Paperback. Pub Date: November 1983 Pages: 192 in Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Frederick Buechner's Godric retells the life of Godric of Finchale. a twelfth-century English holy man whose projects late in life included that of purifying his moral Ambition Our ambition of pride .. . Sin. spiritual yearning. rebirth. fierce asceticism-these hagiographic staples aren't easy to revitalize but Frederick Buechner goes at the task with intelligent intensity and a fine readiness to invent what history doesn't supply. He contrives a style of speech for his narrator-Godric himself-that's isk and tough-sinewed ... He avoids metaphysical fiddle. embedding his narrative in domestic reality-familiar affection. responsibilities. disasters ... All on his own. Mr. Buechner has managed to reinvent .. .