diff --git a/lib/bom.js b/lib/bom.js
index e9e19fff..0f6be316 100644
--- a/lib/bom.js
+++ b/lib/bom.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.9.3
+// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.10.0
 (function() {
   "use strict";
   var xml2js;
diff --git a/lib/processors.js b/lib/processors.js
index aabb842d..31ccde28 100644
--- a/lib/processors.js
+++ b/lib/processors.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.9.3
+// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.10.0
 (function() {
   "use strict";
   var prefixMatch;
diff --git a/lib/xml2js.js b/lib/xml2js.js
index 452c0ebe..11981363 100644
--- a/lib/xml2js.js
+++ b/lib/xml2js.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.9.3
+// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.10.0
 (function() {
   "use strict";
   var bom, builder, escapeCDATA, events, isEmpty, processName, processors, requiresCDATA, sax, setImmediate, wrapCDATA,
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@
     extend(Parser, superClass);
 
     function Parser(opts) {
+      this.parseStringSync = bind(this.parseStringSync, this);
       this.parseString = bind(this.parseString, this);
       this.reset = bind(this.reset, this);
       this.assignOrPush = bind(this.assignOrPush, this);
@@ -335,7 +336,7 @@
       })(this);
       this.saxParser.onclosetag = (function(_this) {
         return function() {
-          var cdata, emptyStr, err, key, node, nodeName, obj, objClone, old, s, xpath;
+          var cdata, emptyStr, err, error1, key, node, nodeName, obj, objClone, old, s, xpath;
           obj = stack.pop();
           nodeName = obj["#name"];
           if (!_this.options.explicitChildren || !_this.options.preserveChildrenOrder) {
@@ -376,8 +377,8 @@
             })()).concat(nodeName).join("/");
             try {
               obj = _this.options.validator(xpath, s && s[nodeName], obj);
-            } catch (_error) {
-              err = _error;
+            } catch (error1) {
+              err = error1;
               _this.emit("error", err);
             }
           }
@@ -455,7 +456,7 @@
     };
 
     Parser.prototype.parseString = function(str, cb) {
-      var err;
+      var err, error1;
       if ((cb != null) && typeof cb === "function") {
         this.on("end", function(result) {
           this.reset();
@@ -479,8 +480,8 @@
           return this.saxParser;
         }
         return this.saxParser.write(str).close();
-      } catch (_error) {
-        err = _error;
+      } catch (error1) {
+        err = error1;
         if (!(this.saxParser.errThrown || this.saxParser.ended)) {
           this.emit('error', err);
           return this.saxParser.errThrown = true;
@@ -490,6 +491,21 @@
       }
     };
 
+    Parser.prototype.parseStringSync = function(str) {
+      var cb, err, retval;
+      retval = void 0;
+      err = void 0;
+      cb = function(_err, _retval) {
+        retval = _retval;
+        return err = _err;
+      };
+      this.parseString(str, cb);
+      if (err) {
+        throw err;
+      }
+      return retval;
+    };
+
     return Parser;
 
   })(events.EventEmitter);
@@ -513,4 +529,10 @@
     return parser.parseString(str, cb);
   };
 
+  exports.parseStringSync = function(str) {
+    var parser;
+    parser = new exports.Parser({});
+    return parser.parseStringSync(str);
+  };
+
 }).call(this);
diff --git a/src/xml2js.coffee b/src/xml2js.coffee
index bc0d6372..f0aab9de 100644
--- a/src/xml2js.coffee
+++ b/src/xml2js.coffee
@@ -402,6 +402,20 @@ class exports.Parser extends events.EventEmitter
       else if @saxParser.ended
         throw err
 
+  parseStringSync: (str) =>
+    #assumption 1: sax events block when given a string instead of a stream
+    retval = undefined
+    err = undefined
+    cb = (_err, _retval) ->
+      retval = _retval
+      err = _err
+
+    #assumption 2: parseString will implicitly call cb (thus setting closure retval) before returning
+    @parseString str, cb
+    if err
+      throw err
+    retval
+
 exports.parseString = (str, a, b) ->
   # let's determine what we got as arguments
   if b?
@@ -419,3 +433,7 @@ exports.parseString = (str, a, b) ->
   # the rest is super-easy
   parser = new exports.Parser options
   parser.parseString str, cb
+
+exports.parseStringSync = (str) ->
+  parser = new exports.Parser {}
+  parser.parseStringSync str
diff --git a/test/parser.test.coffee b/test/parser.test.coffee
index 8010f9c9..cafcd5ac 100644
--- a/test/parser.test.coffee
+++ b/test/parser.test.coffee
@@ -161,6 +161,23 @@ module.exports =
     equ r.sample.$$[10].$$[5]['#name'], 'three'
     equ r.sample.$$[10].$$[5]._, '6')
 
+  'test non-async parsing': (test) ->
+    data = fs.readFileSync fileName, 'utf8'
+    xmldoc = xml2js.parseStringSync data
+    assert.notEqual xmldoc, null
+    equ xmldoc.sample.listtest[0].item[0].subitem[0], 'Foo(1)'
+    test.finish()
+    
+  'test non-async with bad input': (test) ->
+    data = fs.readFileSync fileName, 'utf8'
+    err = null
+    try
+      xmldoc = xml2js.parseStringSync "< a moose bit my sister>";
+    catch _err
+      err = _err
+    assert.notEqual err, null
+    test.finish()
+
   'test parse with explicitChildren and charsAsChildren and preserveChildrenOrder': skeleton(explicitChildren: true, preserveChildrenOrder: true, charsAsChildren: true, (r) ->
     console.log 'Result object: ' + util.inspect r, false, 10
     equ r.sample.$$[10]['#name'], 'ordertest'