Glittering Images

Rating:
Summary: A psychological thriller
Review: No blood. No gore. It takes a skilled writer in this day and age to write a suspense-filled story and yet dispense with what others consider almost essential elements these days. Much of the story is about what goes on in the mind of the main protagonist. Themes are sex, God, repentance and an Anglo Catholic version of psychoanalysis. Slow reading, but well worth the effort.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Title
Review: Read this book (with lots of patience) if you are looking to understand your own 'glittering image.' We all seem to have one whether or not we are aware of it.

The characters were very well defined. What was not described was easy to fill in with my imagination.

The reason I only rated this book a 3 was that it went on and on and on. Even when the story finally became interesting, the same facts were repeated over and over in different ways. Often, I wanted to skip over some of the repetitions but was afraid I would miss some new point so I read every word to the very end. I had to finish this book for understanding only and not for pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Title
Review: Read this book (with lots of patience) if you are looking to understand your own 'glittering image.' We all seem to have one whether or not we are aware of it.

The characters were very well defined. What was not described was easy to fill in with my imagination.

The reason I only rated this book a 3 was that it went on and on and on. Even when the story finally became interesting, the same facts were repeated over and over in different ways. Often, I wanted to skip over some of the repetitions but was afraid I would miss some new point so I read every word to the very end. I had to finish this book for understanding only and not for pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: The most moving and exciting book I've read as an adult!
Review: Susan Howatch has lifted the shroud on the spiritual reality in everyone's life. This moving and engrossing novel draws the reader into several layers of mystery as what is taken at face value is seen in a new and suprising light. May all who read it find themselves bathed in the light.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening
Review: This book, and the series, are the best I've read in quite sometime. Susan successfully takes the reader behind the scenes of the church, and it's clergy. Engrossing you in Murder, Mayhem, Sex, Parenting, and Friendships. I have recommended this book to everyone I know. It makes you want the series to go on forever.

Rating:
Summary: A truth to learn.
Review: This bookmade me look at the behavior we all have in common.We hide the truth from others but more so we hide the truth from ourselves. Charles Ashworth the main charactor's journey of truth enthralled me I could'nt put the book down.Ms. Howatches charactors are vivid and human.I wait with great anticipation for each new book in this series.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting character study
Review: This is an interesting mix of elements. Glittering Images starts out as if it is going to be a detective novel of sorts, with the main character as a well-meaning if somewhat naive amateur sleuth, forced into this role by an elderly mentor. However, the story quickly moves through this, and through a stage of being more like comedy of manners, to being a psychological study of the main character, as he loses his well-educated objectivity and has to confront himself and his personal demons. The male characters are many-layered and interesting, and theological arguments are nicely woven into the novel. I think the female characters are less perceptively done--I don't think Lyle is a sympathetic character, and I think Charles' choice to re-live part of his own personal legacy with her is fraught with future risks.

I haven't read any more frm this series yet, but I will come back to it at some point.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting character study
Review: This is an interesting mix of elements. Glittering Images starts out as if it is going to be a detective novel of sorts, with the main character as a well-meaning if somewhat naive amateur sleuth, forced into this role by an elderly mentor. However, the story quickly moves through this, and through a stage of being more like comedy of manners, to being a psychological study of the main character, as he loses his well-educated objectivity and has to confront himself and his personal demons. The male characters are many-layered and interesting, and theological arguments are nicely woven into the novel. I think the female characters are less perceptively done--I don't think Lyle is a sympathetic character, and I think Charles' choice to re-live part of his own personal legacy with her is fraught with future risks.

I haven't read any more frm this series yet, but I will come back to it at some point.

Rating:
Summary: This novel exposes our tendency to play the imposter...
Review: This is the first in a series of a six novel series. Having already read them all, I'm going back to start again. Howatch does a remarkable job of illustrating how insidious and how damaging to the human soul living behind a "glittering image" can be...the tendency to offer a mask for the rest of the world to see that simply doesn't match the true inner self. For me, this book got *really* interesting at the midway point! Great read!

Rating:
Summary: This novel exposes our tendency to play the imposter...
Review: This is the first in a series of a six novel series. Having already read them all, I'm going back to start again. Howatch does a remarkable job of illustrating how insidious and how damaging to the human soul living behind a "glittering image" can be...the tendency to offer a mask for the rest of the world to see that simply doesn't match the true inner self. For me, this book got *really* interesting at the midway point! Great read!