Susan Howatch is such a good writer! She combines great characterisation with in-depth psychological understanding of people, and mixes them into gripping plot-lines, set in realistic situations. Her Starbridge series about the Church of England during the early to mid 20th century is - in my view - the peak of her work, although she doesn't seem able to write a bad book.
'Scandalous Risks' is the fourth of the Starbridge books, which - surpisingly - is currently out of print in the UK, although widely available second hand. It's narrated by Venetia, from the perspective of her late twenties when she was struggling with her identity in 1963.
Venetia is from an upper-class background, in the days when class was much more significant than it is now. She is very intelligent, but decided against going to university. She feels as if her parents can't really be bothered with her, but she has no idea what she does want out of life. She feels that she really ought to get married - or at least have fall in love.
She's very fond of the Dean of Starbridge, Neville Asygarth, known to his friends and family as Stephen. Aysgarth is in his sixties, and has a rather irritating society wife called Dido. His story is told in much more depth - from his perspective - in the third Starbridge book, 'Ultimate Prizes'; reading the books in order undoubtedly adds to their depth, but Susan Howatch is a skilled enough writer that it's entirely possible to read any of the books on their own. There are no annoying flashbacks, and each book is complete in itself.
Venetia has always known Aysgarth as a friend of her father's, from the time she first met him when she was nine. His daughter Primrose is about her age, and one of her closest friends. So when she decides to go and stay with Primrose for a while, she naturally sees a fair amount of the Dean. Suddenly things change, and she realises she is falling in love with him. Unfortunately, he finds this irresistable...
Alongside this main plot, which runs through the book, is considerable discussion of the book 'Honest to God' which had recently been published in 1963, and which I read recently out of interest. The book, despite having been written by an Anglican bishop, proposes a completely new idea of God, ignores the Incarnation, and - most significantly for this book - talks about a 'new morality' based entirely on love.
Aysgarth, a liberal who is a great fan of 'Honest to God', is quite sure that he and Venetia can have a loving, platonic relationship so long as nobody gets hurt, and so long as the relationship is not consummated. But naturally, it's not that simple in reality.. Susan Howatch very effectively shows the extreme dangers of such philosophies.
Meanwhile Aysgarth is also having trouble in his job as Dean, wanting to buy a rather controversial sculpture to display in the church-yard, amongst other issues. He comes up frequently against his Bishop, Charles Ashworth (whose story is told from his perspective in 'Glittering Images', the first book in the Starbridge series).
'Scandalous Risks' is slightly different from the other books in the series so far, in that it actually opens and closes in 1988, twenty-five years after the main events of the story, with Venetia taking a wrong turning from the motorway and finding herself back in Starbridge for the first time since 1963. This works very well, and leads to a very hopeful and positive ending despite everything.
t took me a little longer to get into this book than was the case with the earlier ones in the series, but - as so often happens - by the time I was half-way through it was almost impossible to put down, even though I had read it a couple of times before.
Definitely recommended, preferably after reading the first three Starbridge books in order.
Susan Howatch is undoubtedly one of my top ten favourite modern writers, and it's her 'Starbridge' series of six novels about clergymen in the Church of England during the 20th century that I like best of all. I first read them seven years ago, then re-read only a year later. Now I'm reading them again, more slowly, and enjoying every moment.
Ultimate Prizes is the third in the series, following on from 'Glittering Images' and 'Glamorous Powers'. It's perhaps the most powerful of them all, featuring Neville Aysgarth, the Archdeacon. Despite narrating the book, so that we see everything through his eyes, he comes across as a rather manipulative and selfish man, rushing after 'prizes', ignoring anything remotely painful or embarrassing, and enjoying his success as a top administrator.
Indeed, the book opens with his admittance that he almost committed adultery - and then takes us to the time when he met a delightful young lady just about the time when his wife was feeling over-tired and unsocial. So immediately the scene is set for a man we probably can't trust.
Yet Neville, like all Howatch's characters, is immensely complicated. He wants to serve God - at least, he thinks so - and he is very fond of his wife and large family. His past has been rather painful - an idyllic childhood for seven years, followed by tragically altered circumstances and the rest of his youth being spent having to shape up to his rather harsh uncle's dictates, and push for success.
