Chronicles of a Vicar

Chronicles of a Curate #4-6

by Fred Secombe

This is the long-awaited collection of Fred Secombe's three vicar stories: Hello Vicar!, A Comedy of Clerical Errors and The Crowning Glory. Newly appointed as vicar of Pontywen in South Wales, Fred throws himself into the responsibilities this post entails.

Genres: Fiction

640 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 1999

About the author

Secombe was born in Swansea in 1918 and ordained in 1942. The vicar of various parishes in Wales, and a Prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral, he was also a founder of three Gilbert and Sullivan societies and won the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera Award for Utopia Ltd in 1968.

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to the 'Chronicles of a Curate' trilogy sees Fred promoted to Vicar and with another new role - as a family man. He writes with a light touch and yet manages to convey the serious issues he has to deal with. His parish is a poor Welsh mining town and the churchgoers have many struggles living in Post-War Britain.
I like his irreverance and his humanity. He sounds just the sort of man you would want to turn to in your hour of need. I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Newly appointed as Vicar of Pontywen in South Wales, Fred throws himself into the many responsibilities this post entails. In Hello, Vicar!, Fred finds himself in trouble with a curate of his o9wn, the Reverend Barnabas Webster, a man in love with status.

"A Comedy of Clerical Errors finds him trying to cope with his eccentric Welsh village, as he gets entangled in an argument over a sermon condemning corruption in the town council, counsels a young choirboy, and faces the horror of a fatal accident in the local mine.

"The Crowning Glory is set in Coronation Year and it falls to Fred, now a figure of considerable standing in the community, to make various arrangements for the festivities. Fred's happy marriage to the capable doctor, Eleanor, is a source of comfort and hilarity, especially when the rural deanery decides to venture into sex education, with Eleanor place in the unenviable position of giving the talk."
~~back cover

As I said in my review of Chronicles of a Curate (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), I didn't find this omnibus as hilarious as the reviewer did. There were few laugh-out-loud moments for me; although the book was mildly amusing it was definitely not a page turner. All the elements for a very entertaining ramble were there -- it's just that the author wasn't up to making them humorous.

The plot thread that sticks out in my mind was the continuing story of Fred's first curate, Charles. A very surprising plot twist, and not a happy one either.

[Ches Torrants · Rating 3 out of 5]

This appears to be the memoir from a vicar's life, but it seems that some details have been fictionalised to avoid controversy. In a Welsh village between 1947 and 1953, life was unrecognisable to modern eyes. I found the book fascinating because I am almost old enough to relate to the memories. Most people had a radio but TV was new. Few people had cars. There were well-attended services and social events organised through religious groupings, which meant the denominations of church or chapel. People volunteered to join committees. Above all, the vicar was welcomed and listened to with respect.
People, of course, were the same as ever - villainous, saintly or just downright infuriating. From an age when British christian culture still held sway, this is a welcome slice of social history.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

All three stories were nicely done bringing the reader to the late 1940s and early 1950s in a small Welsh Village. The culmination of them is The dawn of television in the area and the impetus to get the first sets in town was so that the Coronation of the young lovely Queen Elizabeth in June of 1952 could be viewed.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is an omnibus of the second three of Fred Secombe's books. I have read all of them and wish he had written more. It is a lovely chronicle of fine Welsh Vicar.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the same "adventures of a vicar" in post WW II Wales.