Gates of Paradise (by Beryl Kingston)

I've only read one book by Beryl Kingston up till now. It was a modern novel, written ten years ago, called 'Gemma's Secret'. When I read it, I thought I might find more by the same author, but until recently had not done so.

Gates of Paradise' is the kind of novel that brings history alive. It's an intriguing mixture of fact and fiction, focused mainly on the life of the poet William Blake - whom I knew nothing about, prior to reading this book. Beryl Kingston has constructed a very believable Blake, in a historical context which fits well with biographical details that I have since looked up on Wikipedia.

Blake and his wife Catherine move to the village of Felpham in Sussex at the start of this novel, in the year 1800. He is a highly emotional man, subject to strange visions and extreme dejection, but he is also honest and hard-working, and soon earns the respect of his neighbours.

Meanwhile, two of Blake's patron's servants, Johnnie and Betsy start 'walking out' and soon become more and more intimate. The story of their love affair runs alongside the time when the Blakes settle into their new home, and make friends.

As well as this, there is a brief introductory letter at the start of each of the first few chapters, written by a lawyer in 1850, as he researches some information about William Blake. The letters - to his wife - show increasing impatience with the locals, who refuse entirely to answer his questions about a court case which Blake was involved in. As the story moves forward, the events leading up to the court case (something which did actually happen) come to life.

Blake was not a conventional man of the period, and some of his different morality theories are explored in the storyline. It's also an excellent piece of social history, thoroughly researched by the author's late husband. The real and the fictional are so well-blended that I had no idea which parts were factual until I did some of my own research. I still don't know for sure which of the minor characters were real people.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book once I got into it. I found it rather slow-moving to start with, and mildly irritating in places, but once the story got going I read with enthusiasm. It's extremely well-written, feels authentic, and has helped me understand William Blake as a real person rather than a mere name at the end of some poems.

Apparently the hardback version of this is currently out of print in the USA, and the paperback version not yet available there.

(My longer review of Gates of Paradise is at The Bookbag site)

Cotillion (by Georgette Heyer)

Georgette Heyer is unquestionably my favourite writer of historical fiction. Her plots are cleverly devised, her settings realistic, her conversation believable, and - best of all - her characters are three-dimensional, often with unexpected traits.

I have almost all of her books, and re-read them regularly, though I try to limit them to one a month. 'Cotillion' was the one I chose recently, having not read it since 2002.

The story is about Kitty, an orphan who was reared by an eccentric guardian, Uncle Matthew. As the story opens, Uncle Matthew has summoned his adult and unmarried great-nephews to his home. Only two have turned up, along with one married great-nephew. He informs them that he intends to leave his entire fortune to Kitty, on condition that she marries one of them - and he doesn't mind which.

Naturally this arrangement is embarrassing for them all. The eligible two who turned up are Hugh, a rather stuffy (though good-hearted) rector, and Dolph, an Earl with rather lacking intelligence. Kitty would not dream of accepting either of them, and is - moreover- upset that they both propose to her for mercenary reasons. She had hoped their cousin Jack, her childhood sweetheart, would arrive; however Jack does not like obeying a summons, and anyway is enjoying several flirtations and a great deal of gambling in London.

So Kitty tries to run away, and bumps into another of her potential suitors, Freddy. Freddy is very wealthy, and hasn't any wish to be married anyway. So Kitty persuades him to pretend to be engaged to her for a month so that (a) she can go to London for the first time in her life (b) Jack will be annoyed.

That happens in the first two chapters. Most of the book takes place in London, where Kitty enters society, buys some fashionable clothes, and finds herself beginning to rely on Freddy to get her out of all kinds of scrapes. She also learns more about Jack's lifestyle, and makes some highly unsuitable friends, since she is very kind-hearted.

It's a delightful story. There's a great deal of gentle humour, several intriguing subplots (some of which I had forgotten about), and a surprisingly moving finale when - as so often happens in Heyer's novels - the principle characters find themselves gathered in one room, to untangle their confusions.

Highly recommended. By the time I'd got half-way through, I could barely put it down, despite knowing what was coming. Still in print in both the USA and UK, despite having first been published over fifty years ago. Widely available second-hand too.

Pagan Christianity (by Frank Viola)

A friend lent us this book, which we've all been reading, off and on, for a couple of weeks. Frank Viola is an American speaker and writer who has published several books in a series about the problems with today's church, and how to get back to Biblical principles.

'Pagan Christianity' proposes that the majority of today's church practises are actually rooted in Pagan or secular practises that have nothing to do with Scripture, and bear no resemblance to the early church as described in the book of Acts. As our friend said, 'Jesus came to abolish structure, hierarchies and legalism, and we've spent two millenia building them all up again.'

There are many good points in this book, which is interesting from a historical perspective, and - I assume - broadly accurate. There are certainly many references to check, relating to the culture of the times, and the way the church has adapted and changed over the centuries. Even the church of the second century was - according to the author - nothing like the churches planted by the Apostles.