Hints of this are given at the start of the novel. But it is only as life becomes unbearable for Neville after a series of very difficult circumstances that he finally admits to needing help and seeks counselling.
Jon Darrow, wise advisor in the first book and narrator of the second, returns in his wise counsellor role despite frequently clashing with Neville in the past. Sparks fly, but both men learn through the process of dealing with an emergency. The latter part of the book is gripping and fast-paced, and kept me reading for most of an afternoon until I could finish it, feeling surprisingly drained at the conclusion.
Highly recommended.
'Glamorous Powers' is the second in Susan Howatch's superb 'Starbridge' series about clergymen in the Church of England, during the 20th century. It's complete in itself, but best read after 'Glittering Images'.
Jon Darrow is the hero of this book. No longer seen as the wise, mature counsellor through Charles Ashworth's eyes, Jon is the narrator of this book, and an entirely different side of his character emerges.
The story opens with Jon, an Anglican monk, having a vision of a chapel. He believes this is part of a call to leave the monastery and resume work in the world. In order for this to happen, he must persuade the Abbot-General. Unfortunately for Jon, Francis Ingram, the new Abbot-General, is an old rival of his, and they have never seen eye to eye.
At first it appears that this is because Francis is a rather dull, upper-class twit who has managed to manipulate his way into the affections of the previous Abbot-General, but as the book progresses it becomes clear that Francis does have a great deal of wisdom, and that he has Jon's (and God's) best interests at heart. The problem is Jon's own hang-ups, which are cleverly and gradually revealed as the book progresses.
The writing is excellent, mirroring Jon's own opinion that getting to the root of people's problems is like gradually taking more and more layers off an onion. Jon's pride and arrogance are clearly shown, in his lack of honesty with several people who he cares for, and in particular in the rather poor relationship he has with his adult children. Yet he doesn't think of himself as overly proud or arrogant, and frequently deceives himself as he plunges into one disaster after another.
It's an excellent book, one I could barely put down despite having read it in 2000, and again in 2001. I was no longer shocked or surprised by things that I didn't expect the first time I read it, but I was moved to tears afresh by one short passage, and utterly gripped by the time I neared the end.
Highly recommended.
I was recommended 'Glittering Images' by a friend, some years ago. She told me it was a psychological thriller featuring Church of England clergymen in the early part of the 20th century. It was a long book - just over 500 pages - and the front cover, mostly in black [the one shown at the bottom of this review], didn't appeal to me at all.
The book sat on my shelves for awhile, until by chance I came across another novel by Susan Howatch, which I read - and loved. So one wet weekend, seven years ago, I picked up 'Glittering Images' for the first time.
The book is related by a thirty-seven-year-old widowed clergyman called Charles Ashworth. In chapter one he has tea with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and is asked to undertake an unusual commission. One of the bishops has apparently been creating a stir in church circles. The Archbishop is worried that this bishop, who is known for having a lot of female admirers, might have written indiscreet letters or journal entries, which could be jumped upon by the press. Charles is sent as an undercover spy to find out if this might be the case.
It doesn't sound terribly exciting, and it took me about four attempts to get into the book at first. Charles goes to stay with the bishop, supposedly to undertake some research for his next theological book, and gets chatting to several other guests. He is also strongly attracted to Lyle, the bishop's administrator, and companion to his wife.
But there's some kind of mystery surrounding Lyle, who seems to be much more involved with her employers than would be expected. Charles sets out to solve it, and in doing so unravels some of his own insecurities and childhood difficulties, helped - eventually - by an intelligent and forthright monk called Jon Darrow.
That probably still sounds rather dry... and in the hands of another writer, perhaps it would have been. But Susan Howatch has a wonderful style - fast-paced, terse, yet with incredible depth into the human psyche. Her characters are totally believable, even in the bizarre circumstances that gradually emerge for some of them.
