"Your book is a great act of compassion, like the painting it celebrates. Thank you for giving us such a gift." —Ingrid Rowland, New York Review of Books

"The author provides a rich tapestry that intricately weaves the story of an iconic painter and his influence on the viewer." —San Francisco Book Review
"The Guardian of Mercy is just superb. And bold. I can't think of a book quite like it. Just brilliant." —Pete Hamill, author of Forever, Snow in August, A Drinking Life

"I was stunned by Ward's account. This book does everything art writing should do. I am pleased beyond envy." —David Carrier, author of Proust/Warhol: Analytical Philosophy of Art and A World Art History and its Objects

"Ecstatic and soul-searching. Written with grace, with almost every sentence imparting an epiphany. An electrifying reading experience and a wondrous book on Caravaggio . . . Ward challenges us to undertake soul-work, even if one is a secular reader. Here, reading is an act of empathy and potential readers will read the book with passion and compassion, thereby becoming, in the words of Wallace Stevens, 'necessary angels'." —Pelligrino d'Acierno, Director of Italian Studies and Professor of Comparative Literature, Hofstra University

"Ward's work offers a refreshing look at a once-forgotten—but now much-celebrated—artistic genius. The author also reveals the subtle and profound ways in which art and life interact. Fascinating reading about a significant artistic figure and his legacy." —Kirkus

"Strangely compelling . . . a charming departure from the typical narrative of art history. . . . Ward weaves the story of Caravaggio—who was accused of several counts of murder and condemned to a death sentence by the pope, and who eventually died a mysterious, lonely death—with the contemporary story of a guard . . . stationed at Pio Monte della Misericordia." —Publishers Weekly

"Anyone interested in art and its power to change lives will appreciate this thoughtful work... as colorful and compelling as the painting itself." —Booklist

"This is a story of grace! Terence Ward's powerful, moving narrative interweaves Caravaggio's life story with those of people in contemporary Naples whose lives are transformed by the power of art—and mercy." —Elaine Pagels, Harrington Professor of Religion, Princeton University

"A great-hearted gift to our poor, violent, suffering old world. And, of course, Caravaggio's vision of mercy, luminous among the shadows, is sorely needed by all of us." —Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America

"Terence Ward takes us on a remarkable journey of discovery and along the way illuminates unusual and profound aspects of this long neglected masterpiece." —Jerry Brown, Governor of California

"In imaginative passages, Ward counteracts the 'tabloid portrait' of Caravaggio...and presents his work as the bearer of hope." —Leo Robson, CHRISTIE'S Magazine
"Ward brilliantly recounts Esposito's own transformation in the relationship to the altarpiece, along with the tangled past and present of Naples itself, and the life of Caravaggio." —Religious News Service

"Ward's writing is a flood that overwhelms the reader and carries him from the alleys if Naples to those 400 years ago." —Flamma Arditi, L'altra America
"Naples with her multilayered humanity is magnificently evoked, as well as the method of Caravaggio's composition in chiaroscuro, light and shadow. Bravissimo!" —Raffaele La Capria, Capri and No Longer Capri, La Neve del Vesuvio

"I just finished this book which I loved. Having seen the painting last year when I was in Naples, I can't wait to go back and see it through new eyes. A truly wonderful story!" —Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster

"Your book is a great act of compassion, like the painting it celebrates. Thank you for giving us such a gift." —Ingrid Rowland, New York Review of Books

"The author provides a rich tapestry that intricately weaves the story of an iconic painter and his influence on the viewer." —San Francisco Book Review
"The Guardian of Mercy is just superb. And bold. I can't think of a book quite like it. Just brilliant." —Pete Hamill, author of Forever, Snow in August, A Drinking Life

"I was stunned by Ward's account. This book does everything art writing should do. I am pleased beyond envy." —David Carrier, author of Proust/Warhol: Analytical Philosophy of Art and A World Art History and its Objects

"Ecstatic and soul-searching. Written with grace, with almost every sentence imparting an epiphany. An electrifying reading experience and a wondrous book on Caravaggio . . . Ward challenges us to undertake soul-work, even if one is a secular reader. Here, reading is an act of empathy and potential readers will read the book with passion and compassion, thereby becoming, in the words of Wallace Stevens, 'necessary angels'." —Pelligrino d'Acierno, Director of Italian Studies and Professor of Comparative Literature, Hofstra University

"Ward's work offers a refreshing look at a once-forgotten—but now much-celebrated—artistic genius. The author also reveals the subtle and profound ways in which art and life interact. Fascinating reading about a significant artistic figure and his legacy." —Kirkus

"Strangely compelling . . . a charming departure from the typical narrative of art history. . . . Ward weaves the story of Caravaggio—who was accused of several counts of murder and condemned to a death sentence by the pope, and who eventually died a mysterious, lonely death—with the contemporary story of a guard . . . stationed at Pio Monte della Misericordia." —Publishers Weekly

"Anyone interested in art and its power to change lives will appreciate this thoughtful work... as colorful and compelling as the painting itself." —Booklist

"This is a story of grace! Terence Ward's powerful, moving narrative interweaves Caravaggio's life story with those of people in contemporary Naples whose lives are transformed by the power of art—and mercy." —Elaine Pagels, Harrington Professor of Religion, Princeton University

"A great-hearted gift to our poor, violent, suffering old world. And, of course, Caravaggio's vision of mercy, luminous among the shadows, is sorely needed by all of us." —Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America

"Terence Ward takes us on a remarkable journey of discovery and along the way illuminates unusual and profound aspects of this long neglected masterpiece." —Jerry Brown, Governor of California

"In imaginative passages, Ward counteracts the 'tabloid portrait' of Caravaggio...and presents his work as the bearer of hope." —Leo Robson, CHRISTIE'S Magazine
"Ward brilliantly recounts Esposito's own transformation in the relationship to the altarpiece, along with the tangled past and present of Naples itself, and the life of Caravaggio." —Religious News Service

"Ward's writing is a flood that overwhelms the reader and carries him from the alleys if Naples to those 400 years ago." —Flamma Arditi, L'altra America
"Naples with her multilayered humanity is magnificently evoked, as well as the method of Caravaggio's composition in chiaroscuro, light and shadow. Bravissimo!" —Raffaele La Capria, Capri and No Longer Capri, La Neve del Vesuvio

"I just finished this book which I loved. Having seen the painting last year when I was in Naples, I can't wait to go back and see it through new eyes. A truly wonderful story!" —Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster