Catherine Fox's glorious Lindchester series is the twenty-first-century answer to Trollope's Barchester - but Trollope was never so funny, so fundamentally kind, or so mischievously attentive to grace.
Francis Spufford, author of Golden Hill on REALMS OF GLORY With wit and humour, [Catherine Fox] offers a satirical look at the Church with the type of affection that only an insider can manage. Read this and laugh, weep and empathise with Freddie and the others. Realms of Glory is my favourite of the Lindchester Chronicles trilogy, but do read the others first (Acts and Omissions and Unseen Things Above) to enjoy it at its best. (And, no, I haven’t been paid by author or publisher to say that.)
Church Times on REALMS OF GLORY
What makes Realms of Glory such a delight is the humour, humanity and the strong characters . . . that come off the page and hang around in your head . . . This is not safe Christian fiction, because we don't live in a safe Christian world.
Christianity magazine
How likely is this book to be relevant to an area of your ministry? It won't help you in your sermon preparation, but it will be some excellent light relief as well as raise a wry smile about the preoccupations of the dear old CofE, something we can all do with.
The Reader
These books are utterly unputdownable, gossipy, subtle and wise. What’s astonishing is that despite Catherine Fox’s sharp awareness of the feet of clay under surplices, she somehow makes you believe several cheering things that most modern fiction doesn’t: that the natural world is endlessly beautiful, that most people aspire to goodness even if they fall flat on their faces, and that the attempt to live a good life is worthwhile. Kudos to SPCK for being inspired by Fox’s work to set up a brand new fiction imprint.
Maggie Gee, novelist & Professor of Creative Writing, Bath Spa University, on Acts and Omissions and Unseen Things Above What a treat it is to have some Fresh Expressions from the diocese of Lindchester. Catherine Fox’s second helping of bad language, sex and Evensong is Anglicanism at its best; her wit, compassion and rueful optimism are irresistible.
Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford, on Unseen Things Above If you want to understand the Church of England in the twenty-first century – not just its official persona but its more elusive inner character – Catherine Fox is a reliable guide. Her colourful morality tales spare no one’s blushes, but she writes with accuracy and affection about an institution to which, despite its flaws, she is profoundly committed as a witness to faith, hope and love. Hugely enjoyable.
Michael Sadgrove, Former Dean of Durham [On ACTS AND OMISSIONS]: A delightful portrait of the follies and foibles in a contemporary Anglican diocese, written with wit, wisdom and impeccable liberal sympathies.
Michael Arditti, author and critic Catherine Fox writes not merely with affection but with love for an institution that is creaking under the weight of its own contradictions . . . The Diocese of Lindchester is full of people who bless one another, sometimes without realizing it. They blessed me.’
The Very Revd Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost, St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow A delicious novel: clever, witty and subtle.
The Baroness Sherlock Acts and Omissions is brave and beautiful, devastatingly honest, mercilessly funny, fundamentally kind.
Dr Margaret Masson, Vice-Principal, St Chad’s College, Durham Brims with wit and heart, acknowledging the awkwardness and consolations of Anglicanism in the twenty-first century. Hugely entertaining and highly recommended.
Richard Beard, author of Lazarus is Dead