Magnificent finish to a wonderful series
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This final volume in Susan Howatch's magnificent Starbridge series is perhaps the most satisfactory in terms of plot, as it poses a real mystery alongside the expected psychological and spiritual development. Nick Darrow, son of mystical Jon, goes in search of Christian Aysgarth, son of belligerent Neville, thought to have been drowned in the Channel.
Nick is a psychic like his father, and believes that his special insight has revealed that Christian is not dead, but has abandoned his superfically successful but spiritually dead existence for something more meaningful. A vision, or perhaps a sighting, of Christian in the monastery garden at Grantchester only seems to confirm this. Nick's efforts to discover the truth lead him through the heights and depths of '60s society, from aristocratic parties to Christian's drug addict lover. He also has to contend with his own sexual frustrations, taken out on working class girls kept far away from his frightfully proper fiancée.
Frankly, I find Nick Darrow the most annoying character that Howatch has ever created. His arrogance is unmitigated by any charm, and though he apparently exercises some fascination for his acquaintances through psychic parlour tricks, these fail to convince me that he is more than a manipulative snob.
The book would have worked much better if we'd known Christian before it began. This is not a Golden Age, body-in-the-library mystery: it is character driven, and as such, if we don't care about the bloke who's dead and can't stand the one who's supposed to be avenging him, there's no hope for it.
This is actually much harsher than I mean it to be. I enjoyed the book, almost because of how annoying Nick is. I knew (because that's what happens to Howatch's heroes) that he would fall, and fall he did. The murky plot surrounding Christian's disappearance is an interesting departure from the purely spiritual concerns of the rest of the series, though the solution is so painfully obvious that it's quite incredible that Howatch does not surprise us with a twist at the end. Add to this the parade of every single possible character from the rest of the series, and some amusing additions in the shape of Christian's brothers Norman and James, and his old friend Perry Palmer, and you have a book that fans of the rest of the series will lap up, even though it is most definitely not the volume to start with.
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the story continues...
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The second trilogy in the Starbridge books takes place in the 1960's. In this book Jon Darrow's son Nick is now a young man shortly before his ordination as a priest. Nick is in no way a model ordinand. Like his father he has psychic powers, and cannot resist the urge to show them off as parlour tricks to impress the girls. He has quite a collection of female admirers and has it all figured out - how to separate the nice girls from the bad ones, and, of course, when to go to Confession (not compulsory in the Church of England) only to start all over again. The central story in this book is Nick's obsession with finding out the truth about a friend who has died under mysterious circumstances. He also has deep-seated issues with his father Jon - now living as a wise but fallible recluse - and problems keeping his psychic powers under control. Nick tends to blunder from one mess into the other - but remains a loveable and sincere young man who needs to learn the lesson: I CAN BE WRONG. In spite of Nick's charms I wasn't entirely captivated by this book. I never really developed an interest in Christian and couldn't quite follow Nick's fascinationwith him. Also I found the psychic-occult element a little tedious this time around; it had been dealt with adequately in Glamorous Powers, I felt. Nevertheless it's an important part of the series and it was wonderful getting to know Nick, and witnessing the love between him and Jon.
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Well-worn story but still a good read
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The Starbridge novels have all kept me gripped, and this one is no different. By now though I am finding the storyline of 'messed-up priest seeks redemption through sexual experimentation' slightly hackneyed. Nonetheless, Susan Howatch is a good story-teller and the plot moves quickly and holds the readers attention. The background of the Church of England is interesting although I think that Susan Howatch focuses too much on one particular branch of it (high church) and I am not sure that she ever quite manages to capture the essence of spirituality (though who can?). All in all a good read, but should be read with the others in the series.
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