Quite simply a masterpiece I am completely bowled over by it by the power of its writing by the vividness of its scene painting and by the stories it tells A N WilsonWhere there is great love there are always miraclesTwo French priests have been sent to New Mexico to reawaken the faith There they must contend with unforgiving landscapes danger rebellion and loneliness But through their many years together they are sustained by faith friendship and the aweinspiring majesty that surrounds them A work of great simplicity and sublime beauty Willa Cathers acclaimed novel asks what is a life well livedDeath Comes for the Archbishop is a masterpiece by the author of O Pioneers and the great novelist of American frontier lifeIts whole effect works slowly and mysteriously a major and rare artistic achievement A S Byatt