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Glittering Images (Starbridge #1)
It is the 1930s, and Charles Ashworth is dispatched by the Archbishop of Canterbury to learn the truth about the flamboyant Bishop of Starbridge, Adam Alexander Jardine, and his mousy wife. Do Jardine's outspoken denouncements of the Anglican Church's strict divorce laws have a personal motive? When he meets the cool and beautiful Lyle Christie, Mrs. Jardine's companion, A...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
January 17th 1995
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1987)
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Jan 01, 2013
booklady
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
1980s,
1990s,
2010,
classic,
fiction,
hagiography,
historical-fiction,
literature,
must-have,
psychology,
religion,
theology,
worth-reading-over-and-over
My edition of this book is so old it's not even pictured on any of those featured here on goodreads. I'm not sure when I first picked up a copy of this book or first read it. This is a booklady equivalent of junk reading. I first encountered dear sue when I lived in the UK in the early 80s. Fell in love with her technique of telling stories from first one perspective and then switching camera angles to a different character. It taught me the valuable lesson that while many may despise/like a per...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
If you like one Starbridge book, you'll like all of them. If you can't read the first one, just give it up. I loved them. Before I read these books I didn't even realize that there were high churchy Anglicans and low churchy ones. Or that English churchmen are for the most part very sex-ually hung up and neurotic. If people like the characters in these books actually exist, I have never met them, but I HOPE they exist. The stiffer-than-stiff upper lip and the guilt and inability to talk about th...more
Mar 31, 2012
^
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anglican christians
On finishing this novel I thanked God that my life is, by comparison, so uncomplicated. This is a taut spiritual and psychological ecclesiastical thriller, of impressive angst. I lapped it up; this was a book that I resented putting down; instead delighting in new words (to me) such as ‘apostate’; so (sadly) useful in the Church of England nowadays, and being charmed by the thought of a door opened by “a butler “who looked like a character from a Trollope novel,” (no, not Joanna) which seemed ju...more
Dec 09, 2011
Matthew
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Matthew by:
Andrew Hillman
Shelves:
spirituality-and-religion,
historical-fiction
First started reading this book about a year ago when my friend sent it to me and recommended I read it. I got through about a quarter of the book and set it aside. I couldn't figure out why my friend had sent me a trashy, historical romance.
A month or so ago he brought the book back and said I needed to read it. I figured that since he was telling me a second time I must have missed something the first time around. For that first part of the book I was still wondering what the heck was going on...more
A month or so ago he brought the book back and said I needed to read it. I figured that since he was telling me a second time I must have missed something the first time around. For that first part of the book I was still wondering what the heck was going on...more
This is not high literature. Howatch's Church of England series is really like romance novels for Anglicans. It's not that they lack sex-- there's plenty, mostly angsty, as you'd expect for a set of Anglo-Catholic classics. Rather, the narrative place of sex in a romance novel is taken by spiritual direction. You don't have fantasy lovers; you have psychic monks who can tell you exactly what's wrong with your relationship with God and your family, and what you need to do to fix it. Anyone who's...more
Jul 17, 2009
Jo
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Serious readers, Readers interested in the Chrisitan faith, Readers with Ecclesiastical interest
Recommended to Jo by:
No one
I read this book/series many years ago. Distinct memories are hazy, but having read other reviews, the general story comes back. I do remember being intrigued by learning about the ecclesiastical structure of the Church of England. The practice of having a spiritual guide for their pastors was intriguing. The spiritual faith of the main characters and their journeys are what kept me reading throughout the series.
The device of the author to advance the story through characters that appear in d...more
I have never read this author before and this book was recommended by a friend who felt that it was helpful to him personally. From the reviews, I read that this book has been cathartic for many people who have realized that they have a big disconnect between their private self and the image which they portray publicly.
At first, I thought it was fairly well-written and the author was developing the characters. BUT, when the main character had his moral, spiritual, emotional, psychological, physi...more
At first, I thought it was fairly well-written and the author was developing the characters. BUT, when the main character had his moral, spiritual, emotional, psychological, physi...more
I read this series of books a few years ago and really liked them. They are about fictional clergy members of the Anglican Church--doesn't sound that fascinating, but I couldn't put them down! I really liked that the characters were so real--despite their obvious sins and failings, they still had strong faith. Beware--these books do contain sex and scandal, they are not for the faint of heart, but I still recommend them if you aren't bothered by such stuff.
