''Three Cheers for the Paraclete'' (1968) is a novel by the Australian author

Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel ''Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, wh ...

. It won the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

in 1968.

Story outline

After studying overseas for some years a young priest, James Maitland, returns to Australia to teach at a seminary.

Critical reception

In ''The Canberra Times'', John N. Molony is impressed with the book but finds a number of problems with it: "The heart of the novel is about belief, but for this reviewer the transplant didn't work. It is hard to say about a Keneally that his theme was too big for him and that he couldn't incarnate his problem in living characters. Yet in this instance they do not measure up." ''Kirkus Reviews'' found something more in the book: 'Keneally's rather existential points are made with delicacy, at times with a warm, broad humor, and Father James is a vigorous, attractive priest. A thoughtful and sentient book.""''Three Cheers for the Paraclete'' by Thomas Keneally", ''Kirkus Reviews'', 21 March 1969
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Awards and nominations

Miles Franklin Literary Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

, 1968: winner * C. Weichhardt Award for Australian Literature, 1969: winner

References

Middlemiss.org
1968 Australian novels Miles Franklin Award-winning works Novels by Thomas Keneally Angus & Robertson books {{Australia-book-stub