2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rajah Redefines The Genre, November 10, 2007
This review is from: The Gospel According to Sydney Welles: A Novel (Paperback)
The Gospel According to Sidney Welles
Sidney Welles is assigned the Catholic Church image overhaul campaign and sets out to give the church a face lift of sorts...what ensues is a hilarious stumble through questions of faith, love and self discovery.
Susi Rajah's solo debut has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that contemporary literature or Chic Lit can be thought provoking and outrageously funny without requiring the reader to check their common sense and intellect at the door.
Sydney Welles was one of those career women that seemed to have everything figured out and running smoothly. However, that which works so well on paper does not always translate into reality quite so seamlessly. Dumped by her boyfriend for a shapelier blond, she throws herself into work. Assigned, by her alcoholic boss, to the all important Catholic Church image overhaul campaign, it's up to Sidney to find a way to put the church back into the good graces of the people. She begins sending emails to god, simple questions, comments and personal observations and rants. In one particularly poignant communication she tells `god' she prefers he not respond, because these days folks that claim to speak with him aren't exactly Solomon or David.
Part saint, part sinner, wholly engrossing, this book will have you laughing, while nodding your head in agreement. The no-nonsensical dialogue style brings the reader right into the heart and soul of theological, religious debates, as well as, the hypocrisy within our society through this hilarious, entertaining read. The blurbs on the dust cover are appealing appetizers, that give the reader an indication of the delicious entree just waiting to be devoured. Brilliantly conceived, uniquely written and conveyed with depth and conviction, Rajah's quick wit and subtle criticisms, combined with no holds barred emails to the Big Guy himself, demonstrate her uniquely evocative way of crafting an intelligent feast that is truly satisfying!
This is one of those novels you will want to pass around to friends and family! I recommend this novel to all fiction readers, ladies and gentlemen alike! If you enjoy a fun read that seems to melt the hours from the clock and never insults your intelligence, The Gospel According To Sidney Wells delivers!
Happy Reading!
Note:
This would be a wonderfully fun romantic comedy movie - provided the right folks were cast to play the roles! I would love to see it on the big screen!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Must-Read Book of the Summer!, June 27, 2007
This review is from: The Gospel According to Sydney Welles: A Novel (Paperback)
I bought this book because of this magazine review. Now I've read it, I can recommend it myself, but I can't do a better job of telling you about it than the magazine did, so:
Times are hard, and you probably don't believe in much of anything anymore -- not ghosts, Santa Claus or even organized religion. If that's the case, you'll certainly identify with the title character in Susi Rajah's hysterically subversive novel, "The Gospel According to Sydney Welles" (Bloomsbury). This sinfully funny satire of religious mores will restore your faith in the healing power of chick lit as the adorable and devoutly agnostic Sydney writes cheeky e-mails to God while juggling the stress of her advertising job and love life. To make matters worse, she's expected to create an image-boosting ad campaign for the Catholic Church with the help of an extremely hot priest. After skimming the Bible, she sends the following message to God: "The threat of eternal damnation is compelling, but just think how many more copies you'd sell if it were actually readable." It'll be a miracle if she survives with her soul intact. But aren't you dying to find out? BloomsburyUSA.com - ZINK (Summer 2007) [...]
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest chic lit book in THE UNIVERSE! Even GOD thinks so!, March 29, 2008
This review is from: The Gospel According to Sydney Welles: A Novel (Paperback)
I recently received `The gospel according to Sydney Wells' as a gift and I could not put it down. Don't be fooled by the title, this book has a full share of love, lust and humor.....look out Bridget Jones Diary here's the thinking girls memoir. The main character, Sydney Wells is an impressive young woman with a quick wit and an outlook on life to be envied.
The story is woven with humorous references to religious polarities which are so relevant to the world we are struggling with today. Susi Rajah ruthlessly exposes the facts about religion via email directly to God amidst a contemporary love story with an unexpected twist. The email address's to God are particularly amusing e.g. God c/o presidentotheunitedstates@whitehouse.gov and God c/o theforce@lucasfilm.com.....I found myself laughing aloud throughout the book. A must read, I'm sending copies to all my girlfriends.
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