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'Susan Howatch may well be the Anthony Trollope of the 20th century. Howatch is more than just a novelist of ideas… She is a skilled storyteller who makes the reader wonder, and care about her people.' ANDREW GREELEY, Washington Post
'Rich in human interest, sex, scandal, moral crises and a good deal of humour, it is a book to keep you hooked throughout' Sunday Times
'Howatch writes thrillers of the heart and mind … everything in a Howatch novel cuts close to the bone and is of vital concern' New Woman
'Susan Howatch… is writing for anyone who can recognise that mysterious gift of the true storyteller.' Daily Telegraph
'One of the most original novelists writing today' Cosmopolitan
'Howatch's outstanding gifts as storyteller are combined here with a new seriousness of theme; the result is a superior novel.' Publishers Weekly
'One of the most original novelists writing today' Cosmopolitan
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.Product Description
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, Ashworth believes they do. But as he struggles to understand the strange relationships in the household, Ashworth ceases to be an innocent, objective observer. Slowly, he too is drawn into the secret drama that is being played out in the shadow of the cathedral, a drama that he could never have foreseen.
The first in Susan Howatch's acclaimed novels centering on the glorious Cathedral of Starbridge, Glittering Images is a masterful depiction of spiritual hubris, the seductions of power, and the moral dilemmas of England between the wars. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The first in Susan Howatch's acclaimed novels centering on the glorious Cathedral of Starbridge, Glittering Images is a masterful depiction of spiritual hubris, the seductions of power, and the moral dilemmas of England between the wars. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After writing 5 highly successful family sagas Susan Howatch had a spiritual experience which converted her to Christianity. She then embarked on the series of six novels which were later to be known as the Starbridge books; she had lived herself for some time in the Cathedral Close at Salisbury, and her fictional town Starbridge is actually Salisbury. Just as her family sagas were written in a multi-person first-person narrator format, so was the Starbridge series, but this time each narrator gets a whole book instead of only a section of one!
Glittering Images is the first book in the series. I had already read al five of the family sagas before I had the courage to start on Starbridge; I saw had the courage because I was sure that a whole series of books set in the Church of England could not help but be stuffy and priggish. But this of course is Susan Howatch, a master storyteller. And these books are considered by many to be an enormous step forward.
I found the depth of character found in all the Starbridge even more impressive than in the sagas. She shows not only an extraordinarily deep understanding of the human condition, she also shows great compassion and warmth for all her characters so that even if they have weaknesses and make mistakes, we can nevertheless forgive and love them.
In the first trilogy of books. Set in the 1930's and 1940's, each of the three narrators is stripped down and turned inside out, so that the reader knows all there is to know about them.
In this first book we first meet Charles Ashworth, who will be a major player in the series. Charles has conservative leanings and a Middle Way churchmanship. As ever, Howatch succeeds in giving us an in-depth portrait of a very likeable and sincere man, and sets him in the middle of a story that simply pulls you through, unravelling secret after secret. A wonderful book, which made me immediately want to start on the next one in the series... Glamorous Powers! I've opened an online discussion and reading group based on the Howatch novels; if you are interested in joining please mail me!
Glittering Images is the first book in the series. I had already read al five of the family sagas before I had the courage to start on Starbridge; I saw had the courage because I was sure that a whole series of books set in the Church of England could not help but be stuffy and priggish. But this of course is Susan Howatch, a master storyteller. And these books are considered by many to be an enormous step forward.
I found the depth of character found in all the Starbridge even more impressive than in the sagas. She shows not only an extraordinarily deep understanding of the human condition, she also shows great compassion and warmth for all her characters so that even if they have weaknesses and make mistakes, we can nevertheless forgive and love them.
In the first trilogy of books. Set in the 1930's and 1940's, each of the three narrators is stripped down and turned inside out, so that the reader knows all there is to know about them.
In this first book we first meet Charles Ashworth, who will be a major player in the series. Charles has conservative leanings and a Middle Way churchmanship. As ever, Howatch succeeds in giving us an in-depth portrait of a very likeable and sincere man, and sets him in the middle of a story that simply pulls you through, unravelling secret after secret. A wonderful book, which made me immediately want to start on the next one in the series... Glamorous Powers! I've opened an online discussion and reading group based on the Howatch novels; if you are interested in joining please mail me!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Susan Howatch's ability to spin a good yarn is well known. Add to that the complexities of the Church of England and characters who have a realistic relationship with God (what a refreshing idea!) and you get this un-put-downable novel. I've recommended it to all my friends, and my husband - all have loved it.
And don't forget to read the rest of the Starbridge Novels after this cracking opener...
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Set in Starbridge, which is really Salisbury, this is a story of love, life, morals and conscience. She brilliantly describes the struggles between the generations and the way we live we our lives within the framework of the Church of England. There are no bad characters, only acts which are not good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A psychological 'whodunit'
The book was recommended to me by a friend who waxed lyrical about the 'brilliant characters, all of whom have some flaw' How right he was! Read more
Published 15 months ago by Barnabas
Deceptively easy to read with hidden depths
Howatch sets this drama in the Church of England just before WWII. The title phrase is shot through the book, the glittering image with the true, darker reality behind. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Moorland8
different But enjoyable
This series of books are not my usuall choice of reading but I find that I am most INTRIGUED by the inside of the lives behind men of the Church of England. Read more
Published 21 months ago
Disappointed
I remember Howatch fondly from my twenties with the sweeping family sagas which I enjoyed so was tempted to investigate this new route of her writting. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Italian Fiancee
These books could change your life
A series of novels spanning several decades in the Church of England may not sound like a gripping read. Read more
Published on 2 May 2006 by Persephone
Glittering Images
Glittering Images, along with the other five books of the Starchester chronicles, portrays with eerie clarity the seldom seen inner workings of the Church of England. Read more
Published on 13 April 2003 by Jane Gibb
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