"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms."
—Muriel Rukeyser
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The Pensive Chronicler Reviews Nicolas Bazan's The Dark Madonna

The Dark Madonna


Review: When I received a copy of this book from the author Nicolas Bazan, M.D., I made an assumption that it was not going to be an interesting novel due to the fact that it was only 104 pages long. However, nothing could have prepared me for the impact that this fable had on me. It was an amazing read.

What I found incredibly wonderful about this book was how well educated Bazan really is. It was very intelligently written with a vast vocabulary. The story flowed effortlessly from page to page and I was never once lost or had to backtrack to see something that I might have missed that would help me better understand what was going on further along in the story. The author was able to combine fact and fiction in such a way that it read almost like a real account of faith than just a made up account of events.

Bazan also was able to create characters that pulled on your heart and made you want to heal their wounded souls. Dr. Cruz is searching for answers to neurological puzzles when he finds himself once again questioning his faith. Standing in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, his past escape from Argentina consuming him from a dream earlier, you can feel his heart breaking. His wife is confused and you can see her frustration with her husband's compulsions of answering life's questions. Then there is Stephen, a young Pennsylvanian artist turned monk, that places a religious pilgrimage upon Dr. Cruz. This young man's passion and undying faith is so well put upon the page that it rejuvenated my own wavering faith.

Overall, I thought it was brilliant, passionate, and extremely well written. If you enjoy fables with heavy spiritual/religious meanings then this book is for you. If you prefer fables that are a little lighter in content or do not like fables, then this book is not for you.

I will leave you with one last thought that was a reoccurring theme throughout this fable:

"First we start by doing what is necessary, then we do what is possible, and then pretty soon we are doing the impossible." St. Francis quote from several pages in Nicolas Bazan's novel.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

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