments, the author's eye for detail and his well-honed sentences propel us forward. In the plot's more active turns--a bar scuffle, a suicide--Reimringer hits his stride: his cool, vigorous writing, sharp observations and emotional clarity make these passages sing. However, the book's final fifty pages show most clearly Reimringer's writerly gift. Here, the book's various strands align themselves so naturally and with such subtle power that careful readers will see that this novel swings for the fences, that Vestments addresses those Big Questions we all face, the very questions with which literary fiction ought to confront us.

Vestments is very well written, with a complex and interesting set of charaters engaged in a strong plot. Reimringer also writes St. Paul and Minnesota very well. It's quite obvious he knows St. Paul and even if you've never been there, you'll get a great feeling for the city after reading this book. I am not a very religious person but reading Reimringer's book made me not only engage in the story's characters, but also my own Catholic thoughts and beliefs. Perhaps part of my enjoyment in reading this may be because I'm Catholic, and Reimringer is a former Catholic (Catholics get other Catholics, even if they're no longer part of the church) but I think it's a great book regardless of your religious background or personal feelings on the issue. A well written book is a well written book.

Vestments is incredibly well written with a cast of characters who become important and you care about even the ones you don't like. Vestments takes a hard look at the choices that are made in life and the different ways people live with them. It is a masterful look at one man's coming of age in the complex mix of spirituality, love, desire, and a far from perfect family. That being said it is enjoyable to read with characters that you can imagine living among us.

I read this book for a Bookclub Retreat I attended. It generated all sorts of good conversation about the actions/behaviors of priests in the Catholic Church. I would recommend it for other bookclub groups! I think it was a real and fair assessment.

Like another reviewer, I am neither from St. Paul nor Catholic but stayed up quite late reading this book because I just could not put it down. The writer has drawn a beautiful story with a light and deft hand. The characters are well developed and completely believable. I loved this book, have recommended it to several friends who also loved it and anxiously await the second novel of Mr. Reimringer.

Seller delivered this MUCH faster than expected and in excellent condition. Extremely happy!

I didn't think I would like this book as much as I did. By the end, I found that it moved me deeply as related to the main character's feelings about the church, being a priest, and serving Mass. I was touched.