Third in the Starbridge series about Church of England ministers in the middle of the 20th century.

This book is written from the perspective of Neville, an Archdeacon, whose habit of 'ringing down the curtain' on all unpleasantness has led to enormous amounts of repression, and a near nervous breakdown.

Believable, if dramatic, with interesting digressions into the theological debates of the times, and attitudes to the wars. Shocking in places, but definitely recommended. Enjoyed all the more every time I re-read it! ( )

The new book I just finished was Ultimate Prizes by Susan Howatch. This is not a book or an author I would ever have picked on my own. This book was a reciprocal loan after I sent some of murder mysteries to entertain someone with a broken ankle. And because it was a loan I stuck with it even though I was ready to quit several times in the first 100-200. I have little patience for smug, pompous, white, male, privileged asses who are living in a perpetual state of denial and who delude themselves into thinking their lives are perfect and they're not making any mistakes (or even capable of such humanity). So why the hell would I waste hours of my time on such a hero, told in the first person no less?

Well, first it was a loan and I was making a good-faith effort to respect this offering from a relatively new acquaintance.

Second, it is a British novel set during WWII. My grasp of modern history is a little thin and most of the historical fiction I read is set in Victorian era or earlier, so any exposure to events of the twentieth century is good for me. And it's British and I just love listening/reading that style of English, so different from my Midwest.

Third, I am a very confused agnostic who is very ignorant about Protestantism in all its forms and the hero is an archdeacon of the Church of England. This novel is the third in a series by the author exploring the Church of England from various viewpoints. I freely admit that I have neglected my spiritual development and regret that I avoided religion and philosophy in school (as well as college-level literature). So I am clueless about the various sects--C of E, Baptists, Methodists, Evangelicals, Lutherans, etc.--beyond what I have stumbled across in conversation and recreational reading. And I am starting to think about all of those wonderfully difficult questions, like what is the purpose of marriage, how do I deal with a lack of faith (not a lack of interest, simply unable to cross the void with that necessary leap), what is the difference between ethics and morality, how the hell do I figure out what possible churches to maybe attend or what are the roles of church and state? So it was nice to read a book that covered some of the theological history of one organized religion at least. And it was especially nice to recognize some of the names tossed around (such as Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer, thanks to Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett) and learn about others (George Bell and Charles Raven).

So once the novel starting digging into some of the theological issues and debates I was interested in learning more. And of course, being a dramatic fiction novel, it had to involve some sort of personal crisis for our hero. And once he got off his high horse and admitted he was in serious crisis and lost and that he put himself there (in other words, gained a little honesty and humility and vulnerability), I stopped throwing down the book in disgust at his general assholery. The book is divided into three main sections: Crisis, Under Judgment, and Salvation. Each part and chapter opens with a relevant quote from Charles Raven. Luckily, partway through I went to the back and read the Author's Note and discovered that this was a real person and these were real quotes. I am now tempted to go look the books up and add them to the virtual TBR pile. So the plot itself was nothing too exciting: fairly well-paced and predictable and ending with a reasonable amount of closure and ambiguity.

The writing was good in terms of the prose, neither scintillating nor dull. It did not distract from the story and the themes by being too glossy and clever or irritatingly repetitive and awkward. The story did include children, but didn't spend much time with them. After all, it is all about our hero, and his family was present only sufficiently to display his personal character and insights (or lack thereof). So I guess their lack of representation reflected their importance in his interior life during the course of the story. I did like the letters that were included and references to other correspondence. I am fond of that letter-writing convention however much others may loathe story-by-mailed-installments as it were. And it made the long exposition on the Church of England far more palatable than some sort of internal monologue or lecture completely disconnected to anything in the story.

I don't know if I will look up her other books in the series. It took such a long time for this one to engage me. Of course, that was true for the first Dick Francis novel I ever read, Flying Finish. However, I did manage to finish it and was hooked, rapidly going through his entire body of work. Of course, that's not hard to due with what are essentially straightforward action novels. And the protagonists listed for the other books (all of whom make appearances here) can't possibly be as annoying as this guy. ( )

Part of a remarkable series of books with the powerful Church of England as the backdrop. Ms Howatch is a perceptive and enthralling writer. ( )

Neville Aysgarth,archdeacon has spent hislife chasing success.1942 he has a perfect wife,a perfect family and big future in the church of England.He meets an attractive young socialite and is soon entangled in adultery and obsession.He must face the truth about himself and his survival.
This story explores the temptations of sex and success,and the themes of sin and salvation. ( )

My least favorite of this series, which is a bit like my least favorite flavor in the Godiva Chocolate box. Neville (Stephen) is my least favorite character in the series, except for his part in Scandlous Risks. ( )