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2nd out of 59 books
—
12 voters
A Perfectly Good Man
by
Patrick Gale
The apparent serenity of parish life in Pendeen and Morvah is disturbed when 20-year-old Lenny Barnes takes his own life in the presence of Father Barnaby Thomas, the charismatic, indefatigable local priest, whose enduring service has made him a popular member of his Cornish community.
Though Lenny′s death is publicly mourned, the tragedy continues to wound those closest to...more
Though Lenny′s death is publicly mourned, the tragedy continues to wound those closest to...more
Paperback, 405 pages
Published
March 3rd 2012
by Fourth Estate
(first published March 1st 2012)
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I really wanted to like this book, it was an interesting concept for a novel but I never connected with any of this book or the characters. The book revolves around the community effects of Lenny’s suicide in front of a priest. This small community and the stories of past and present play out in this book. For me the people never felt real and I think that first began with Father Barnaby Thomas feeling to fake. Having grown up in a small town with a minister for a father I’ve seen how people rea...more
Patrick Gale is a fantastic writer. He really brings his characters and story to life. I really liked his writing style and the many moral dilemmas and themes within this book. However, I was a bit frustrated with how neatly all the characters came together. I appreciated how lives are linked and the depth to which we all have our 'own story' but it was just a bit simplistic for me and a little predictable after a while. Some of the most interesting characters such as Modest where never really i...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Much like it's companion, Notes, this emotional story is just the kind of book I love to read. I have long been a fan of Patrick Gale's work and have read most of his books. Most gratifying for me is the constant themes of place (Cornwall), families, especially dysfunctional ones, and morals. So many of them lie within these pages and as ever are beautifully portrayed and described. Another of his continual themes is religion and Man's struggle within the confines of its boundaries and ethics. I...more
Patrick Gale has written many wonderful books and A Perfectly Good Man, published in 2011, is no exception. Set deep in Cornwall, this is a story that is told from multiple points of view as the bigger story that draws the different strands together gradually unfolds.
Gale’s Cornwall brings together 21st century themes in an ancient setting. His book is peopled by vicars and atheists and humanists and the undecided. His writing explores age-old themes of good and evil and faith and choice and of...more
Gale’s Cornwall brings together 21st century themes in an ancient setting. His book is peopled by vicars and atheists and humanists and the undecided. His writing explores age-old themes of good and evil and faith and choice and of...more
The apparent serenity of parish life in Pendeen and Morvah is disturbed when 20-year-old Lenny Barnes takes his own life in the presence of Father Barnaby Thomas, the charismatic, indefatigable local priest, whose enduring service has made him a popular member of his Cornish community.
Though Lenny′s death is publicly mourned, the tragedy continues to wound those closest to him, and its reverberations seem to threaten a fissure between the Parish and its inhabitants. And yet Lenny′s death is simp...more
Though Lenny′s death is publicly mourned, the tragedy continues to wound those closest to him, and its reverberations seem to threaten a fissure between the Parish and its inhabitants. And yet Lenny′s death is simp...more
This was ultimately a disappointing book. The narrative style (jumping around from character to character and year to year) is disconcerting. It is well written and I did find myself getting involved with the characters but overall the plot was pretty shallow and it was all very pc - complete with gay wedding and the usual ruminations about the non-existence or at best, vague existence of God. The hero is a vicar who basically does not believe.
"There! He said to himself. I don't believe in God....more
"There! He said to himself. I don't believe in God....more
The apparent serenity of parish life in Pendeen and Morvah is disturbed when 20-year-old Lenny Barnes takes his own life in the presence of Father Barnaby Thomas, the charismatic, indefatigable local priest, whose enduring service has made him a popular member of his Cornish community.
Though Lenny′s death is publicly mourned, the tragedy continues to wound those closest to him, and its reverberations seem to threaten a fissure between the Parish and its inhabitants. And yet Lenny′s death is simp...more
Though Lenny′s death is publicly mourned, the tragedy continues to wound those closest to him, and its reverberations seem to threaten a fissure between the Parish and its inhabitants. And yet Lenny′s death is simp...more
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Having read "Notes from an Exhibition" a few years ago & recently attended an author event with Patrick Gale I was in a hurry to read it. However the subject matter & plot didn't appeal so when I found myself engrossed in the life of a country priest I was surprised!
As much as anything I respected this novel for the way it was crafted. Each chapter was written from a different character's perspective & it went backwards & forwar...more
As much as anything I respected this novel for the way it was crafted. Each chapter was written from a different character's perspective & it went backwards & forwar...more
My favourite books are ones that I have to keep picking up when I know I should really be doing something else; those that as I approach the end I am torn between wanting to know how it all turns out but sad that I will have to leave the characters behind. Most importantly I have to care about the characters and ideally like at least one of them so that I can empathise with them as the story progresses. A Perfectly Goood Man did all of those things.
