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blue_jules's review
So, Alice Degan's "From All False Doctrine". Set in Toronto in the 1920s, it's surprisingly difficult to categorize. There's an obvious romance aspect: we follow four people, who organize themselves into two couples early on. Harriet, a heiress, and Elsa, a farmer's daughter and an atheist, are university students and friends; Peachy, a chaotic musician and composer, and Kit, a priest, are brothers and friends. Despite their differences, they hit it off after a random encounter at the beach, but marriage seems unlikely for various reasons.
Then there's a "dark academia" and occult aspect: Elsa, a classicist, works with an ancient manuscript and there's not only academic intrigue around it, but also an occult group working it. Peachy also gets involved, and goes missing.
And then the whole things goes unexpected places.
There's a ton of witty dialogue and friendly banter, there are rather deep thoughts about religion and parenting, there are great supporting characters, there are timeless observations about navigating patriarchy as a woman. I liked that very much, but feel that the religious themes might put some people off. The pacing also is slightly weird, with not much except people talking happening punctuated by action scenes. But the writing is so good it worked for me anyway. A delightful read -a bit like Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum", but with more female characters and Christianity. It made me laugh, and think, and want to spend more time with those characters.
Then there's a "dark academia" and occult aspect: Elsa, a classicist, works with an ancient manuscript and there's not only academic intrigue around it, but also an occult group working it. Peachy also gets involved, and goes missing.
And then the whole things goes unexpected places.
There's a ton of witty dialogue and friendly banter, there are rather deep thoughts about religion and parenting, there are great supporting characters, there are timeless observations about navigating patriarchy as a woman. I liked that very much, but feel that the religious themes might put some people off. The pacing also is slightly weird, with not much except people talking happening punctuated by action scenes. But the writing is so good it worked for me anyway. A delightful read -a bit like Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum", but with more female characters and Christianity. It made me laugh, and think, and want to spend more time with those characters.
lizshayne's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So I've been super interested in religious figures in fantasy (and scifi, I suppose) who actually...practice their faith, I suppose. And for whom there is an element of *FAITH* to their belief, rather than serving a manifestly evident God who they treat like a miracle dispenser.
Also I've read Degan's writing under her pseudonym (which is less Anglo-Catholic, more Classical Greek) and enjoyed so here we are, reading about the process by which belief comes (back) into a person's life.
Also, like, a weird and wild story that is basically...okay imagine if Dorothy Sayers decide to write C.S. Lewis. It's kind of that. (Apparently he wrote a eulogy for her, a fact that I love.)
But what interests me is people talking about why they believe and I'm particularly fascinated by the role that aesthetics plays in both conversion stories we get. That it's not just belief and it's not that faith has trappings, but that the aesthetics that build up faith practices (what I'd call both minhag and hiddur mitzvah if I had to translate it into Jewish terms) are an integral part of what brings people to faith. And we lose and ignore it at our peril. The theological argument that this book is making, between the romance and the mystery of the disappearing fiance, is that matter matters in every sense.
Which makes it, of course, a deeply (Anglo-)Catholic book and also a fine addition to my "fantasticly faithful" collection.
Also I've read Degan's writing under her pseudonym (which is less Anglo-Catholic, more Classical Greek) and enjoyed so here we are, reading about the process by which belief comes (back) into a person's life.
Also, like, a weird and wild story that is basically...okay imagine if Dorothy Sayers decide to write C.S. Lewis. It's kind of that. (Apparently he wrote a eulogy for her, a fact that I love.)
But what interests me is people talking about why they believe and I'm particularly fascinated by the role that aesthetics plays in both conversion stories we get. That it's not just belief and it's not that faith has trappings, but that the aesthetics that build up faith practices (what I'd call both minhag and hiddur mitzvah if I had to translate it into Jewish terms) are an integral part of what brings people to faith. And we lose and ignore it at our peril. The theological argument that this book is making, between the romance and the mystery of the disappearing fiance, is that matter matters in every sense.
Which makes it, of course, a deeply (Anglo-)Catholic book and also a fine addition to my "fantasticly faithful" collection.
sarahkomas's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars - not sure how I felt about the end. Slightly stretched belief, but altogether pretty great.
affabletoaster's review against another edition
5.0
I was almost reluctant to like this one. It played to all things familiar to me -- Anglo-Catholicism, the University of Toronto, Smoky Tom's (St Thomas's on Huron Street), and even my old haunt, Walmer Rd, made an appearance. So naturally I was inclined to be suspicious of what I perceived to be "Anglican fanfiction."
The book won me over, to the point where I obsessively read the last bit on the Kindle app on my phone during my lunch break (at an Anglican church in Halifax where I am Parish Admin.) And after looking up the author, I realized that she was one of the members of Smoky Tom's who was especially kind and welcoming to me during my summer in Toronto, where I was taking a summer Greek course, when I wandered into St Thomas's to ask about joining the choir. And we have mutual friends -- of course we do! This Anglican world is not so large.
From All False Doctrine starts a little slow, but I was delighted to find that it didn't go where I thought -- feared! -- it would, and even when it did, it did so in a way that completely undid my suspicions. Bravo, Alice! I hear there's a sequel, but that it deals with a minor character from this book (my money's on Charlie). I'll certainly be reading it!
The book won me over, to the point where I obsessively read the last bit on the Kindle app on my phone during my lunch break (at an Anglican church in Halifax where I am Parish Admin.) And after looking up the author, I realized that she was one of the members of Smoky Tom's who was especially kind and welcoming to me during my summer in Toronto, where I was taking a summer Greek course, when I wandered into St Thomas's to ask about joining the choir. And we have mutual friends -- of course we do! This Anglican world is not so large.
From All False Doctrine starts a little slow, but I was delighted to find that it didn't go where I thought -- feared! -- it would, and even when it did, it did so in a way that completely undid my suspicions. Bravo, Alice! I hear there's a sequel, but that it deals with a minor character from this book (my money's on Charlie). I'll certainly be reading it!
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