Much of the book was thought-provoking and challenging. We probably all know that church buildings are just places to meet - that 'the church' is the people, not the places. We also know that dressing up for a Sunday - whether in smart suit and tie, or clerical robes, or 'Sunday best' for the congregation - is purely cultural, and not necessary. And that the Lord's Supper - what we know of as Communion, or Eucharist, or Mass, depending on our churchmanship - originated around a meal. But I don't often think of all these things at the same time.

Nor did I realise quite where the idea of a sermon originated - in secular orations - or the concept of church leadership in a hierarchy - in secular politics. There's a lot more, too. Each chapter takes one aspect of 21st century church life, and looks at its origins, and how it developed to where we are today. It's not an attractive history.

However I have several problems with the book.

Firstly, the author is extremely negative. He's not just opposed to Pagan and secular practises, he's strongly opposed to Roman Catholicism too, and - it seems - most of the established Protestant and Orthodox practises too. Occasionally he gives a disclaimer - that most priests or Pastors are caring, well-intentioned people who love God, for instance - but his overall writing attempts to destroy just about everything that happens in today's church gatherings. Some of it may well need to be re-considered or even abolished, but Frank Viola appears to throw out not just the baby with the bathwater, but the entire bath and fittings too. For a new or uncertain believer reading this book, their entire foundations could crumble with such negativity.

Secondly, he generalises wildly. He expounds in one chapter about the dangers of proof-texting, for instance, then insists that every Bible training school in the world teaches this method! Not just that they sometimes use it but that they actively endorse it. Since he can't possibly have written to every Bible college in the world to check, this is a ridiculous generalisation; moreover, I know of many church ministers who are adamantly opposed to proof-texting. They were certainly not taught to use it.

Thirdly, while he tells us (rightly) not to take verses of Scripture out of context, he then does exactly this himself in places. One example is that in his chapter against dressing up on a Sunday, and particularly clerical robes, he quotes 'Beware of men in long robes' - totally and utterly out of context! I did wonder if he was trying to be funny here, but the book is not written in a humorous way, and he doesn't make it at all clear, if that was his intention.

Fourthly, and perhaps most significantly, he does not propose any better solution. He mentions house churches as being closer to the Biblical model; many would agree with him. But, he says, many house churches have developed their own structure and hierarchy, and are no better than institutional churches. Again, this is probably true. So, he tells us, we should not just rush out and start a house church, since we'd probably get it wrong. There's only one method, and to find out what that is, we have to buy another of his books.

Hmmm. That's enough to make me very suspicious, and quite determined not to buy any more of his books.

I did, however, visit his website. There are documents to download and read, and a newsletter to subscribe to. Frank Viola, it seems, has his own version of a highly-organised empire, where he is the supreme speaker and writer, fount of all knowledge. Just what he said should not happen in the church.

He says on the site that the general understanding of a house church - or house group - isn't really good enough. Anyone, he says, can meet for a meal, some prayer, some Bible study, and perhaps some singing. But that, apparently, is not real church. In order to have a 'Biblical' house church, a group needs to be led and taught by an 'Apostle' from another house church. Where do we find one? Well, potential house churches can request an apostle at the website....

This very limited approach seems to me even more legalistic than most of today's established churches. Moreover, telling people they should leave their churches because they're doing all these non-Biblical things is supremely unhelpful. We are all, he tells us, the Body of Christ, and shouldn't worry about minor doctrinal issues. I agree. But at the same time we should apparently refuse to have fellowship with anyone who believes in church buildings, sermons, liturgy, robes, candles, music groups, and so on - all of which are, surely, relatively minor issues.

All in all, very bizarre.

I think the book is worth reading just to shake up people's ideas of what 'real church' is and isn't, and to see the origins of much of what we do. But take it with a very large pinch of salt.

The copy I have looks like the remarkably expensive (and out of print) one at Amazon UK; the prices at Amazon US are considerably lower. Borrowing it, if you can, is a much better idea.

Shopaholic and Sister (by Sophia Kinsella)

I'm not a fan of so-called 'chick-lit'.

At least, I haven't been. I've been put off by the trite-looking primary coloured covers of many books, with strange pictures and odd-looking fonts for the titles. If that sounds very shallow, I should add that I have read a small number of books in the chick-lit genre, and on the whole have not been impressed. They seem to feature unbelievable people with few morals, unlikely plots and badly-written sex scenes.

Thus until this week, I have never picked up anything by Sophie Kinsella, who is one of the most popular chick-lit writers.

But, two or three times I have come across reviews written by people I respect, saying how surprised they were at the quality of this author's writing. For instance, a review of 'Shopaholic and Baby' at the bookbag site.

So when I saw a copy of 'Shopaholic and Sister' for 50c in a charity shop, in good condition, I thought perhaps I would try one for myself.

The book opens with Becky and Luke Brandon sitting on yoga mats, during their lengthy honeymoon.

Actually, it starts before that with a couple of amusing letters to Becky from various shipping companies, making it clear that she has bought a large quantity of unsuitable souvenirs from around the world, and wants to ship them home. Through the book there are occasional typed letters included, mostly from banks or shops, which I thought a good plot device.

