Spiritual Comedy

Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.

From a stranger in a casting office predicting Matt would succeed at a time when he felt like giving up, to deciding to work with Tim Allen after vowing not to work with another comedian after Roseanne, to learning what love really meant after “Spirit” told him he would marry Angelina—Williams realized that these “glimpses of God” have served as the loving, quiet providence that watched over him. Our job, then, is to pay attention to our lives. Regardless of your beliefs Glimpses will inspire you to look for and find God in your daily life.

The loss of a loved one is tough enough, but when Regina Richards experiences the loss of her spouse of many decades, little does she expect the extraordinary sequence of events about to unfold. First, there is the mysterious whistling that comes from out of nowhere, followed by the black patent-leather dancing shoes that miraculously appear in her bedroom. (She doesn't dance.) And then come the visits from her dearly departed husband, to explain what it is like on the other side. Surely this would be enough for anyone to begin to think they were losing it.