Emotionally scarred after battling cancer, amateur historian Cora Tozzi is troubled by religious doubts. She immerses herself in the life of a convent in her home town, Lemont, Illinois, agreeing to coauthor a book about the history of the religious order. Soon she discovers her problems are only beginning. She befriends a harmonica-playing young nun who is guarding a secret, and when Cora’s husband, Cisco, becomes seriously ill, she prays for help to a mysterious visitor from heaven. Soon Cora and her friends plunge into a desperate quest to solve a mystery from the life of a woman destined for sainthood, racing against time in the belief that solving the mystery will restore Cisco’s health. Cora’s quest for answers takes them back to 1886 San Antonio, Texas.
Personal struggle…Mystery and mysterious places…Friendship…Miracles…
And, above all, a love story.
***** 5-Star Professional Reviews:
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
The Miracle at Assisi Hill by Pat Camalliere is a Christian mysticism novel that revolves around a contemporary writer and dilettante historian named Cora Tozzi, who embeds herself in the cloisters of the sprawling Catholic community among the sisters of Assisi Hill. Cora has come after a bout of cancer in the hopes of bringing an uncertain heart back into the folds of faith. She is also there to write a book and soon learns that the literary path initially intended does not cover even a fraction of what the convent, its surroundings and nuns, both past and present, carry within. A 19th-century Servant of God, the late Mother Mary Josepha “Josie” Mrozek, is being championed for canonization at the convent and stories are being collected to present to the Congregation of the Causes of Saint. A nun named Sister Maryam communes with an apparition that Cora sees only as a fog, and as she searches for answers, the story of Mother Josepha and her adopted daughter Katy begins to reveal itself to her.
I loved that the setting of The Miracle at Assisi Hill is at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and that its impact even within the convent is felt. With her husband in the hospital following a stroke and the inability of Cora to get to him due to visitor restrictions, even if getting on a plane was possible, the pieces that click into place feel like they are fated. Blue masks are mandated in the convent about 2/3rds of the way through the story and I viewed the parallels between the covering of mouths and the secrets of Assisi Hill as beautifully nuanced. Cora creates a journal as a means of voicing Josie’s history and the transitions between the 1800s and a modern, global catastrophe complement each other well. Cora is, of course, going through a crisis of faith and this is written with compassion by Pat Camalliere and with empathy from the sisters of Assisi. It’s refreshing that she is neither being preached to nor made to feel like something is wrong with her. Instead, she is prayed for. “You’re suffering, not only from worry and sorrow but from doubt. You don’t know if God will answer your prayers. But I have faith, so let me pray along with you.” Overall, this is a fantastic novel that is wholly engrossing and Camalliere has just roped in a new fan. Very highly recommended.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
In The Miracle at Assisi Hill by Pat Camalliere, a cancer survivor named Cora Tozzi is unable to reconcile her faith with what she’s endured and decides to spend a couple of weeks for some R&R in a convent. In this case, R&R isn’t rest and relaxation, but reconnection and research. Cora needs to reconnect to the umbilical cord of faith and research for a book assignment in the works. She finds that the complexes around Assisi Hill are described as more of a small town than a convent and chapels and are the heartbeat of the Catholic body in the area. Her time raises more questions than it answers and Cora takes a leading part in uncovering the story of a nun that has the possibility of rising to sainthood, but is simultaneously pushed into the role of a backseat passenger when her husband’s health spirals.
When I started reading The Miracle at Assisi Hill, I first believed that the sole witness to a miracle in the making would be Sister Maryam, the only person that Mother Mary Josepha Mrozek came to in a visible form. Pat Camalliere surprised me with a ‘hold my cane’ twist that I did not expect at all, and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful moments I’ve experienced in contemporary literature. Sometimes having faith restored is a miracle in itself. We can only trust that no matter where we stand and no matter what blocks us from the wellness of mind, body and spirit, it is not in our own hands. There is a plan and it will be revealed in God’s time, and God’s time only. More surprising still is that even when there is no question that Mother Josepha is capable of miracles, Cora doesn’t miraculously fall back in line straight away. It would be easy for Camalliere to tie the story up then and there but what makes Camalliere special as an author is that she fleshes out an entire story, she does not simply end it. Cora’s heart aches for a different miracle and without it, she’s only one healed half of a pairing she needs to make whole.
