Frederick Buechner is an ordained Presbyterian minister and explores the faith found in the writings of four famous authors. Buechner explains the issues these writers had to deal with in their lives and shows how they expressed these issues in their writing and how their writing reflected on their faith.

Each author is explained from a non-literature perspective so even someone who doesn't have an English degree could understand the gist of each man and how each one's faith was tested. Buechner then proceeds to show how this test of faith was reflected in their writings.

Each author is shown as a human and not as a writing god, especially Twain and Shakespeare. A mark of a good writer is the ability to always find something new in their writing no matter how many times you read it. I enjoyed thinking of each man's writing in a new perspective, especially Twain's. This book would make a great gift for any literature lover or maybe a new college student who isn't really caught up with the required reading. Getting points brought out in this book could enhance their reports.