Pope Francis: Untying the Knots - Tapa blanda

Paul Vallely's biography of Francis.stands, in terms of seriousness of purpose and depth of understanding, head and shoulders above other recent rushed cuttings jobs. (Peter Stanford The Sunday Times)

By the end of this stint of reviewing I have read through 10 biographies of one sort or another of the new Bishop of Rome. This emboldens me to say, without hesitation, that Vallely's is undoubtedly the most satisfactory of an otherwise lacklustre bunch...Vallely, as befits a long-time journalist, has done the legwork...Read this book, forget the rest. (Michael Walsh The Tablet)

Of the new literature rushed out to capitalise on the great interest and the extraordinarily long honeymoon period that Francis is experiencing, Paul Vallely's Pope Francis: Untying the Knots is perhaps the best in the English language..Vallely, with great insight, posits that this painting in some way represents the enigma of Bergoglio: a former provincial with a complicated legacy, but also a man spiritual and humble enough to recognise his mistakes and learn from them... The focus is on Bergoglio the Jesuit provincial, and then Bergoglio as bishopand cardinal. It is both challenging and illuminating...Vallely is an excellent, well-connected writer, and Pope Francis: Untying the Knots is an engaging and thoughtful read throughout. (Tim Byron S.J. Thinking Faith)

No biography, however diligent, can capture someone's interior life. But what this book does demonstrate is that Pope Francis is a tougher, more complex figure than meets the eye...Anybody who reads this book will eagerly await his next move. (The Economist, UK)

[an] absorbing portrait of the show-stopping new pope.Vallely invokes the image of 'untying the knots' to explain his goal. (Ken Briggs National Catholic Reporter)

Paul Vallely's Pope Francis: Untying the Knots was one of the earliest in the field. Admiring, but keenly questioning, its judgements have worn well. For Vallely, Bergoglio's failures in wisdom and courage in the 1970's marked a watershed in his life. (Eamon Duffy The NY Review of Books)