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Read Absolute Truths (1996)

Absolute Truths (1996)

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Rating
4.3 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0517170779 (ISBN13: 9780517170779)
Language
English
Publisher
random house value publishing

Absolute Truths (1996) - Plot & Excerpts

This very busy book is the sixth and concluding book of the Starbridge series. It is narrated by Charles Ashworth, Bishop of the Starbridge. By this time in the series all the characters have become real people to me and all the events have actually happened. I am very involved.Events almost happen faster than I the reader can absorb them. Lyle, the much loved but somewhat stand-offish wife of Charles dies and when her journal comes to light Charles discovers that she had a much richer inner spiritual life than he had ever imagined. Added to his almost overwhelming grief Charles also has to contend with the insecurity of his oldest son, the rebelliousness of the younger son, a cathedral that is sending out bad vibes, the suspicion that it's Dean, Neville Aysgarth, is playing fast and loose with the cathedral's assets, an apparent ghost who has recently taken up residence in the cathedral, a controversial divorced priest who wants to set up a Healing Center in the diocese, a pushy archdeacon, and another priest who has been collecting pornography.Jon once again rides to the rescue in spite of now being 88 years old and manages to pick up Neville and set him back on his feet spiritually, and helps he and Charles to come to a meeting of the minds regarding the operation of the cathedral. The controversial priest Lewis Hall methaphorically airs out the cathedral and rids it of the bad vibes, confronts the ghost who turns out the be a former Bishop who is just trying to be helpful and sorts out the priest with the dirty pictures. In the end everything works its self out just like a good novel is supposed to.

A very busy book (though I kept thinking in the end was she going to have time to wrap up all the pieces?). And just like her, she surprises you by the narrator-let's go back to the first guy and back in time since book 5. I loved the way the books interweave and especially how the three main guys are brought together in the end (and oh the great aspects of the church they all represent and side note, I wonder if SH had a favorite, I'll never know how a writer's mind works...) Just like the God she reflects upon and these guys try to serve, this book cannot be labeled or put into a little nice box. Its kinda sad to be reviewing this because it means this series is over and wow what a part of my life its been this past year. Another side note, I am doing Beth Moore's Bible study at church, When godly people do ungodly things, which is about making a big mistake as a believer and then being healed, and this book is a perfect story of all that and how God intermingles all for the GOOD of those who love him.

What do You think about Absolute Truths (1996)?

Short Review: This is my second reading go Absolute Truths. It is the final and best of this excellent series. The series as a whole is about a group of Church of England clergy in the mid 20th century. The focus of this book is what it means when Romans says 'all things work together for good for those that love the Lord.' Charles Ashworth (now Bishop of Starbridge) has his third life crisis. This is not traditional Christian fiction, I don't think US evangelical publishers would publish the series. But this is what Christian fiction should be, a real reflection of life, theologically rich, but not false perfection. My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/absolute-truths-by-s...
—Adam Shields

i just re-read this book, the final book in a six book series about the Church of England. susan howatch takes theology and brings it to life through fiction, and the combination of her witty style and deep ideas makes it such a satisfying read for me. this time, i really wanted to re-read this one because its' main point is romans 8:28 - all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes. i would definitely recommend reading this book. start with the first one in the series though and work your way through. i think it's richer that way.
—Bernice

Short review: In a series that I really, really liked, this is the the best book. It is not often that the last book in a series is the best, but in this case it is. Unfortunately you cannot read the last book as a stand alone novel and get the entire weight of the book. You can read it as a stand alone book. But because these books are all narrataed by a single character, you will not get the understanding of the other characters that are detailed in the prior books.In this book Charles Ashworth, the original protagonist at the beginning of the series, takes up his life in the 1960s. He is now Bishop of Starbridge. His two boys are now on their own. He and his wife Lyle get along better than in most of their marriage (and they realize that having an empty nest is a good thing.) On the negative side, Neville (enemy would be too strong, but they do not get along) is the Dean of the Cathedral and somewhat independent of his authority. His spiritual director and friend is aging and probably near death. It is at this point that his third major life crisis occurs and he is totally unprepared to deal with it.I like Charles much more in this book than the first. I understand his lostness here more than in the first book. It is not a break with reality as much as a crisis of faith. Not so much in God, but in the way he understands God and Charles' own role in life. Excellent bookMy full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/absolute-truths-by-s...
—Adam Shields

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