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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.
Behind the doors of a great English cathedral, the lives and loves of four people intertwine--a brilliant bishop, the wife he once loved, her enigmatic female "companion, " and the young man the Church has sent to investigate their unusual household. "A bold and exciting departure for Susan Howatch."--Los Angeles Times.
OxmoonLives
Posted March 5, 2011
the beginning of the best series i have ever read. religious or not, these books are eye openers. beautifully written, characters to remember, plot thickens with every chapter...read them all.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.TeechTX
Posted October 20, 2011
I read this first "Starbridge" entry based on Jacqueline Winspear's praise for it; I love her Maisie Dobbs series. I don't love Susan Howatch's Glittering Images. The structure of the book is promising: a mystery is put forth which reveals a deeper, personal mystery that must be solved in order to bring the first mystery to a final resolution. The protagonist is a widowed Anglican cleric in his thirties; the setting is England in the thirties between the World Wars. One meets a group of somewhat interesting but not very appealing characters, most of whom should be in custodial care of one kind or another. One learns more about Anglican theology, spiritual dilemma, and dysfunction than many will wish to learn, though I must say that the extended metaphor of "glittering images" is a good one and some of the spiritual insights offered are spot-on. The final resolution at the center of this maze may appeal to those who enjoy sticky romance; others may join me in finding it preposterous at best and unhealthy at worst. I won't be reading the subsequent books in the series.
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Overview
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, ...