The Gospel According To Luke (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
Luke Butler has recently been appointed senior pastor at an evangelical Christian youth centre in suburban Sydney. He is in his late 20s, and never known any life apart from the orphanage he was brought up in following his abandonment at birth, or the church to which he has devoted his life to and where he has finally found a family of sorts. He has no knowledge, or indeed any desire to find out about his birth parents or family. Luke's life is one of order, devotion, tolerance and adherence to God and the teachings of the Bible.Across the road from the youth centre is, in a bizarre situation of polar opposites, a family planning clinic, managed by the very capable, compassionate and real Aggie Grey. Aggie has a complicated back story too, but wildly different from that of the chaste and clean living Luke. She is a counsellor at the clinic, dispensing contraceptive and relationship advice, helping those with gender identity and sexual orientation issues, counselling women with unwanted pregnancies, and dealing with sexual diseases.The snake on the cover of the book does not need an apple to tell you what is going to happen when these two meet. An instant and dangerous connection sees them both compromising their deeply held values and beliefs. Into this mix comes 16 year old Honey, pregnant, alone and without a clue as to what she should do. She has been treated very badly by the men in her short life, and she is inextricably drawn into the powerful relationship bubbling away between Luke and Aggie.The time worn theme of two people falling in love at the wrong time in the wrong place is at the core of this novel. And just like Romeo and Juliet, there are myriad forces at play to prevent any lasting happiness. The elephant in the room is 'abortion' and what is seen to be in the best interests of Honey by the pro life and pro choice factions, ie the church and everyone else. As expected, things rapidly spiral out of control, and there is no happy ending in sight. Despite the deep and controversial subject matter, this is a straightforward and easy book to read. The characters are perhaps a little too stereotyped and one dimensional, but this is an important subject with neither a right or wrong answer that has been intelligently handled.
After the tremendous high that was Taming the Beast, I had high hopes for this one. And I was only mildly disappointed.This book was slower than TTB. The storyline didn't move with the same intensity, but I'll let it slide as this was a very different book.It follows three main protagonists: Aggie, a head strong counselor who helps women with their problems, including abortion. Honey, a sixteen year old mother. And Luke, a young pastor whose mission is to close down Aggie's godless clinic and save Honey from a possibly hell-worthy decision. However, Luke soon realizes their is more to Aggie then a lack of culture and more to Honey than her circumstances. Throughout the book, Luke is led on a path of uncertainty, Aggie on a path of love and Honey on a path of self-discovery. The conclusion is sad and lovely, and sadly in hindsight, preventable.
What do You think about The Gospel According To Luke (2008)?
This was a pretty absorbing novel. I read Taming the Beast before this and I really enjoy the way Maguire writes. I really liked the characterization of the protagonists. Although, like another reviewer, I did find Aggie a bit coarse and unsympathetic. I also didn't completely buy her attitude in certain situations. I think what Luke saw in her should've been emphasized more to show how giving a person she is. I really enjoyed the other main characters, Luke and Honey. I only wish we were given
—Mara
The Gospel According to Luke by Emily MaGuire will grip you and rip you apart. There can no be happy ending. Indeed there isn’t one, though the ending is appropriate, satisfying. The book itself is an interesting interplay of two very polar characters and a third just trying to survive, grow up. It has so many elements. I doubt one could read it without being very affected by it.I recommend this book unreservedly. I knew that MaGuire was a good writer from her previous book. I didn’t realize jus
—Steven
