Scan barcode
A review by affabletoaster
From All False Doctrine by Alice Degan
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!