Bless Me Again, Father

Bless Me, Father #5

by Neil Boyd

From the series that inspired the hit London Weekend Television sitcom Bless Me, Father : St. Jude’s parish is as lively as everAfter finishing his first year at St. Jude’s, Father Neil finally feels as if he has his feet firmly planted underneath himself. His rapport with Father Duddleswell is as strong as ever, and even Mrs. Pring is showing him a softer side. Things are looking up for this young curate. But St. Jude’s is still full of surprises. In this uproarious installment of Neil Boyd’s semiautobiographical series, the clergy of St. Jude’s is confronted with all manner of personal, political, and cricket-related. There is the dilemma of Dr. Daley, whose drinking is causing his health to deteriorate but who worries that becoming a teetotaler will ruin his personality. Then there are the animals overrunning the church, much to Father Duddleswell’s chagrin, as a new donkey is followed by a fresh litter of kittens. Sharp yet poignant, Boyd’s stories are a pleasant return to a simpler era.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, British Literature

222 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 1981

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

pseudonym of Peter de Rosa

Reviews

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another of seemingly thousands of books and series that I’ve seen references to on the internet that I would never have discovered otherwise. The best description for the Bless Me Father series I can think of is: Imagine if James Herriot had been a RC priest instead of a vet, and Siegfried had been a short, paunchy Irish priest. Both series have the same sometimes-gentle, sometimes-biting humour; the same deep appreciation and reverence for nature and animals and humans, flawed though those humans may be. I’ve immensely enjoyed getting to know these characters. 4 stars.

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Fun and laughter from the two totally different priests, their sharp tongued housekeeper and the various eccentric parishioners. This volume also has some stories that bring tears to the heart among all the laughter.

[sfw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is good example for the gentle, somewhat nostalgic British comic novels about life in small towns, villages or eccentric neighborhoods of larger city. They are outdated but good for Schmunzeln. I read these after spending a quiet day working on statistics, reading Sapiens, trying to edit a poem's 1st draft. Soothing. But warning: some characters' descriptions are caught up in the stereotypes of the times when this book was written.

[patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of Father Boyd's adventures with his pastor Father Duddleswell. There are donkeys and Sister Stephen. A tennis match. Just downright funny. There's a WWII Nazi bomb that damages the church, and where Mass is said is a new one. Need laughs this will have you laughing and smiling. Neil Boyd says Bless Me Again Father.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fr. Boyd has made it thru his first year as a priest but he still has things to learn. I have to say buying these as an omnibus edition makes me keep reading once I finish each novel. This volume has a little more sadness as Fr. Boyd loses a brother and helps a parishioner cope with the loss of his wife.

[Evan Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful read, but also plenty of serious matter to get you thinking. I can't recommend these highly enough.

Also, was happy to find that there is a sixth in the series that I didn't know about until after I finished this one.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://ucplbookchallenge.blogspot.co...

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is a riot, and the movies are based very closely to the books .. if you want a lighthearted, funny series read them and then watch the movies. We have enjoyed them!!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4 in the series, all rather alike but silly and light and human; fun to read.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another enjoyable installment in the comfy series: more post-war 1950s Irish+British priestly humor, in the days when "mixed marriage" meant Catholic+Protestant. There are a couple tragic incidents in the latter part of the book, but otherwise it buzzes with the usual understated humor and familiar cast of characters.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like one of the family.