Publishers Weekly
★ 03/18/2019
Runcie’s exceptional seventh novel featuring Sidney Chambers (after 2017’s Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love), a prequel, opens with an extended section set during WWII. In 1943, Sidney, and his best friend, Robert Kendall, who are soldiers in a Scots Guards battalion, are serving on the Italian front. Sidney’s efforts to survive the conflict, both physically and mentally, are aided by the Rev. Nev Finnie, a battlefield chaplain who proves crucial to Sidney’s search for meaning and purpose after the war. Runcie is equally effective in portraying Sidney’s decision to become an Anglican minister and his struggles about his feelings for Robert’s sister, Amanda. Superior prose is a plus (a stranger whom Sidney passes on the street has “a face that has grown into the idea that most people will ignore him”). While Sidney has only one passing mystery to solve, fans of Runcie’s sophisticated mixing of whodunit plots with explorations of the human psyche in prior entries will relish getting a fuller picture of Sidney’s path toward a life in the church. Agent: David Godwin, David Godwin Associates (U.K.). (May)
From the Publisher
Exceptional… fans of Runcie's sophisticated mixing of whodunit plots with explorations of the human psyche in prior entries will relish getting a fuller picture of Sidney's path toward a life in the church.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Fans of the books (Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love, 2017, etc.) and the popular PBS series will find very little mystery but much to delight them in this often moving look at how life's difficult decisions are made.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Series fans will know what Chambers' future holds, but that in no way diminishes thepleasure of this prequel, which lays the groundwork for his life of faith and shows hiswartime experience aiding in his detecting avocation. A must for fans and a good starting point for others.” —Booklist
“A tremendous novel - shrewd, compelling and full of insight - James Runcie elevates the genre to impressive new heights.” —WILLIAM BOYD
“Charming, clever and warm: perfect comfort food for the soul” —Joanne Harris, author of Chocolate
“Taken individually, each of these clerical whodunits poses a clever puzzle for armchair detectives. Viewed as a collective study of British life as it was lived when Elizabeth II first ascended the throne, these stories present a consistently charming and occasionally cutting commentary on 'a postwar landscape full of industry, promise and concrete.” —New York Times Book Review on Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death
“Richly atmospheric . . . Runcie's intimate view of post-WWII English society will appeal to admirers of Barbara Pym. His clerical sleuth would be welcome in a novel-length puzzle one day.” —Starred review, Publisher's Weekly on Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night
“Chambers turns out to be a winning clergyman-sleuth, and Runcie's literary authority is repeatedly demonstrated in the construction of his elegant tales . . . there is no denying the winning charm of these artfully fashioned mysteries.” —The Independent on Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death
“James Runcie has created a wholly believable origins story for his sleuthing vicar Sidney Chambers, a man made and broken by war . . . Written with a delicate intelligence; Runcie knows that people may communicate with those of whom they are fond even while one is baffled by the other . . . It's unusual these days to read a novel which is not only about ethical questions but one where the hero is a good man, admirable, if not always likeable. Goodness is much harder to convey than evil, but Runcie brings it off without sentimentalising his hero. He also shows that, while a priest should be fully engaged in the world around him, he always stands a little apart . . . Sidney Chambers is as convincing as any flesh-and-blood creature, not just an idea of a parson. This is because Runcie has thoroughly imagined him and in this coming-of-age novel he shows us how and why he became what he is” —Alan Massie, Scotsman
“The Sidney Chambers series may be comforting, but it's not simple. Runcie meant these novels to be a commentary on life in post-World War II Britain, and so they are. But the themes of good and evil, temptation and sacrifice, remain as fresh as today's news feed.” —The Seattle Times on Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins
Kirkus Reviews
2019-02-18
The prequel to the beloved Grantchester mystery series takes Sidney Chambers from his halcyon university days to the horrors of World War II and finally to a life-changing decision.
Along with his best friend, the ebullient Robert Kendall, Sidney has signed up with the Scots Guards. They arrive on the Italian coast only to see many of their mates cut to pieces in a hail of German bullets, grenades, bombs, and artillery fire. Robert's cricket success and Sidney's first-class degree in classics at Cambridge seem a distant dream as every day they face the horrors and deprivations of war. They use irreverent humor to keep them going and also make friends with "Rev Nev" Finnie, an Episcopal priest with whom Sidney has philosophical discussions. When Robert is killed in battle, Sidney is given the Military Cross and promoted to captain, but as a lifelong friend of the Kendall family, especially Robert's sister, Amanda, he cannot help but feel guilty he is alive, and his inattention leads to his being wounded by a sniper and eventually returning to England. Sidney mopes about trying to comfort Amanda, Sir Cecil, and Lady Kendall while he slowly realizes he must give a thought for his own future. His old friends suggest teaching or diplomacy, but Sidney finds himself inexorably drawn to the priesthood and the peace he seeks. Amanda is somewhat horrified by this choice, and he dithers for awhile but finally comes to a decision after two weeks of religious retreat in a monastery arranged by Rev Nev. His first assignment, perhaps by choice, cuts him off from his friends as he struggles to conform and deem himself worthy of his new life. The eventual move to Grantchester sets him up in the life we have come to admire.
Fans of the books (Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love, 2017, etc.) and the popular PBS series will find very little mystery but much to delight them in this often moving look at how life's difficult decisions are made.