Becky narrates the story, so we see everything from her perspective. I was prepared to dislike her, expecting her to be shallow and greedy. But she is very cleverly written: she must surely be based on somebody real. For Becky is impulsive and impatient. She doesn't think through her words or actions, just leaping in spontaneously. She is also unfailingly generous, warm-hearted and loyal, and (mostly) very honest. She always wants what is best for everyone, although she has a hard time understanding those who are more introspective. She is mostly positive about life and the world around her.

Oh, and she's a compulsive shopper.

Luke and Becky decide to finish their honeymoon and return to the UK. There they discover that Becky's best friend Suze has a new best friend, that her parents don't seem pleased to see her, and that Luke seems to care more about his career than about Becky. There's also the little problem that Becky has been spending far more than Luke knows about, and she becomes afraid to tell him about a particularly extravagant purchase she made in Milan.

So there are lots of subplots to this book, which were interwoven well. Despite not having read any of the previous books, I had no problem with the characters, who were introduced gradually and easily distinguishable. I felt that I knew Becky already, as she was so similar to someone I know, and despite being very different from her I was able to see the world through her eyes.

Towards the end of the book, there are some very moving sections. Becky reveals much deeper feelings than are at first obvious, considerable intelligence, and some excellent ideas to motivate others. She realises, too, something of how other people perceive her, and doesn't see how much they value her sense of spontaneity, her generosity, and her ability to make life fun.

So, the characters were believable (albeit with a few odd quirks), the plot lines interesting and realistic (even if a little dramatic at times), and the nearest the book came to a love scene was when Luke gave his wife a kiss.

All in all, I was impressed. I shall be looking out for others in the series!

Christ and the Media (by Malcolm Muggeridge)

I can just about remember Malcolm Muggeridge, who died in 1990. He was a satirist, a writer, a journalist and a media personality.

'Christ and the Media' consists of three lectures that he gave in London, followed by questions from the audience (with Muggeridge's answers included) in the back of the book, and then brief speeches from the chairmen after each lecture.

I found it surprisingly readable - and although somewhat out of date, inevitably since it was written in 1977, his predictions about the influence of the mass media are still relevant today. He decried the amount of time most people spent in front of the TV set (eight years of their life in all, he estimated - I suspect for many these days it's more) and the fantasy that cameras can project, even when filming supposedly real-life documentaries or news stories.

His first lecture proposed that if Jesus had been around in the 20th century, his fourth temptation would have been to appear on prime-time TV. Muggeridge was sure he would have rejected it, and his first lecture explains why he believes this. The others are more generally about the influence of television.

Having been around media folk for the past 27 years, I found it fascinating reading. There are some interesting anecdotes, and it's all very well expressed. I didn't agree with all that he said - I do think there's more value in the media, even TV (although I don't watch it myself) than he suggested, and that the Christian message can effectively be shown on television. As he says himself, it's a tool rather than something inherently evil.

Christ and the Media was published in 1977, and seems to have rather a small potential audience - so I'm surprised to see that it's still in print, in both the UK and USA. Certainly worth reading if you're interested in these issues. I would love to have known what Malcolm Muggeridge might have thought of the Internet!

Sweet Nothings (by Trisha Ashley)

I have never come across Trisha Ashley before; nor is this the kind of book I would normally read. But the blurb on Amazon UK sounded reasonably interesting, so I was sent it by 'The Bookbag' for reviewing.

'Sweet Nothings' is told from the point of view of Lizzie. She lives in the village of Middlemoss with a philandering and ever-distant husband, and a delightful teenage son who is shortly to leave for university. Lizzie's main passion is cooking, something she shares with her husband's cousin Nick. She also writes books about village life, and assists in various local events, including a slightly bizarre 'Mystery Play' written in dialect.

As the book opens, Lizzie is seriously considering leaving her husband, although she hasn't much idea what she will do afterwards. Events take over, and she finds herself drawn more and more into village life. Someone dislikes her and tries to get her accused of negligence (and worse), but she is always supported by her loyal friend Annie.

At first, I found the sheer volume of characters rather overwhelming and had a hard time remembering who was who. The main ones quickly emerged, however, and the author manages to make the minor ones reasonably memorable, albeit somewhat caricatured, so that wasn't a problem for long.

I also found the style a bit annoying to start with. The writing is very informal, written almost as if Lizzie were chatting to a friend, with lengthy sentences full of irrelevancies. It changes from past to present tense and back again several times, too, which struck me as odd. However, I soon got used to this and by the last part of the book was no longer noticing the tenses; I felt as if I were beginning to get to know Lizzie, and thus hearing her voice.

The book poked fun at village life and customs and the upper classes in particular; unfortunately this didn't really appeal to my sense of humour, so I found these sections rather surreal. I thought I would find some parts moving - such as when Lizzie leaves her son at university - but I didn't.

Nevertheless, the book definitely grew on me. I read a few chapters each night for a week, and while I wasn't racing to pick it up to find out what happened, I often read rather more than I'd intended, as I found myself caught up in the story.

Good for a holiday read, or a wet weekend, perhaps, when you're not looking for anything challenging.

My slightly longer review of 'Sweet Nothings'at The Bookbag can be found here.