The Rev. Diaries

by Adam Smallbone, Jon Canter, Tom Hollander

The Rev Diaries is the hilarious tie-in novel to the award-winning hit BBC1 comedy, Rev, starring Tom Hollander.'I went into the newsagent's for a packet of fags and I saw the exercise book, and I thought, yes, that's got your name on it. Or it soon will. Buy it and fill it with your thoughts, which are many and beautiful and frequently in service to the Lord. Make a diary of your time at St Saviour's. Maybe, in two hundred years' time, you'll be celebrated as the Samuel Pepys of the Church of England. Or a sort of Reverend Bridget Jones. Is that too much to hope for, Lord?'Meet Rev. Adam Smallbone, recently promoted from a sleepy rural parish to funky, inner-city St Saviour's in Hackney. Out of his depth in his new, urban surroundings, he's doing the best he can, supported by his loving, but agnostic wife, Alex.As Adam struggles with the unfamiliar demands of his new parish, there aren't many he can turn to. There's the wild Colin, the waspish Archdeacon, the pompous Nigel, the smothering Adoha and Ellie, the formidably attractive headmistress of the local C of E school. There's God of course. There's always God. But in Adam's hour of need, will God - and Alex - be enough?Rev. Adam Smallbone is the vicar of St Saviour's in Hackney. He studied History at Bristol University, and was ordained in 1999. He is married to Alexandra, a solicitor. He was a curate in the Ipswich Diocese before becoming the vicar of St Peter's, Gromford, where he was able to be asleep most nights by 9 p.m.

Genres: Humor, Fiction

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2014

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

“When I pray, it’s like a silent chat. I think of the things I want to say to God and I feel him hearing my thoughts.” Has Rev made it over to the States? I do hope so. It’s a sweet, unusual little sitcom about a mild-mannered Anglican vicar’s foibles and failings in his new inner-city London parish. “I never want anyone to think that my collar means I’m earnest and pious and they can’t say what they like.” What a nice chap.

I can’t imagine anyone picking up this book unless they’ve already seen the show; equally, I can’t imagine why anyone who’s seen the first two seasons would need to recap them by reading this. (This isn’t really sounding like much of a recommendation.) But, perhaps, for diehard fans, this will be a complementary means of revisiting some favorite moments.

Here’s some of what you’ll remember, all through Rev. Adam Smallbone’s unassuming first-person narration:

• Trying not to be jealous of Darren, the highly successful and trendy vicar
• Meeting Muslims and attempting interfaith stuff
• “Trying for a baby” with wife Alex
• Fighting the opening of an exotic dancing club across the street from the Anglican school
• Hiding a raging crush on Ellie, the Anglican school head teacher
• Often getting in hot water for a liberal attitude toward homosexuality
• Finding little moments of purpose and fulfillment (“I just know that what I did today was somehow good. That’s it. That’s the best I can say.”)
• Succumbing to a whopper of a crisis of faith (“The rage I felt that I was wasting my life on a God who either didn’t exist or had no faith in me.”)

What I don’t ever remember being on the show (likely because it would have had to come via a flashback or a monologue) is Adam’s memory of a 1999 trip to Hay-on-Wye when (while on magic mushrooms!) he watched a heron fly off on and realized for the first time that God believed in him. How lovely.

This book does a good job of recreating through journal entries the thoughts that, on the show, usually come as voice-over monologues. But does it add anything to the devotee’s viewing experience? I’m not so sure.

[Felix George Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would probs give this book a 3.5. its a difficult one

as a experience i really enjoyed reading it + remembering all the great moments from the tv show.

but having finished im certain the story is far better told through the medium of tv. for a start idk what it was but it was far harder to sympathise w adam as a character in the book - in the show he’s a very conflicted+ rounded 3d character (mostly down to amazin portrayal by tom hollander) whereas in the book i found his negative characteristics kinda magnified?

anyways i really liked revisiting all the characters, scenes, drama etc. + i liked some of the lil added extra bits that werent in the show - they definitely added rather than took away from the story. probably my favourite addition was the little sections of adam wondering over the beauty of sacred music

but yea honestly cant imagine how some1 who hasnt seen rev would take this book but i enjoyed it. i would just far quicker recommend the show than the book

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Rev. Diaries recounts the ministry of Rev. Adam Smallbone who finds himself moving from a rural parish to a dying urban church. The diary is set over the period of a year and recounts his highs and lows and the people he has met along the way (from sweet to completely mystifying). It took me a while to get into this book and at the beginning I really didn't like it, but over time it grew on me. It is gritty, passionate, and real to life. At first I was a bit turned off by its edginess, but I guess it also shows vulnerability and honesty so points there. What I don't like about the book is the author. He seems to be a completely immature Christian and pastor, yet he has the audacity to say someone else in his congregation is not called to be a priest. I know no Christian is perfect, but he clearly seems to have issues in his faith walk. He was having premarital sex, got married to a woman who could care less about the church or about ministry, and swears like a trouper. All of this happened while he was still in seminary. I could understand some of his immaturity if he were a young pastor, but he said he has years of experience (I think 25?) so I don't know why he is still acting like an overgrown child rather than the God-fearing adult he should be.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I do not watch television at all I came to this book without any pre-conceived ideas about it. I enjoyed reading it and it is written in a conversational style in the form of diary entries.

It shows Adam dealing with a new inner city parish after several years in a very rural one and how he came to love some of his parishioners - as well as the Archdeacon - and how his marriage fared under the extra stresses of what seemed liked life in a gold fish bowl.

Much of it is amusing but there are serious issues involved too including homelessness, alcoholism, vandalism and homosexuality within and outside the church. There is violence and kindness and Adam's life and work is a seies of ups and downs which he doesn't survive completely unscathed.

This is an enjoyable read - whether or not you have seen the television series. I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from NetGalley.

[Beverley · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick easy and fun read, essentially a written version of the first series of Rev. I loved the series and thus was a sweet preside from my family. Some laugh out loud moments but possibly mostly because I could picture it all in my head! I have a particular fondness for the deliciously awful Archdeacon.

[Jo Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice holiday read. I liked the style of writing and it was easy to read and did make me laugh. It only got 3 stars as thought it could have been a bit better. I have not watched the tv series so don't know if it is based on this or follows it exactly. However it was amusing and enjoyable without setting the world on fire. I do want to watch the to series now though.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any fan of the flawless series... should certainly read this companion. 'Adam Smallbone's' internal monologue on the trials of the church of England is honest, funny and screamingly real.

[Keith Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good tie in to a good tv program. just a pitty they did not carry it on to a second book to cover the 3rd season