As for the plotting, I think it is brilliant, with cliff-hangers at the end of chapters. There are some most unexpected events that kept me intrigued and interested at every moment. By the time I'd read the first hundred pages or so, I could hardly put the book down.
It's shocking in places, it's exciting, it's deep, it's thought-provoking. And while the chief characters are mostly Anglican clergymen, it's a book that seems to appeal to people of all faiths or none.
I first read the book in 2000, I re-read it in 2001, and I read it again recently... enjoying it all the more despite knowing what was coming.
It's the first of six novels in the 'Starbridge' series, and I recommend it highly! Unfortunately it's currently out of print, but is widely available second-hand.
'A Question of Integrity' was, oddly enough, the first book I ever read by Susan Howatch. I say 'oddly enough' because it was one of her later books, and works best if read after her 'Starbridge' series of six. Or, at least, after 'Mystical Paths' which is the fifth in the Starbridge book.
So that's what I did this time. Although, having said that, it worked very well as a standalone novel the first time I read it.
'A Question of Integrity' (which was published under the title 'The Wonder Worker' in the United States) opens by introducing dumpy little Alice. She meets and falls in love with Nick Darrow, a charismatic (in the broadest sense of the word) clergyman who conducts healing meetings.
Nick helps Alice through a family bereavement, in an extremely moving passage of the book. He also helps her find both employment and some self-respect.
The book is told from four differing viewpoints. The plot builds skilfully as each character revels new facets about himself or herself, and also gives that person's perspective on events that have already been described by others. It's really a very clever device, and one that the author uses extremely well.
Towards the end of the book there are some dramatic crises, and my only (slight) disappointment was that the book ended rather suddenly, leaving me eager for more. What a relief it was, the first time, to realise that there were six books preceding this, and two more afterwards.
On the whole, though, it was excellent, and I thought it all the better for having re-read the Starbridge series first.
Highly recommended.
The first time I read Susan Howatch's Starbridge series of six books about Church of England clergy in the 20th century, I found it thought-provoking, exciting, moving, and very cleverly written. I could hardly bear to read the final book in the series, Absolute Truths, but when I did I thought it a perfect final book. It cleared up many threads, answered many questions, and gave a lot of hope for the future.
Re-reading the entire series recently, I wondered if I would like 'Absolute Truths' as much, since I knew what was coming.
I did.
It's a brilliant final novel in the Starbridge series.
It's told from the point of view of Charles Ashworth, who narrated the first book (Glittering Images) when he was a young man. In this story, however, he's much older, and is now an eminent Bishop in Starbridge.
Things start to go wrong for Charles, and events move rapidly towards a crisis point before he begins to find the way forward again.
I thought this novel was very cleverly plotted, drawing together threads from all the other books in the series, but still complete in itself. It feels like a real ending, too. Once again, I had no sense of anti-climax, or that the author had cheated. It was wonderful.
Highly recommended.
I'm re-reading the amazing 'Starbridge' series by Susan Howatch only a year after the first time I read it. I'm struck continually at how clever she is as a writer. The sub-plots weave together with almost uncanny skill, and her depth of understanding of human nature is brilliant.
'Mystical Paths' is the fifth book in this incredible series, which is about Church of England clergyman in the 20th century. In one sense, this book doesn't fit so well with the rest. It's written from the point of view of Nick Darrow, featuring events in the 1960s when he's in his twenties, and part of a rather wild set of people.
It's different from the others in that a murder mystery forms a significant part of the plot. Put so does Nick's rather co-dependent relationship with his father Jon. It's also different in that it's actually a precursor to the 'St Benet's' trilogy which were written after the Starbridge series.
Still, it's an exciting book that helps us understand yet another character who's been fairly minor in the earlier books. This one could easily be read on its own, and should make perfect sense. However if you've read the other four Starbridge books first, this one answers some questions and progresses the story somewhat.
Recommended.
This book is the fourth in Susan Howatch's wonderful 'Starbridge' series of six novels about the Church of England in the 20th century. It can be read alone, but works better if they're read in order. I first read 'Scandalous Risks' only a year ago, but they're so well-written that I could probably read them every year, and enjoy them all the more each time.
