In Depth:  Felicity Carswell

The secular book review

From romantic and diplomatic turmoil to religious upheaval and reformation, the reign of Henry VIII was undoubtedly colourful.

Mention of the Tudor monarch might bring to mind that famed Holbein portrait of a colossus of a king, or maybe it takes one back to that school-room rhyme of ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived’ that forever defines his kingship as one of multiple marriages.

The secular book review

I have been hearing murmurs about this book for a long time. It is a debut novel that has taken the publishing world by surprise, and continues to be on the bestseller lists two years after hitting the shelves.

I’ve been intrigued as to why so many people are recommending it, and why it has such a broad appeal. A book with a far reach like this raises the question of what message is being conveyed by the author that so many people from all different walks of life want to hear. As a Christian, it’s an interesting question to consider as we explore our own world view in relation to those around us. Maybe there’s a hint in this novel as to how the world around us is thinking.

The secular book review

Ravaged and scorched, Aleppo has become familiar to us because it is a bruised battleground in the ongoing Syrian civil war. While it is a city of ancient heritage and culture, it is now known primarily through the harrowing images posted in media reports across the globe.

The scenes have become background noise to our ongoing lives, and the numbers and statistics have lost their impact as we hear of more and more Syrian refugees desperately trying to escape the violence.

The secular book review

Instinctively parents protect their children. From swatting the toddler’s hovering hand away from the hot oven, to desperately praying the five-year-old can handle the thoroughfare of school, to anxiously wait-ing for the teenager to come home from an evening outing. We worry about our children, and do all we can to ensure safe travel through the world.

These instincts reach into the realms of watching, reading and listening as we seek to guard our children from wayward influences wherever we can. As Christians, we are all the more concerned, rightly recognising that the majority of the media that our young people will be exposed to will not be advocating gospel-shaped views or ways of living.

The secular book review

A cursory glance at the news on any given day is enough to remind us that our world is riddled with destruction and devastation.

Much of the carnage is caused by war – humanity seemingly doing all that it can to wreak havoc upon itself. Much of the reporting doesn’t even reach our news outlets, or has lost its grab factor because it has been going on for so long.

The secular book review

The cry for a book recommendation frequently punctuates my Facebook news feed.

There’s often someone looking for their next read, and I think over the last year, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman has been mentioned on the majority of these novel-seeking threads. There’s always someone pinging it into the fray, with high praise. It’s a staple for secular book groups, and one of those debut novels that rocketed up the bestsellers list seemingly through the power of word of mouth.

The secular book review

A flurry of text messages has preceded this cosy gathering. Arrangements, book recommendations, and then gasps and comments as the chosen book has been devoured at varying speeds by the different members of the group.

We are a book group who have been meeting, with various different members, for about ten years. I’ve only just rejoined having moved away, but I’m currently living within reach and was quick to get back into the fray of literary – and not so literary – discussion.