The Wonder Worker

A book that irritates sometimes but one I had to keep reading as I became more and more intrigued and hooked!

I own Susan Howatch's entire collection of books. As much as I enjoy her writing, I wish they would last longer. I also wish she would write more. She is an excellent author. Every book she has ever written is beyond excellent.

I bought this book with the title THE WONDER WORKER, under which it was marketed in the US. It is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. It is a marvelous story with finely drawn, well developed, and oh-so-human characters. As is Howatch's hallmark, the reader is given an inside perspective on the workings of the church and the lives of its leaders. Most importantly, Howatch draws a clear and moving picture of what one character refers to as "a different kind of life". It is a life in which one strives always to be self aware about choices and actions, as well as consequences. In this different kind of life, one will be always subject to personal battles, failures, and successes......all of which can be better faced and understood by closeness to and communication with the Divine. Was this a new concept to me? No. I've been a Christian for many years and one who believes in the Episcopal concept that sin can be defined as separation from God. But in this story, Howatch portrays how this belief can inform life in a very real way that applies to real human beings, in all their flawed and misguided confusion. It gave me a new perspective, to say the least, that has stayed with me and changed me in many ways. It is a book that I re-read periodically. While it was a bit of a personal epiphany for me, it may not be for others. Still,all will find it an intriguing story.

I encountered my first book written by Susan Hawatch on a business trip to the United Kingdom... it had been left in my hotel room. "Glittering Images" amazed me by taking religious faith seriously, and depicting evil and good, moral issues and human frailty in a way I found totally credible. It may have helped that my own faith as an Anglican is the one depicted in her novels. I was astonished to find that this novel, which follows on from the earlier six-volume series, had no readers' reviews, and am encouraged to write my very first. The use of Alice, a young woman with a very poor opinion of herself despite being a Cordon Bleu cook, to give us first-person insights into the healing ministry that originated in the Starbridge series, is very effective. A refreshingly new look at some familiar characters. Once again the moral issues of our times are confronted, with an understanding of and sympathy for those grappling with them that is very appealing, and all too rare among those who write from a position of commitment to traditional Christian faith. Susan Hawatch is in the grand tradition of Anglican tolerance, but will have none of it for cant and bigotism, nor for deliberate evil. But this is not just a morality play, it's a love story. And a very engaging one. The heroine is delightful, and the heroes are all too credibly flawed. And despite the fact that those familiar with the Starbridge series will have an advantage in approaching this book, recognising characters already long familiar, I do believe it will be a good entry point for those new to Susan Howatch. You may feel, as I do, that her depiction of women helps you to understand their thinking. I find her description of male thought processes so true to my own experience that I am prepared to accept her depiction of female psychology. I am reminded of Iris Murdoch's unnerving ability to penetrate the opposite sex's psyche. I have made a point of reading all her novels, including the early historical novels written before her personal commitment to the Christian faith, and the talents were all clear to see, although I believe they reach their finest flowering in the books that followed it. I warmly recommend this book and I wish there were more than five stars to award it.

I can't believe anyone below gave this book a negative review! It is quite simply the best thing Howatch has ever written and quite likely the best thing I have EVER read. Although some people may be erroneously put off by the Church of England theme that runs though her Starbridge books, they are quite simply the best psychological thrillers on the market.The book is broken into several parts and told from several people's point of view. It describes the escalating chrisis surrounding Nicholas Darrow as his life spirals out of control on a collision course for disaster of nuclear proportions. Although the first few pages (lets say, 10, maximum) are a wee bit slow and one doesn't quite identify with Alice right away, by the 11th page, the pace begins to pick up (well, early in the book anyway!). From there, it was one headlong race until the unbelievable climax where I audibly gasped and realised that I had been holding my breath for the last 3 pages. It was that gripping and suspenseful! It's a fact, NO book has EVER gripped me that much to the point where the surrounding world completely ceased to exist for me.As far as I am concerned, everyone who fails to read this book has missed out on one of the finest examples of literature ever written. If you never read another book again, do read this one!