Reviewed by Nino Lobiladze for Readers’ Favorite
The Miracle at Assisi Hill by Pat Camalliere invites us to dive into the intricacies of riddles. Cora Tozzi, an archivist with a historical background, visits a convent of Franciscan sisters, Assisi Hill, situated in Lemont, near Chicago. Cora was about to assist Sister Lorita, the Provincial Superior of the order, in writing its history. This important work had been delayed because of Cora’s battle with tongue cancer. Now, she finally finds a couple of weeks to spend in the convent while her beloved husband, Cisco, is supposed to vacation in Arizona and play golf. But working on the book is not her sole purpose for staying in the convent – Cora has doubts regarding her faith. She hopes to find answers and meet an old friend, a mysterious Sister Maryam, who hides her own secrets. Soon Cora will find out about Mother Mary Josepha, a local saint-to-be, to unravel an old mystery while Cisco will get very ill. Isolated in the convent as the world is horrified by the emerging pandemic, Cora is desperate to reach a solution as soon as possible.
The main theme of The Miracle at Assisi Hill is compassion. Pat Camalliere developed a plethora of wonderful characters that showed us the true meaning of compassion, kindness, and care for others. Cora speaks her heart, letting us know her innermost thoughts. Pat brilliantly paints a portrait of a workaholic suspecting that the disaster with her husband is somehow her fault. There is also Mother Josepha or Josie, a workaholic of a different kind, who humbly dedicates her life to those less fortunate, or Sister Maryam, a simple girl loving Our Lady all her life to become a part of a great mystery. Pat creates an authentic atmosphere for the religious institution and its surroundings. Also, she demonstrates the finest details of the research work and surprises with many breathtaking twists in the plot. Those of us doubting our faith will find The Miracle at Assisi Hill a helpful and friendly guide free of religious moralizing on our way toward important answers. I believe that aspiring Catholics would get much valuable information regarding the procedures of beatification and canonization. An exceptional writing style and amazingly error-free. I highly recommend The Miracle at Assisi Hill by Pat Camalliere, the fourth in the series, to fans of historical fiction, mysteries, crime, or family dramas.
David W. Berner, The Writer Shed
Some mysteries, even great classics of the genre, are offered in a formulaic wave of give and take, informing the reader piece by piece to ultimately unveil the story’s secrets. It’s a part of the genre’s allure. But some authors of the genre know how to turn a classic mystery tale into a deeper narrative that is far richer.
The Miracle at Assisi Hill by Patricia Camalliere is a touching and beautiful story of a woman finding her way through illness and religious doubts, who is ultimately thrust into a mysterious adventure linked to a woman bound for sainthood. The narrative is linked to historical facts from the area where most of the story takes place: Lemont, Illinois, and is a mixture of mystery, mysticism, and the power of resilience all wrapped around characters who you will feel for, be touched by, and who will awaken your senses to thought-provoking ideas. Through it all, though, love is the center of the story. The Miracle is what a novel — mystery or not — should be, full of depth.
The story revolves around amateur historian Cora Tozzi who faces a desperate illness and is internally troubled by religious doubts. She immerses herself in the life of a convent to work toward coauthoring a book about the history of the religious order. After she befriends a harmonica-playing young nun, she discovers the nun is holding a secret. And when Cora’s husband becomes ill, the race is on to solve a mystery and to uncover the secret that could ultimately return health to Cora and her husband.
Camalliere is the creator of the Cora Tozzi Historical Mystery Series. She bases her stories in and around where she lives in Lemont, Illinois and all have a strong connection to historical fact. But in the end, like The Miracle of Assisi Hill, they are all tender stories of resilience and redemption.
Best Selling Author L. B. Johnson
A compelling and emotional story about a woman’s coming to terms with a devastating illness that has her pondering her own religious upbringing. Told in the vein of the best historical mysteries, and brimming with atmosphere, The Miracle at Assisi Hill is a compelling and emotional read about mortality and the power of the divine. You will fill the magnetic pull of this joyous song to faith that will take you back in time to when believing was as compelling as life.
Author Sandra Cavallo Miller
What a great read. Totally engaging, the plot pulls the reader along quickly through one intriguing situation after the next as Cora seeks solace and healing in an historical convent, which she plans to write about. Life is far from simple there, though, as the characters of the convent and her own husband Cisco develop new discoveries and challenges. The writing is beautiful and the characters come alive; Camalliere has a wonderful touch with dialogue and you can’t wait to see what will happen with people next. Touching, sensitive, and creative, this thoughtful and well-researched story propels you along through Cora’s ups and downs, her doubts and hopes. A lovely uplifting read with a disarming honesty.
