A writer visits a quaint English Cathedral town and discovers its goings-on are stranger than fiction. When Evan J. Kirby, an eminent American expert on Heaven and Hell, arrives in Barrowcester to do some research, he finds the community in a less than blissful state. There is the bishop sharing his doubts with the confirmation class, while his mother feeds marijuana cookies to Evan's landlady to unleash her psychic powers. Then there is Emma lurking in her father's study waiting for love. Dawn sitting naked in a deckchair at midnight waiting for the Devil, and Madeleine seeking refuge from a cardinally inclined Cardinal. When Evan delves into the true origins of the local saint, a macabre and romantic sequence of events begins to unfold.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The British author of Kansas in August , The Aerodynamics of Pork and Ease (all published by age 25) has in this novel carried off yet another ridiculously crazy tour de force. The village of Barrowcester and its inhabitants are the launching point for the narrative's bizarre trajectory. An American professor known for his book about hell is now researching heaven in the Cathedral, where, coincidentally, the remains of the local saint are to be disinterred in order to repair a crumbling foundation wall. The bishop is having "Doubts," the landlady's daughter has been knocked up by a Cardinal, another villager is doing her best to summon the Devil, a previously homosexual dress designer with a positive AIDS test is marrying a black American doctor, a schoolboy thinks he has fathered a litter of puppies, and someone--or something--giant rats? a feral child?--is loose in the village. And that's not the half of it. The plot ricochets between the dozens of richly drawn characters, and one of the many reasons to devour this novel at one go is that it will make it easier to keep track. Some other reasons are that this book is a delightful read, albeit a strange one, and that if started at bedtime, pages will be turning inevitably into the wee small hours. If E. F. Benson, Iris Murdoch and Fay Weldon were to produce a story in some mad collusion, the result might be something like this.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Visiting the English village of Barrowcester to research material for his book on the supernatural, middle-aged American scholar Evan Kirby finds the place and its people wistfully odd. Dawn seeks the devil. The Bishop hunts true doubt. His mother is a medium. Meanwhile, Evan is falling for Madeleine, newly pregnant with the Cardinal's child. The result is a witty novel of manners that gently satirizes the travails of the village and its people. Its tone is even, its humor subtle, and its transitions from scene to scene smooth, so that our sense of place and story is exact. Highly recommended.
- Joseph M. Levandoski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Joseph M. Levandoski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written tale set in an English cathedral town,
By A Customer
This review is from: Facing the Tank (Hardcover)
A gently humorous look at life in a cathedral town in England where the inhabitants are eccentric, quirky and not always loveable. The twist at the end when all becomes clear is horrifyingly possible.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it,
By DM (ORegon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Facing the Tank (Paperback)
This is a truly magical, hotchpotch little story. Smooth as silk tho.The schoolboy who thinks he has fathered a litter of puppies is the cutest thing ya ever want to hear. And PW and LJ forget to mention the Bishop removing the wings from the skeletal remains of the local saint who's to be disinterred. Mr. Gale's writing is magical. Delightful. Funny.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warm and zany,
By
This review is from: Facing the Tank: 2 (Hardcover)
I absolutely loved this book. The strands of plot were combed out, curled, straightened and braided in front of my amused and appreciative eyes. I felt manipulated in the best possible sense of the word.
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