Although written in a gentle and easy to read...more
Although written in a gentle and easy to read...more
I like the way Patrick Gale makes his characters seem so real. It is almost as if he loves them into being, even the unpleasant characters are dealt with understanding. With a light touch, Gale gets right under the skin of his main subjects. In this, the "good man" Barnaby is depicted with all his struggles, loves, intentions and weaknesses- if weaknesses they are as they do make us human. Dealing with the currently unfashionable subject of religion and belief, Gale manages to convey a deeper si...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
What this book accidentally ended up illustrating to me is the importance of being intelligent as well as well meaning. Obviously, with a title like that Gale is setting himself a challenge, and he tries to show that he knows it's challenging by showing his "perfectly good man" as imperfect and making mistakes but still being ultimately good. Barnaby ends up a shade too dim, self-satisfied and unreflective in my eyes, despite the effort made in his characterisation. Also, I was deeply annoyed by...more
It’s almost possible to forget how wonderful Patrick Gale’s books are, because they aren’t showy or loud.
This book has a wonderful structure, heading back and forth along the lifeline of Barnaby, a parish priest (Anglican, I think not, Catholic, because he is married with a family.) This results in an odd patchwork effect – you often find out someone’s fate before you actually meet them for real as they enter Barnaby’s life or leave it. This patchwork is mesmerising, gorgeous and very intriguin...more
This book has a wonderful structure, heading back and forth along the lifeline of Barnaby, a parish priest (Anglican, I think not, Catholic, because he is married with a family.) This results in an odd patchwork effect – you often find out someone’s fate before you actually meet them for real as they enter Barnaby’s life or leave it. This patchwork is mesmerising, gorgeous and very intriguin...more
This is a story about a good man who did one 'bad' thing. It was one of those books that I quite enjoyed while reading but as I closed it at the end, thought it was a bit of a waste of precious reading time.
Patrick Gale has gone back and forth in time but very helpfully tells you not only the character narrating the chapter but his/her age as well. As these characters age through the book, the age of the central character, the priest, actually goes backwards from 60 to 8. Confused? I don't think...more
Patrick Gale has gone back and forth in time but very helpfully tells you not only the character narrating the chapter but his/her age as well. As these characters age through the book, the age of the central character, the priest, actually goes backwards from 60 to 8. Confused? I don't think...more
And a perfectly good book! This is my first foray into Patrick Gale, and on the strength of this, I will definitely be reading more. A really lovely tale of morality, temptation and faith in a small English village. The characters are very sympathetic, especially the central priest character of Barnaby and you really feel for his struggle to come to terms with the demands on his time and patience by his family and parishoners. An additional note of drama and suspense is added by the sinister Mod...more
This book was very enjoyable as it was well written, had great characters and was easy to read. I liked the way Gale didn't write it chronologically and that you gradually found out about each character and how they related to the rest of the comunity be reading a chapter about them when they were 30 then a chapter when they were 8.
It deals with themes such as suicide, families, marriage and drug addiction. Some characters from Notes at an Exhibition make an appearance and Gale's description of...more
It deals with themes such as suicide, families, marriage and drug addiction. Some characters from Notes at an Exhibition make an appearance and Gale's description of...more
Until I was sent this book to review for the local newspaper, I had not heard of the author, even though he has 16 other books listed in the front of this one.
So it came as a very pleasant surprise to find that here is an author I can look forward to reading more of.
The central character is the vicar of a small Anglican parish in Cornwall. The novel tells the story of his family life and his work with his parishioners. This may sound simple, even a little dull, but it is very far from both of t...more
So it came as a very pleasant surprise to find that here is an author I can look forward to reading more of.
The central character is the vicar of a small Anglican parish in Cornwall. The novel tells the story of his family life and his work with his parishioners. This may sound simple, even a little dull, but it is very far from both of t...more
Firstly, don't let the amount of time I took to read this be a reflection on the book in any way, but rather on my Olympic obsession which has rendered me incapable of almost everything except watching sport.
I absolutely loved Notes from an Exhibition and so had high hopes for this one. My appreciation of this book grew as I made my way through it. The characters at first were slightly hard to get to know, but slowly became friends. Father Barnaby, who I initially pegged as a bit of a damp squ...more
I became a fan of Patrick Gale after reading Notes from an Exhibition which I thought was superbly written. This latest novel I found even more gripping, it had me captivated from the first page, and once I finished it I kept thinking about it for days. A great (but not necessarily sympathetic) cast of characters whose stories get interwoven in predictable and unpredictable ways. This book is highly original and incredibly moving, and does not shy away from difficult topics. A book about so many...more
Not as dramatic as it sounds like it is going to be. I have loved Patrick Gale's books for years so when i found this in my library, i was lookign forward to it a lot.
