Takeaway: Even spiritual directors need spiritual directors.
I promise I will wait a few days before I review another book from the series, but I am a bit taken with the series.
In the previous book, Glittering Images, Charles is assisted by Jon Darrow (a spiritual director) to find his way back to faith and heal to the point where he can forgive himself and his father and get to the point where he can consider becoming married again after the death of his wife.
In Glamorous Power, Jon Darrow has a vision, that he believes is from God that starts him on a path to leave his monastery and seek a new life outside the monastery for the first time in 17 years.
Darrow has just been passed over to become the new Abbot General of the order of Episcopal monks that he is a part of and the man who became the Abbot General has to determine if Darrow is really hearing from God to release him from his vow.
What happens is large part is Darrow fighting to both have and resist spiritual direction from another. Francis, the Abbot General, is not as gifted as Darrow, or at least gifted differently than Darrow. Darrow has these ‘glamorous powers’ and becomes (in part because of his own upbringing, life experience and sin) resistant to submitting to either God or others in his desire to follow God.
In this book there is another whirlwind romance and just like Charles, Darrow has to look hard at his first marriage (both women died) to understand why their second marriages are not going well.
Again this is a book that is a bit melodramatic, but it is intelligent, spiritually rich and insightful into both Christianity and human relationships. I highly recommend it.
Glamorous Powers by Susan Howatch Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook Audiobook is discounted to $3.49 with purchase of Kindle Book
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A friend introduced me to this series several years ago, and I plowed through the entire series over that summer, especially impressed with Jon Darrow’s “gift.”
That next summer I remember her saying, “I am so sorry I have already read the Howatch series. Now I can never experience them ‘for the first time’ once more!”
That are many books that I feel that way about. This series is definitely among them.