Mauriac, winner of the 1952 Nobel Prize for Literature, is one of the great underrated writers of the 20th century. His highly emotional approach to writing has been criticized (unjustly, I beleive) as sentimentalist. But the suffering of his characters, their humanity and loveability even in the midst of their personal failings and darknesses, make Mauriac's world incredibly compelling. "Woman of the Pharisees" is, on its surface, the story of a cold and cruel woman viewed through the eyes of her own son, a child. In the name of Christian love, she destroys all she touches, whether a couple in love or a priest who is truly Christ-like. Yet in the end one begins to realize that the pharisee may not be her, but rather... (read and see). An agonizing, beautiful book, as are nearly all of his novels.

François Mauriac (October 11, 1885—September 1, 1970) was a French author; a member of the Académie française (1933); winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1952). He was awarded the Grand-croix de la Légion d'honneur (1958). He is acknowledged to be one of the greatest Roman Catholic writers of the 20th century.