"Its whole effect works slowly and mysteriously ... a major, and rare, artistic achievement" (A. S. Byatt)"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...This is a book which I go on rereading." (A. N. Wilson Daily Telegraph)

?Quite simply a masterpiece? Daily TelegraphTwo priests are despatched from Rome to New Mexico to reinvigorate Catholicism among the locals, knowing little of the challenges that await them. Over almost four decades they encounter a rich variety of people, from rebellious Mexican priests to steadfast Native Americans uninterested in changing their longstanding customs. This is a work of wisdom and beauty, and a portrait of an enduring friendship, from one of America?s most celebrated novelists.