I first read a Susan Howatch novel years ago and found it fascinating and read a couple more. I picked this one up at the recommendation of Jacqueline Winspear, one of my current favorite authors. She was Barnes & Noble mystery writer of the month and had a list of recommendations. A couple of them I had already read, so I grabbed some others with relish.
At first I wasn't too enthralled. It seemed a psychological story with a lot of Jungian underpinnings, pleasantly written, but a little ba...more
At first I wasn't too enthralled. It seemed a psychological story with a lot of Jungian underpinnings, pleasantly written, but a little ba...more
Holy Cow! What a story Susan Howatch weaves. There's depth and twist after twist. I'm very glad that this is just the first book to a huge series. Unfortunately, with a baby, it's harder to find time to read an in depth book like this. These books are no quick read. They are, however, completely worth your time.
Howatch wrote this long series of novels about clergy in the Church of England. They are heavy on theology and psychology - so I loved them, but you have to like that sort of thing. If you do, dive in. They're wonderful. Some are a bit kinky, too, particularly the final three that she wrote some years later than the original six. I found them all really interesting.
The first of the Church of England series that was, for me, life changing. This one begins in SH's former Gothic style, but her style develops considerably through the series to heart-stopping, page-turning psycho-spiritual thriller. The Wonder Worker series is a spin off of this series, and even more exciting, but not for the squeamish.
If you are a plumber in America and you read a book about a plumber in England, you will have similarities and contrasts to enjoy. I'm sure it makes for additional insights into the plot. This is also the case with clergy, though, because we come from such diverse church settings and denominational polity, there are perhaps way more contrasts. This is certainly the case for me with Glittering Images. I have "walked" in similar shoes in some instances, but Anglican priests in the early part of 20...more
I read two of this author's earlier efforts before this novel, published in 1987. I was very impressed at the growth in depth demonstrated here and must attribute this evident growth at least in part to Howatch's study of Christianity, particularly the history of the Anglican Communion. One of the characters is a gifted but seriously flawed Anglican Bishop, Adam Alexander Jardine. The first-person narrator of the story, Charles Ashworth is also a flawed Anglican cleric struggling for redemption....more
Sep 12, 2012
Brenda
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Matthew Johnstone, Heidi Waterhouse, Adam Flynn
Recommended to Brenda by:
Magnus Palm
This was a tremendously satisfying book. It started light and Wodehousy, but quickly got deep and complex. There were a few moments of delighted realization as I, the reader, got to know what was going on. The book spoke to the kind of reality I live in, or wish I did.
I think my very favorite part of this book was its treatment of Christianity, Christians and the church. It is rare to find fiction that has a nuanced, compassionate view of any of these. But I found the book to be theologically co...more
I think my very favorite part of this book was its treatment of Christianity, Christians and the church. It is rare to find fiction that has a nuanced, compassionate view of any of these. But I found the book to be theologically co...more
Short Review: I really liked this book and have liked the next two in the series as well. This is a historical fiction series starting in 1937 (but it has flashbacks to earlier). The main characters are Church of England clergy and those around them. There is some nice early 20th century British feel (so if you like Downton Abbey, but with there was more discussion around faith issues, you should enjoy this.)
This series has lead me to think more about spiritual direction because the whole series...more
This series has lead me to think more about spiritual direction because the whole series...more
Loved this series of books. I am not sure that I would read them if I had not already read Howatch's sagas before hand and loved them. They are quite heavy on theology which I wouldn't have ordinarily given a second glance but knowing what a great writer Howatch is I gave them a go. From the first one I was hooked. As a psych graduate I loved the psychological insights and the theology added a new twist. Not your average psychological thrillers. I don't read many books twice (too many books in t...more
Mar 24, 2013
Teresa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Teresa by:
Jaqueline Winspear
3.5 I picked this up because Jaqueline Winspear, an author I like a lot, said this series was one of her favorites. The book evolves around a vicar in the Church of England who is tormented by the discrepancies between his public persona and what he believes is his real self. The roll of sex is a theme in the book, and there was a bit too much of that for me. It wasn't gratuitous since it figured into the angst and downfall of some of the characters, but it could have toned down. I was intereste...more
I have had this book for a while and glad that I finally got round to it. Charles Ashworth is a bishop in the CofE and is sent by the Archbishop of Canterbury to Starbridge to check out the bishop there. It forces him to confront what he really believes and what he wants out of live. In his quest he meets Jon Darrow the abbot of the Fordite monastery who seems to have a strange insight into those areound him.
