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Title details for Scandalous Risks by Susan Howatch - Available

Scandalous Risks

by Susan Howatch
ebook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available
The author's most famous and well-loved work, the Starbridge series, six self-contained yet interconnected novels that explore the history of the Church of England through the 20th century. In 1963, when traditional values are coming under attack, a young woman in her twenties, Venetia Flaxton, becomes disastrously involved with her best friend's father, the powerful, dynamic but ultimately mysterious Dean of Starbridge Cathedral. Yet, as a married man and a senior Churchman, Aysgarth has nothing to offer her but an admiration which spirals out of control into an obsessive love. As Aysgarth begins to take scandalous risks to further their friendship, pressures rise and the dangers multiply. Venetia finds herself trapped in a desperate web of love and lies from which it seems impossible to escape. Witty, compassionate and compelling, Scandalous Risks explores not only the reality of sin and the fantasy of sexual obsession, but the overpowering human need for redemption, love and lasting happiness.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 21, 2012

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780007396412

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780007396412
      • File size: 1085 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 1, 1990
      A commanding novel of substance and heart, Howatch's fourth in her Church of England series (following Ultimate Prizes ), is narrated by Venetia Flaxton, a young woman of intellect and means but no direction, and centers around her strange affair in 1963 with 61-year-old Neville Aysgarth, dean of Starbridge Cathedral. Related mainly through their letters and conversations, the progress--and explosive dissolution--of their relationship is set in the context of a real-life theological controversy in England crystallized by the publication of Honest to God , a bestselling, situational-ethics view of God's relevance to modern man. Neville and Venetia's mutual needs and fantasies are masterfully revealed by Howatch, who treats romance, sex, love and religion with the seriousness and humor of the best 19th-century novelists. Perfectly limned lesser characters, familiar from the earlier books, include Neville's superior, Bishop Charles Ashworth, and his wise enigmatic wife, Lyle; Canon Eddie Hoffenbach, who adores Venetia; the mystical, sensible Father Jon Darrow and his son Nicholas; Venetia's bumbling wonderful father and Neville's best friend, Lord Flaxton. An affirmation of the printed word, this thumping great, richly nuanced novel of ideas, morality and deep compassion offers itself as a counter to Venetia's observation that ``faith had been wrecked, trust destroyed, love annihilated.'' BOMC alternate.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 21, 1991
      Venetia Flaxton, an intelligent but desultory young woman, details her affair with the 61-year-old dean of Starbridge Cathedral in this fourth of Howatch's Church of England series. ``A commanding novel of substance and heart,'' said PW. Howatch ``treats romance, sex, love and religion with the seriousness and humor of the best 19th-century novelists.''

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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