This novel is told from the point of view of Venetia, who was a nine-year-old girl mentioned briefly in the previous book, Ultimate Prizes. 'Scandalous Risks' is set twenty years later, in the 1960s, and describes how she falls in love with Neville Aysgarth, a much older (and married) clergyman who is the Dean of Starbridge.
There's a lot of theology explored in this book, and Neville's 'new morality' is contrasted negatively with the more conventional approach of Charles Ashworth and Jon Darrow (who is now an old man).
Thought-provoking and enjoyable.
Once I start on Susan Howatch's 'Starbridge' series of novels about the Church of England, it's hard to put them down, even though I read them all only a year ago.
'Ultimate Prizes' is the third in the series. It's narrated by Neville Aysgarth, and is best read after the other two, although it could stand alone.
Neville is a particularly clever creation as a character, since he's not actually very appealing, yet his story is gripping. He's appeared as a minor (and rather unpleasant) character in the previous books, so it's interesting to see into his psyche in this book.
We learn a great deal about Neville's childhood and background, as he comes to terms with tragedy and nearly (as he tells us in the first sentence of the book) commits adultery. He takes advice from Jon Darrow, despite despising his Anglo-Catholicism, and discovers a new calling for himself... although, in the end, he rejects some of Jon's suggestions.
Well worth reading, and re-reading!
(I first read this in 2000, and again in 2007)
What an incredible writer Susan Howatch is! I first read her Church of England 'Starbridge' series just a year ago; I can't think of any other author whose works I would re-read in such a short space of time.
'Glamorous Powers' is the second of the Starbridge novels. It features Jon Darrow, an Anglo-Catholic monk who has worked for seventeen years in Abbeys as part of the Fordite order.
In the first chapter, Jon receives a vision which he believes is his call to leave the monastery. He has lengthy discussions with his old adversary Francis Ingram, before they decide what the vision means, and what Jon should do.
It's a very moving book in places; it's best to read right after 'Glittering Images', but would work as a standalone novel too.
(I first read this in 2000, and then wrote a longer review of Glamorous Powers in 2007, when I re-read it again)
It's not often that I re-read a book only a year after I first read it. But Susan Howatch is a brilliant writer, with amazing depths that can be explored more fully on further reading. Knowing the plot, I was able to read more slowly, and appreciate all the more the clever way the book was written, and the incredible understanding of human nature that pervades it.
'Glittering Images' is the first of the wonderful Starbridge series of six books about the Church of England in the early part of the 20th century.
Charles Ashworth is a young, widowed clergyman, who goes to stay with an outspoken Bishop. He is acting as an undercover spy for the Archbishop of Canterbury. Charles quickly gets involved with the Bishop's wife's companion, Lyle, as well as getting to know several of the Bishop's guests and friends.
Charles' past catches up with him, leading to a major crisis before he meets Jon Darrow, an intelligent (and possibly psychic) monk who becomes his counsellor.
Absolutely wonderful.
(When I re-read again, six years later, I wrote a longer review of Glittering Images)
'Absolute Truths' is a novel by Susan Howatch. It's the sixth and last book in the Starbridge series.
This story is told from the point of view of Charles Ashworth. He is now the Bishop of Starbridge, in the 1960s. The battles he has faced in previous books come to a head, as he is faced with a life-changing crisis. His relationship with his sons is explored, along with his long-time enmity towards the Dean, Neville Asygarth.
Although each of these novels is complete in itself, they are most powerful and thought-provoking when read in the intended order. This one ties together the entire series, mirroring the first one (also narrated by Charles Ashworth). It answers some questions left open in some of the earlier books, too.
Excellent writing, fast-paced and with great characterisation. There's a truly satisfying ending which slots all the pieces into place.
Compelling reading: very highly recommended!
The first five books in the series are: Glittering Images, Glamorous Powers, Ultimate Prizes, Scandalous Risks, and Mystical Paths.
'Mystical Paths' is the fifth novel in the Starbridge series by Susan Howatch.
The story follows the young adulthood of Nick Darrow in the 1960s. He is an independent - and often confused - young man who is about to be ordained as an Anglican minister.
