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“AN IMPORTANT BOOK, taking on spirituality and homosexuality, the teachings of the Catholic Church and the idealism and dreams of a gay generation that yearns for more than just parades, pride and bars. . . . Seventy Times Seven outlines the tragic anachronism of the Catholic Church and most of the Christian faith, just as it reveals the spiritual gifts of being gay, and the insight that embracing ourselves and our own truth—even if it leaves us shunned by the church—is what the spirit ultimately calls us to do. THIS BOOK IS A VICTORY FOR THE GAY SPIRIT.” - Trebor Healey, author of Through It Came Bright Colors
“DEEPLY MOVING AND REVERENT, Sapienza’s novel is the perfect dose of medicine for anyone whose faith has attacked his spirit on the basis of his sexuality. Sapienza plucks the heart from his reader, graces it with the fires both of bodily desire and spiritual devotion, and tucks it back in place with the assurance that it’s perfectly okay to be both gay, and a person of faith.” - EDGE New York “EROTIC, ILLUMINATING, INTIMATE, AND WITTY, this book reconciles two worlds: sexuality and spirituality. Blessed with epiphanies, the protagonist Vito chooses to celebrate his desire, reminiscent of Whitman's Song of Myself. Sapienza's candor and his unstuffy prose make Seventy Times Seven a believable story of salvation, worthy of being read nonstop.” - Scott Bailey, author of Hide-n-Seek and The Hairy Legs of God
“AN INTRIGUING LOOK INTO CURRENT-DAY RELIGIOUS LIFE. . . . The story of a young Catholic Teaching Brother realizing the true meaning of serving others and loving life, Seventy Times Seven is READABLE AND ENTERTAINING, with just the right twists and turns to keep the reader engrossed. I enjoyed this book. It touched parts of my own heart and spirit.”
“Books are supposed to take us to extraordinary places and inside unusual situations and Sapienza's Seventy Times Seventy did exactly that for me. Kind of like spending time with Tibetans on the moon. Yet the author makes Vito Fortunato's life and his conflicts REAL, PRESENT and IMPORTANT. This book seems ESPECIALLY RECOMMENDABLE TO YOUNGER GLBTs, and really to anyone struggling with the antithesises between being spiritual and being gay.” - Felice Picano, author of The Lure, Like People in History, The Joy of Gay Sex and The Book of Lies
“An EASY, ENJOYABLE read that also struck a resonant cord deep within me. As having been part of the Roman Catholic clerical system, I found the story of Vito not to be all that uncommon. This story once again points out the uselessness and waste of an antiquated celibacy system that is better left to the dust heap of history. The story tells about the waste that the Church creates by keeping its clerical members separated from the gift of human, intimate love, and I found myself rooting for Vito to grab life with all the gusto he could manage.” - Reverend Bruce J. Simpson, author of The Gay Face of God
“OUTSTANDING first novel looks at life, love and religion. A REMARKABLY INTELLIGENT, poignant, sexy, amusing, romantic and entertaining tale for all, which also brilliantly illustrates and analyzes some of the dilemmas facing the Catholic Church (and religions in general) trying to be relevant and supportive in today's world.” - Amazon
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Seventy Times Seven |
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“A very intelligent book, asking all the right questions, yet very amusing with a few laugh out loud moments and dare I say some very sexy scenes thrown in for good measure, proving that you don’t need to be a believer to enjoy reading this book.” - ScotsGay Magazine (Scotland) |
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“Very few recent books excite me as much as Seventy Times Seven. It's A GREAT STORY about a Catholic brother, on the eve of taking his final vows, who has to decide between his secular gay life versus his religious life (or whether or not the two can be joined). This book takes place in the early 1990s and Sapienza paints that period by using numerous pop culture references to ground the story: Madonna's Sex book, Sinead O'Conner ripping the Pope's photo on Saturday Night Live, rumors about George Michael, etc. The book is an AMAZING JOURNEY that also does a great job of exploring the conflict between faith and feelings, how one can devote himself solely to his religion, and other details in a way that non-Catholics could understand.” – Richard Andreoli, author of MondoHomo
“Seventy Times
Seven is A MUST READ for many reasons. Author Salvatore
Sapienza has crafted a TRULY ABSORBING STORY of one young man’s struggle with
convictions and desires, set against the backdrop of the Catholic church.
The subject matter certainly is familiar in today’s climate, but
Sapienza’s use of it is a refreshing break from the routine headlines we have
been desensitized to nowadays. Partly based on biographical details, Seventy Times Seven takes us into the life of a young man about to take his vows as
a priest, when he comes face to face with his own sexuality, and cannot
reconcile the two for everyone in his orbit, although he himself is very much
at ease with who and what he is. What makes this novel so important is
that it shines a light on how the meeting of two worlds can be |