Love for the Lost

by Catherine Fox

Isobel is the curate of a small Teeside parish trying to juggle work and a personal life. Finally, the experiences of loss which have haunted her psyche since childhood manifest themselves physically when she discovers the washed-up body of a child on the beach. It vanishes with the next wave - did she imagine it?

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published June 4, 2000

About the author

Catherine Fox was educated at Durham and London Universities and has a degree in English and a PhD in Theology. She is the author of Angels and Men, The Benefits of Passion and Love for the Lost, which explore the themes of the spiritual and the physical with insight and humour. In 2007, Yellow Jersey Press published Fight the Good Fight: From Vicar's Wife to Killing Machine in which Catherine relates her quest to achieve a black belt in Judo. More recently she published a YA fantasy novel, Wolf Tide, before starting work on her three volume Lindchester Chronicles. She teaches at Manchester Metropolitan University and lives in Sheffield. She is currently blogging a new novel in weekly instalments. It starts here: https://lindfordtales.blogspot.com/20...

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book, full of opportunities for deep thinking. Sadly because it deals with the Church of England, with the dilemmas of Christian morality, it will probably not be read more widely. The characters are very plausible, Isobel, Harry the vicar, Dave the policemen, the parents, parishioners and the charismatic vicar, Johnny. It think it could be a base for some very valid discussions.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on a trip to London (mainly whilst waiting for my hostess to finish her long lie-ins!) and quite enjoyed it. Though it was slow to get going, and though it had less to praise than the previous two books in the pseudo-series, there was enough balance in the writing to make the characters and their thoughts interesting - as well as quite a few bits that resonated with places and situations I was familiar with. The closing few chapters were a disappointment, however, and things got silly at the end (which was a shame).

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This my least favourite of this trilogy; mostly because, although much read, and peopled with characters similarly lively and interesting I found the religious content - especially Isobel's constant resorting to praying as a means to seek direction - much more intrusive and alien than hitherto.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in a compelling trilogy - it is driving me crazy that the author has left this heroine and other characters (and me) hanging, and is instead writing nonfiction about being a vicar's wife.

[Laura Bucke · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have journeyed through this trilogy, I’ve become increasingly impressed by the way in which Fox has written three female protagonists with distinctive personalities and voices. Isabella Knox is our main focus in this novel having been an ordinand in the same year as Annie Brown at Coverdale. We find Isabella at the end of her first year of curacy and follow her through the second. She is another fiercely independent woman and, while businesslike in her efficiency, is warmer than Mara but more tightly strung than Annie.

Suppression and its psychological effects on the protagonist are unravelled well. Isabella works extremely hard and she has a clear sense of being a servant of God rather than His child. In a moving admission she says that she doesn’t believe God enjoys spending time with her, which is what she feels about other people too.

This story is clearly shaped by the parable of the two sons from the gospel of Luke. Isabella is an ‘elder son’ and falls apart at the realisation that she is also a ‘younger son’, having to throw herself at God’s mercy and grace after she is left incapable of finishing her curacy. The narrative builds us up to this point very well with the sections becoming shorter and more urgent as Isabella hurtles towards Christmas. Interspersed throughout her current life are snippets of her past. We see the unresolved grief of her past subconsciously affecting her choices in the present when she is caught between two men.

Here again, we see Fox’s skill at exploring the ways in which God shows us ourselves most fully and works through us most powerfully at our weakest moment, when we appear to be ‘lost’ and at the end of ourselves. Isabella can only really gain a ‘love for the lost’ when she sees that she too is lost but also, wonderfully, found. It was a moving book and a satisfying end to an enjoyable trilogy.

[Laurena Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title sounds terribly evangelical, but it is not really as it seems. The book concerns Isobel, a woman in her 30s (who we have met in Catherine Fox's novel 'The Benefits of Passion' but not really got to know.) She is partway through a curacy in a parish in an industrial setting and is probably what would be looked on as a perfect match for the job - efficient, hard-working, and a bit of a perfectionist. But these qualities are challenged by a breakdown, and the novel tracks the beginnings of Isobel's journey back to health and wholeness. I loved reading it. My only negative comment is that I have never met clergy who use the F word quite as much as the characters in Catherine Fox's novels - maybe it depends which diocese you live in!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me a little of Susan Howatch's Starbridge Series. A similar obsession with clerics sex lives

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog here in June 2001.

Catherine Fox's third novel takes a minor character from The Benefits of Passion and puts her centre stage. Isobel was one of the ordinands in the same class as Annie Brown, and now she is a curate herself. The novel follows her through two years at this post, as she learns a lot about herself and those around her.

The tone of Love For the Lost is darker than Fox's earlier novels; it continues to combine humour and drama, but the balance is rather further toward the dramatic. The novel is also more theological in character, in keeping with a central character professionally involved in Christian ministry rather than studying. This would probably make it less likely to appeal to non-Christians who haven't read the earlier novels, but it is well worth seeking out.

The main criticism I would have of this novel is that there is too much coincidence in the characters' relationships. Previously unacquainted people turn out to have several friends in common, something which is very unlikely (even if a friend of my wife's is married to someone I knew as a student). It is a bit annoying that this keeps on happening, and in most cases it is not at all necessary. Other than momentary irritation, it doesn't greatly detract from an enjoyable novel.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character, The Rev. Isobel Knox, a 33 yr. old, attractive Evangelical priest & I would probably not get along well... She's much too much like me! Catherine Fox, the author, has written a nicely crafted book, despite the fact that many of the main character's challenges were, for me, uncomfortably déjà vu. The workings of the Anglican Church on the parish & diocesan levels seem pretty accurate. The central theme of the novel which deals with the difficulties of single clergy, especially women, is quite relevant, and needs to be both researched and discussed far more than it currently is. Fox's book is sure to stimulate a lot of thought in this area.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handle this book carefully. You will get annoyed with it up to page 135 and want to hit Isobel, but thereafter you'll be on an emotional roller coaster that tracks her life over a couple of decades as she deals with love, lust, loss and life. This is a brave book, and enables its characters to do things and take control; it never takes the easy option, and makes sure they confront their fears rather than brushing them away in easy pat answers.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a wry sense of humour and an astute sense of personalities, the author charts a year in the life of a curate who at the beginning thinks that she was it all sorted and at the end realises her need for the grace of God. The book combines good entertainment with good theology. An excellent read, highly recommended!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this trilogy - which I've read several times. Wish she would write some more fiction - would love to know more of Isobel's story.