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Title: Small book - small story
Review: As a non-Catholic I had heard St Augustine's name nevertheless on countless occasions, usually uttered with a suggestion of awe. I wanted to know more, but did not fancy a specialist's tome; yet I wished for more than an encyclopaedia entry. Unfortunately the book is not for the beginner, but supposes much prior knowledge. While the author's view that the saint was not a reprehensible debauchee who made good when his hormones had subsided with age seems somewhat unorthodox (and quite plausible) there is little to put the reader clearly in the historical or geographic or, even, political background. No index, poor bibliography, not a single map. Thus it seems too slight as an introduction to the life of the saint, and is, of course, not a definitive study. It did not inspire me to seek other studies of Augustine. If it could not inspire the author to write in a more inviting manner, perhaps the inspiring days of the saint are long past.
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