I really enjoyed this book which is the first in a series although at times I got confus...more
I really enjoyed this book which is the first in a series although at times I got confus...more
After 2 months, I've finally finished this book and have to say it wasn't great. I guess it was easy enough to read, but the situations played out a little too smoothly. The characters referred more than once to Freud and I couldn't help but think Ms Howatch had taken a psych 101 course and had turned one or two classic case studies into characters. The scenes were too pat - scripted is what I want to say but since this is a novel, I guess it is by definition scripted.
Also, the whole book, or 99...more
Also, the whole book, or 99...more
I could not put this book down, even though in the end it all came together SO nicely that it seemed like a highly orchestrated soap opera. Which is kind of what the story is: the church, God, sex-starved clergymen, scandal. Yup, they couldn't have done better on Days of our Lives. I'm pretty sure I can forgive myself for investing my time and emotions in this written soap story, because this book was riveting, mostly because I got to peer in on the main character's therapy sessions and learn wh...more
Jun 25, 2007
Jeanette
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Yes
Shelves:
mygreat2007rereadadventure
No reread adventure of mine would be complete with including the six Starbridge novels. (actually seven because I am going to include the first novel in her St. Benet series which I feel should rightly belong in the Starbridge series. ) While I will usually do not read books that have a religious agenda, these books have found a place in my heart and a permanent spot on my keeper shelves.
Charles Ashworth a protegee of the Archbishop of Canterbury is sent to investigate the possibly scandalous co...more
Charles Ashworth a protegee of the Archbishop of Canterbury is sent to investigate the possibly scandalous co...more
Sep 13, 2009
Polly Petersen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-general
Charles is a priest caught between the glittering image that he wishes to present to the world and his real self that he feels is unworthy. He is assigned to do a little detective work to determine whether a Bishop has any secrets that might become known and disgrace the Church of England. In the process of trying to uncover what is going on in the Bishops life he is forced to confront his own life and the layers of lies and illusions that form its basis.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
May 30, 2008
Nathan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Trashy Anglicans
Recommended to Nathan by:
Other Trashy Anglicans
Shelves:
lies,
brits-gots-grits
The edition I read was a trashy-looking, black-and-pink, raised-letters-on-the-cover Mass Market Paperback version that should have been a Jackie Collins novel, and there are definite similarities; it's telling that Susan Howatch wrote "family sagas" before turning to the Church of England series. A lot of that "family saga" vibe is in this book too: embarrassingly written sex and even more embarrassing dialogue. The first 150 pages are pretty awful: the narrator is a total prig, and the story i...more
This is the first in a series of 4 books
about Church of England clergy in high
places who are enduring serious crises -
both psychological and theological. All
4 novels were given to me by a friend
who, despite my protests, insisted that I would like these books. She was right!
There is something about decent people
struggling to be better which is quite compelling. There is a great deal of
"churchy" stuff (so insular to England as to be exotic to me) but ultimately the characters are worthwhile to...more
Inner torment and spiritual battle is extremely well done, unfortunately the plot devolves into predictability towards the end. I'm unsure why she had to put a graphic sex scene (worthy of Fabio being on the cover) right in the middle of the story. The Monk Fr. Darrow steals the show and I'll probably read the next book to see what she does with his character (who she confusingly has cuss in one scene - which is completely out of character).
An enormous amount of dramatic action somehow manages to take place in this novel full of background information and conversation. I was hooked from the beginning, however, by Howatch's ability to lay the groundwork for future events and revelations. I simply could not wait to discover the truth behind all of those glittering images. I was especially impressed by her handling of the Darrow-Ashworth counseling sessions and her belief in the power of God always being stronger than the power of the...more
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Susan Howatch (b. 1940) is a British novelist who has penned bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels. Howatch was born in Surrey, England. She began writing as a teen and published her first book when she moved to the United States in 1964. Howatch found global success first with her five sagas and then with her novels about the Church of England in the twentieth century. She has now...more
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“I was wondering if the scene in the drawing-room had been a triumph or a disaster or merely a chaotic piece of bad taste verging on bathos, but I reflected that the only important question was whether I had communicated my message to my parents. I continued to smoke my cigarette and occasionally I shuddered. I wondered dimly how anyone ever survived their families.”
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“Think of me as the porter . . . and consider the possiblity that life might be less exhausting if you unloaded some of your bags on to my empty trolley.”
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Feb 02, 2012 04:00am