It is a very charming story about charming people in a small place. It is a drama but didn't feel as though it was told with drama. When i think back over it, the central reason for the exploration of the characters and their stories gets a bit lost. However, they are great portraits of ordinary people doing their best to live the...more
It is a very charming story about charming people in a small place. It is a drama but didn't feel as though it was told with drama. When i think back over it, the central reason for the exploration of the characters and their stories gets a bit lost. However, they are great portraits of ordinary people doing their best to live the...more
I had forgotten that Patrick Gale is such a great storyteller. My review of his earlier bestselling novel "Notes from an Exhibition" was not entirely complimentary, so either I got that wrong or his latest book is so much better. Both are set in the same area of Cornwall, but this is not so much a sequel as a companion piece.
Like his earlier book, the narrative shifts around in time and person. The central character is Barnaby Johnson, the vicar of Pendeen and Morva, but we also follow various...more
Like his earlier book, the narrative shifts around in time and person. The central character is Barnaby Johnson, the vicar of Pendeen and Morva, but we also follow various...more
I really enjoyed this book and the way it was so beautifully written. As soon as I finished I read his book:Notes from an Exhibition|1658265].
I was lucky enough to interview and photograph Patrick Gale (for www.theinterviewonline.co.uk) and in the podcast he mentions how he wrote A Perfectly Good Man as an "echo novel" to Notes..
If you enjoy his books you might like to pour yourself a coffee and have a listen. He also talks about how he uses the Christian faith to "colour" his books (UK spelling...more
I was lucky enough to interview and photograph Patrick Gale (for www.theinterviewonline.co.uk) and in the podcast he mentions how he wrote A Perfectly Good Man as an "echo novel" to Notes..
If you enjoy his books you might like to pour yourself a coffee and have a listen. He also talks about how he uses the Christian faith to "colour" his books (UK spelling...more
I loved it. It had a character from Notes on an Exhibition, which I also love. It has the same kind of jump back & forwards between different characters at different points in their lives, format as 'Notes ...' so some people may not like, but I find that can add poignancy as you later find out why a character did what he did or whatever. As usual Patrick Gale touches on some challenging subjects, but he does it so well & not in a sensationalist way. He really gets inside characters &...more
I quite enjoyed this book and liked its exploration of relationships and characters by moving backwards and forwards through time. However, in the end I found it unsatisfying. There seemed to be far too much tidying up of loose ends with Barnaby and Nuala going off into the sunset after nasty Modest had disposed of poor old Dot and a gay marriage for previously asexual Carrie- complete with a church wedding officiated by the woman vicar. Barnaby seemed most real in his relationship with his Uncl...more
What a lovely book.
I don't usually like books that mess around with chronology, but this book's format of jumping around, backwards and forwards, through various of the characters' lives to introduce another important piece of the jigsaw works perfectly.
It's a story about life, death, love, spirituality, relationships, families and religion, all treate din a beautifully sensitive, gentle way.
It has extremely likeable characters, even though they are nearly all fatally flawed in their own little...more
I don't usually like books that mess around with chronology, but this book's format of jumping around, backwards and forwards, through various of the characters' lives to introduce another important piece of the jigsaw works perfectly.
It's a story about life, death, love, spirituality, relationships, families and religion, all treate din a beautifully sensitive, gentle way.
It has extremely likeable characters, even though they are nearly all fatally flawed in their own little...more
I agree with the other review that this is a wonderful, gentle book. In addition to Partick Gale's hallmark exploration of the themes of love loss and belonging - I was very suprised to find within this book a gentle, honest and powerful testament to the power of faith. Not the zealous, dogmatic faith that provides an easy target for the New-Atheist movement, but an open, doubting and self-effacing faith grounded in kindness and the appreciation of beauty. For someone not particularly religious...more
It's an interesting book. It doesn't really matter that it's told out of sequence, because absolutely nothing happens. The tenet of the story, that the priest witnesses a suicide, is almost immediately lost, and there seem to be almost no consequences to it at all. The back stories are interesting, but also don't go anywhere... the tragic, embittered and perverted story of the maths master who has nasty vindictive tendencies... is just there, annoying both characters and readers.
The small-town...more
The small-town...more
At first Gale's style of providing glimpses of individual characters at different periods of their lives was a little off putting but soon it became a wonderful part of his storytelling and character revelations. Although the young man's suicide sets the backdrop for all the storylines the dominant theme remained one of faith - whether in a god or each other - and the power of the human spirit to adapt and reinvent in very subtle ways - for good or for evil - make for an enriching read!
I enjoyed this quite a lot, but it had a lot of faults, such as too many characters who didn't have much to do with the main plot and added nothing to the tension. There's one whole sub-plot that simply doesn't need to be there. And because the author's attention was focussed too widely, he didn't have time to really bring the main characters truly to life. But nevertheless, it's certainly a "good read" and raises some interesting questions, so I do recommend it in spite of my reservations.
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Patrick was born on 31 January 1962 on the Isle of Wight, where his father was prison governor at Camp Hill, as his grandfather had been at nearby Parkhurst. He was the youngest of four; one sister, two brothers, spread over ten years. The family moved to London, where his father ran Wandsworth Prison, then to Winchester. At eight Patrick began boarding as a Winchester College Quirister at the cat...more
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May 04, 2013 04:58am