"The comparative rarity of survey studies of Catholic novelists makes Woodman's text welcome in itself. Furthermore, the writer's extremely tight construction and economical style, and his succinct treatment of the sociological, political, and theological context for the developing sophistication of the novelists discussed, makes this a convincing and valuable overview which may encourage others to further consider the unique strategies of religious writesr in an increasingly secular and chaotic age."?Journal of Language, Literature, and Culture"Faithful Fictions is not only an informative and useful study of the Catholic novel; it has an immediately practical value since it brings to attention certain writers who deserve a wider readership, such as the Orkney poet and novelist George Mackay Brown. But its value is more substantial, for the themes and formal conventions isolated and ably discussed by Woodman are not unique to Catholic novels."?The Canadian Catholic Review
"The book has much to commend it: its broad survey of 'Catholic fiction' will introduce some readers to new material and remind others of books they had forgotten. It is a comprehensive and useful commentary on a large number of novels published in the last one hundred and fifty years."?Literature and Theology
"I found the book rich in references and I was inspired to follow up some of the works I had missed out on. It is a book for libraries as well as general reading and will reawaken discussions as to whether a Catholic novel can really exist."?
