I wasn't sure whether to call this a non-fiction or theology book? Quite interesting in several ways (background, relationships Augustine had, his theology and theological concepts that formed much of what we call Christian and Catholic) and was a times dense and overly wordy (odd coming from me!) In some parts the book was really hard to follow - what was the point of that section? But in others, it was brilliant, insightful and even witty.
Augustine has always been an intriguing historical figure. This book has open new insights into the man, his life, and his relationships - all of them providing insights into what he wrote.
And write he did. Can you imagine dictating and scribes wrote on papaya scrolls an equivalent of 300 pages of printed material (by today's standards) every year for almost 40 years!? Amazing.
I recommend it. But, don't try to read it in bed...

Trash from a vapid homosexual pedophile infantile writer, low functioning single digit IQ imbecile moron desperate to pick apart a man he is unfit to write about. The scumbag writer is a typical leftwing commie traitor pedophile babykiller who has no idea what Augustine believes or how it differs from others in Christianity. He is obviously incompetent in anything deep the mark of a dead evil pedophile professor. This is the perfect example of the snarky middle school attacks by those committed to evil desperate to mock God because their infantile narcissism is not appeased in the Bible.
If you want to learn about Augustine this will set you back haha. This creep cretin zombie evil moron is so obsessed with running around the vapid what ifs of his fantasy trying to discredit Augustine and Christianity he has no idea what any of Augustines importance is or the depth of his simplest thoughts. Heinous blasphemous rant against God this demonic pedophile pervert communist godhating traitorous professor makes his views clear. Sadly most people are totally clueless as to what Augustine truly promulgated and thus his importance thru God ordained true religion and true History, not the shameless demon worshipper pedophilia faux-academia of mindless shallow fake intellectual dork in rats clothing. Haha. Get any other book besides this a kindergartener well taught and catechized would smoke him. But then this dude would hitting on the kindergartener obviously. He hates God and therefore true religion and Augustine. Vapid incendiary disgusting.

A pretty interesting book exploring the life and legend of Augustine. It is quite educational though often the narrative of the biography is not super compelling, which can make it a bit boring at times. Nevertheless, it is a good book for those who are interested in the history of western culture

I read this book for the first time in galleys--the publisher shared it with me. And what I thought then I still think: this is the most remarkable book on Augustine I have ever read. And that's saying something; I teach him in a university. O'Donnell takes a man who is less a human than a literary monument, and turns him back into the brilliant, vain, anxious priest he was. The Augustine this book depicts will not win any prizes for charm, but he is much more full-blooded and real than in any other biography to date.

This is an infuriating book. For most of its pages, it’s distasteful, surprisingly mean-spirited, peppered with snarky asides, and unconvincing conjectures, radical and revisionist to the point of absurdity (Chapter VII the most egregious example). I was left to wonder whether I had ever read a biographer who had such palpable disdain for his subject. But then, in the final chapters, the tone shifted, offering keen insights into Augustine’s life, his theological views, and his long-term influence on Western thought. It is as if there are two authors, one with an ax to grind against Augustine and Christianity in general, and the other with a finely nuanced understanding of human nature, faith and history. Unfortunately the latter shows up late in the book.

Who is the Saint of Hippo? What does Augustine have to do with today? Why does St. Augustine have his own website? These are questions that are addressed in James J. O’Donnell’s Augustine: a New Biography.

For those who many not know, St. Augustine was a philosopher and theologian of the late Roman Empire in Northern Africa. His theology has helped shape a great deal of Christian theology for the last 2,000 years.

James O’Donnell attempts to reconstruct the ‘real’ Augustine. Many readers who do know of the Saint probably know him through his Confessions. In that work, St. Augustine leads the reader through his life until his conversion to Christianity. Ostensibly, the work should be fairly reliable to the Saint’s life. However, O’Donnell argues that the Saint fabricated and obfuscated the truth of who he is in order to paint a more pius picture of himself. By the time the Confessions are written, St. Augustine is about to become the Bishop of Hippo.

But more than this, O’Donnell attempts to try to show how politics and his ambition helped shape the Saint’s goals in life. He argues that St. Augustine represented only one Christianity existing at the end of the Roman Empire. Even though his eventually emerged as the dominant one, it did not need to be this way.

O’Donnell’s engaging picture of Augustine emerges as a saint who is well aware of his political position and is attempting to secure a name for himself. In doing so, the author paints a fresh picture of Augustines’s theological ingenuity (especially predestination and original sin) and puts it back in his context. The modern day reader may read Augustine because they have heard of his faith, but O’Donnell wants us to understand the political background to the saints’ struggles. Most important is the struggle against Pelagianism, which the author paints as a pointless contest.

O’Donnell’s writing is clear and non-technical. He does the best he can to explain complex theological positions.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Christian theology or church history.

Grade: B

James J. O’Donnell provides unique insight into the cultural history of late antiquity and life of Saint Augustine in Augustine: A New Biography. O’Donnell expands on other biographies and contemporary perceptions to deconstruct how we view Augustine by focusing on his ambitions, image, and his relative importance both during his life and now. This biography offers a close analysis of Augustine’s writings, key arguments and disputes, and the cultural environment of his life. O’Donnell’s perspective proves useful to any historian or theologian who seeks to understand the context of Augustine’s life and writings with a dose of skepticism. Augustine: A New Biography lives up to its title of being a “New Biography” and should be included in the library of anyone who is interested in the life and influence of Saint Augustine. The book should be read, not as a sole source, but with the understanding that O’Donnell’s interpretation can provide a nuanced perspective to complement previous studies and other biographies. The frequent critical skepticism that pervades this book grew tiresome but was also useful for the author to emphasize his message. It would have been interesting to see the book expand more on the concept of Augustine’s influence on enfolding diverse religious traditions; however, the incorporation and analysis of the various cultures that both influenced and were influenced by Augustine were particularly interesting. This book is a noteworthy contribution to the study and understanding of Saint Augustine and will be satisfying to both the scholar and the casual reader.

Augustine...a must read

Not just a biography, more lesson in CHRISTIAN history. The authors thought provoking commentary, whether you agree or not, is the most valuable component of this book.

Whoa! What an amazing work of scholarship and what a joy to read. Once I started reading excerpts to my partner while he was driving, I didn't know where to stop. Not a hagiography, but still leaves one with a profound respect for what Augustine accomplished. There's a hysterical comparison between Augustine and Quixote. That alone makes it worth the effot to read.

At the end of the day, I did find O'Donnell's translations much more approachable than the original latin or the pulp paperback that I have of the confessions. Rereading this gave me a greater appreciation for just how much of Augustine's thought has shaped Christianity. He was also aware of Plato & tried to consolidate the idea that there is no evil, just corrupted misshaped or incomplete embodying methods.

For my future self, I want to read his translation of the confessions & Augustine's later Reconsiderations.

This book reads like an anti-Augustine polemic. The author wants to be sure the reader dislikes the main character, and, in doing so, fails to tell a story or argue any particular point. If you want to learn about Augustine's life, this is the wrong book.

Suffered through this one. Not very interesting or great.