The Catholic Book Club discussion

Several Benson novels deal with conversions, such as By What Authority?, which we read here. We have also read another conversion novel: Loss and Gain by John Henry Newman.

How do these three books compare? Do they describe fairly the conversion experience? Have you read other novels on this subject?

I don't know what you think, but Percy reminded me a lot of White's character in Cardinal Newman's Loss and Gain The philo-Catholic, who seemed the most enthusiastic and then in the end because of his new partner becomes a furious anti-Catholic

Fonch wrote: "I don't know what you think, but Percy reminded me a lot of White's character in Cardinal Newman's Loss and Gain The philo-Catholic, who seemed the most enthusiastic and then in the ..."

Yes, both situations are very similar. Which isn't surprising, as both authors passed from the Church of England to becoming Catholics. And both conversions were amazing at the time, for Newman had won fame as a theologian and Benson was the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury (his father died before his conversion).

Manuel wrote: "Fonch wrote: "I don't know what you think, but Percy reminded me a lot of White's character in Cardinal Newman's Loss and Gain The philo-Catholic, who seemed the most enthusiastic an..."

Yes i knew it. I read the big Joseph Pearce 😁 and "Confessions of a Convert said Pearce that a priest gave up the priesthood could be the modernist Jesuit Tyrrell. I thought in this when Railton appeared in the story.