Loving novel tackles life of St Valentine

Valentine: A Love Story, by Chet Raymo, Brandon, €16.

Valentine: A Love Story, by Chet Raymo, Brandon, €16.

In a televised Pop Idol contest for saints, it is a foregone conclusion that St Valentine would easily win the youth vote. I don't know if many lovers still pray to him, but greeting card makers surely light candles to him en route to the bank every February.

For such a celebrity among saints, little is known about the man, or indeed whether it ...