Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England [Paperback]

Donna Fletcher Crow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1992

It was a sanctuary from the world—and a silent witness to it all

As the legacy of faith passed from generation to generation, each era of believers found refuge in Glastonbury. In its story you will experience the faith that gave Joseph of Arimathea and his family courage to claim new land for Christ. Relive the persecution of St. George and St. Patrick during their captivity under the Roman Empire. Ride along with King Arthur on his historic adventures and discover the spiritual fortitude that enabled him to become the greatest leader of his time. Witness the rekindling of Christianity with St. Augustine of Canterbury. Be inspired by the faith of the remnant in the midst of the Dark Ages. Watch the upheaval under the rule of Henry VIII that led to the Reformation. And as Christianity triumphs over the darkest moments of its history, you may even find your own spiritual roots.

An epic novel of the history of the faith.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 859 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (July 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891076697
• ISBN-13: 978-0891076698
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Donna Fletcher Crow, who lives in Idaho with her husband of 46 years, is the mother of four adult children, grandmother of 10 and author of thirty-some books, mostly novels dealing with British history. Her best known book is the epic historical novel Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England, which was awarded First Place, Historical Fiction, by the National Federation of Press Women.

After almost 10 years in the publishing wilderness Donna is reentering the fray with The Monastery Murders, a series of ecclesiastical mysteries featuring Felicity Howard, an American woman studying for the Anglican priesthood in a monastery in remote Yorkshire. When Felicity's favorite monk is bludgeoned to death she finds herself learning about a lot more than theoretical theology. A Very Private Grave, the first in the series will be released by Monarch Books (Lion Hudson) in May 2010 in the UK and next Sept. in the US by Kregel Books.

She says, "I write historical novels and contemporaries that draw heavily on historical background, because I believe it is vitally important that we not loose touch with our rich historical heritage. Those who have gone before us have worked too hard and suffered too much to preserve the privileges we enjoy for us to forget their stories. Reading of the triumphs of the faithful in ages past can inspire and strengthen us for our own challenging times."

Donna is an enthusiastic gardener, enjoying the challenge of growing an English cottage garden in the Idaho desert. You can visit her garden at http://novelgarden.blogspot.com/
She also enjoys drinking tea with family and friends and hearing from her readers. You can write to her at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding historical fiction, January 9, 1998

By 

"poet-hunter" (Douglasville, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England (Paperback)

As a native of Britain, I grew up learning many of the ancient tales of our island nation in a somewhat sporadic form. What Donna Fletcher Crow has done is to unify all of the old legends (George and the dragon, King Alfred of Wessex, Arthur and the knights of the round table, Avalon, Camelot, St. Patrick and many more) into a chronological narrative of the introduction of the Christian faith to England. Her literary style is beautiful (well crafted) and the language changes with each suceeding era - the Celtic gives way to Roman which in turn becomes Saxon, Norman and ultimately Anglo-Saxon. The reader has a real sense of history as he moves from section to section through 1500 years of history. Personally, my heart ached as I read of the death of King Arthur, but there was always a thread of hope left even in the midst of the darkest of days because the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ had not been extinguished. All in all a very prophetic message for Britain today in these days of spiritual darkness. I hated the book to come to an end! I hope it won't be long before it's back in print, but if you have to settle for a used copy then do so! As a follow-up I would recommend her sequel "The Fields of Bannockburn" - a history of Christianity in Scotland from St. Columba to Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. It contains a great section on the life and faith of William Wallace.
Conrad Beattie([e-mail]), Atlanta, GA

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith Through the Ages, July 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England (Paperback)

When we read this book in a book discussion group, I identified 3 areas that could be found in the life of each of the characters: faith, trust, and risk.

From Joseph of Arimathea to Giles Lacey in Tudor England, each character moved through these three areas. Some of them were protected because of their faith, while others were killed for it. But in each case their faith, trust, and risk was rewarded. There were dark times, but each time period saw the light of faith rekindled by their actions. It also shows what can happen when faith is not followed by trust, and how God can bring repentance when the character seems oblivious to God.

The author develops, with ease and plausibility, each character in his or time, and the intrigued reader follows where the author leads. It is a long book, but it could be divided into 2 or more sessions.

Pluses are the maps (there could be 2 separate maps, one with the ancient placenames, and one with the modern equivalents), the glossary, and the source/reference list.

We need more books like this: books which present history with optimism and encouragement.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and instructive, April 12, 2000

By 

Katherine S. Fedor (Berkshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England (Paperback)

I was captivated by this book and read it every spare moment until I was done. I learned all sorts of things I hadn't known about the history of Christianity in England. One of the best things was how the author tied in many well-known legends, skilfully recounting how they more realistically likely took place, later giving rise to the legends. It was like meeting old familiar friends without veils on their faces. The characters were interesting to get to know along the way, and wistful to see them pass with the years. The first chapter was a little slow, but beyond that things picked up and it was well worth the read.