Summary: The final book returns to Charles Ashworth as narrator and revisits many of the themes and characters raised in the previous books. With all of the series’ weaknesses, Absolute Truths is not only my favorite of the series but one of my favorite fiction books of all time. Again, like my post about Scandalous … Read more
Third Reading Summary: Nicholas Darrow is coming of age, attempting to prepare to become a priest and live a normal life. But his life is anything but typical as the child of an elderly former monk. And he has never really learned to control his psychic powers. And with the death of his mother when … Read more
Third Reading Summary: Venetia Flaxton attempts to find meaning in her life and instead finds a disastrous romance. One of the significant complaints I have with the Starbridge series is that it is oriented primarily toward clergy healing and restoration without as much attention to the harm that clergy can often cause. Scandalous Risks is … Read more
Summary: A working-class boy becomes a high-powered clergyman, but a tragedy brings about a crisis. There are three main reoccurring characters in the Starbridge series, Charles Ashworth (the conservative neo-orthodox), Jon Darrow (the mystical anglo-Catholic), and Stephen (Nevill) Aysgarth (the liberal modernist). Ultimate Prizes is the book where Neville, who is renamed in the book … Read more
Summary: Jon Darrow, Spiritual Director and mystic, feels called to leave his role as an Anglican monk and return to the world. I am revisiting the Starbridge series ten years after I first read it. I have some notes about the series in the review of Glittering Images (the first book) that are relevant to … Read more
Summary: Attachment style has an impact on the way you approach and interact with God. I primarily am approaching this book from my role as a Spiritual Director, but as with many books about spiritual practices, there is also personal relevance. Krispin Mayfield is a counselor adapting his understanding of Attachment Theory from his counseling … Read more
Summary: A promising young theology professor is sent to investigate a bishop, leading to a romance, a breakdown, and a recovery. A few months short of a decade ago, I brought this book on vacation. It was my 40th birthday, and we had publicly announced that my wife was pregnant with our first child. So we … Read more
Summary: Historical fiction with the rough story of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Antony and Augustus Caesar set in 1920-40 financial world of New York and London. Any one that has read Bookwi.se long has read of my love of Susan Howatch. Her crowning achievement, at least as far as I have read, is her Starbridge series. … Read more
Traditionally I put together some sort of list of the best books I have read each year. These are highly subjective and often have more to do with what sticks with me at the end of the year, although I do go back and skim through all the reviews that are 4 or 5 star … Read more
Summary: Spiritual leaders are human, full of sin as all of us, but willing to have their sin redeemed by God for greater glory. Over the last couple months I have re-read all of the Starbridge (or Church of England) series by Susan Howatch and the first of the off-shoot trilogy. This second reading of … Read more