Like the others in the series, this is a book full of realistic people having problems in relationships. This one is set in the 20th century's most permissive era, with a background of promiscuity and experimentation with drugs.
Powerful emotions run high. Unhealthy parent-child relationships are explored and finally healed.
Highly recommended.
'Mystical Paths' stands alone, but is best read after the previous four in the series: Glittering Images, Glamorous Powers, Ultimate Prizes and Scandalous Risks.
'Scandalous Risks' is a novel by Susan Howatch. It's fourth in the Starbridge series, which features flawed (but mostly delightful) clergymen in the Anglican Church.
This story is told from the point of view of a young woman called Venetia. She was introduced as a small girl in the previous book ('Ultimate Prizes'). In this one, she falls in love with Neville Asygarth, the Dean, in the 1960s. It was the era when the Church was coming to terms with a revolutionary new book 'Honest to God', and the ideals of platonic love.
The developing relationship is explored. But there are also plots and sub-plots involving characters from the previous books, including a now 83-year-old Jon Darrow.
Can be read alone, but it's much better following the three previous books in the series.
Highly recommended.
(I have also written considerably longer reviews of this book after subsequent re-readings. I wrote this review of 'Scandalous Risks' in 2007, and this one in 2017.)
'Ultimate Prizes' is a novel by Susan Howatch, and is the third in the Starbridge series. Sequel to Glittering Images and Glamorous Powers.
This story is written from the perspective of Neville Aysgarth. He is a fictional Archdeacon in the Anglican Church during the 1940s.
It's very cleverly written. Neville isn't a particularly appealing character - yet the story is still gripping. Neville's habit of 'ringing down the curtain' on all unpleasantness has led to so much repression that he approaches a nervous breakdown in the midst of various crises.
The story unfolds as his life hits rock-bottom. He has to learn to face his pain before slowly re-forming his life, and finding a measure of healing.
I thought this book believable, if a tad dramatic in places. There are some interesting digressions into the theological debates of the time, as well as attitudes to World War II, Nazis and pacifism.
I didn't find this book quite as enjoyable as the first two. But I still thought it very readable and thought-provoking.
Highly recommended.
(I wrote a couple of longer reviews of this novel after I re-read it subsequently. I wrote this review of 'Ultimate Prizes' in 2007, and this review in 2017. )
'Glamorous Powers' is a novel by Susan Howatch. It is the second in the Starbridge series, set in the early part of the 20th century.
This is a brilliant psychological novel featuring Jon Darrow. He is a high Anglican monk who was introduced in the first book of the series, 'Glittering Images'.
Jon receives a vision and believes he is called to leave the monastic life, to follow God's will in the wider world. Although this book is complete in itself, it's much better when read as a sequel, because we see the stunning contrast between this uncertain man and the secure, confident Jon who was spiritual director to Charles Ashworth.
In this novel, written from Jon's perspective, we realise that he has plenty of insecurities and hangups. They are gradually revealed over the course of one of the best books I can remember reading for a long time.
Jon's healing takes place alongside a wide variety of realistic people. I thought it absolutely wonderful. I was almost totally unable to put this book down once I had started.
Highly recommended.
(See also: my longer review of Glamorous Powers written in 2007)
'Glittering Images' is a novel by Susan Howatch, and is the first in the Starbridge series.
This book takes a while to get going, but is an incredibly powerful story set in the 1930s in the UK.
Charles Ashworth, a young clergman in the Church of England, has a commission from the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is sent to see if a bishop in the fictional town of Starbridge is potentially causing a scandal by his indiscretions.
Charles gets caught up in the strange household he discovers. Various crises start to unravel his own past, and we gradually learn about his personal hangups.
Charles meets Jon Darrow, a psychic high Anglican monk, who becomes his spiritual director. We are taken right into the ministry of psychological healing as Jon helps Charles to re-look at his upbringing and understand his repressed emotions.
There's an exciting and fast-moving plot with believable people. I thought this book amazing.
Highly recommended.
(See this post for a longer review of the novel, re-read in 2007)
