Question of Integrity

St. Benet's #1

by Susan Howatch

The inhabitants of a small community are interlinked by the healer at its heart, Nick Darrow. There is Alice, the romantic but also an outcast; Lewis the priest, an irascible traditionalist; Francie, who has a desire to be loved; and Stacy, a young trainee looking for faith and direction.

Genres: Fiction, Religion, Historical Fiction, Novels, Christian Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

615 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Susan Howatch (b. 1940) is a British novelist who has penned bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels. Howatch was born in Surrey, England. She began writing as a teen and published her first book when she moved to the United States in 1964. Howatch found global success first with her five sagas and then with her novels about the Church of England in the twentieth century. She has now returned to live in Surrey.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing tale

I’ve never read a Susan Howatch before and only came to The Wonder Worker because my mum’s friend gave her a copy of it. Liking the sound of the synopsis I decided to give it a go and I was really impressed. The book centres around a Healing Centre in the City of London and is seen through the eyes of a number of protagonists – the shy and dumpy Alice who has not been allowed to bloom and tries her hardest to be invisible; the irascible Lewis, the elderly priest who is struggling with the ageing process and the rapidly changing world around him; Rosalind, wife of Nicholas, the vicar in charge of the centre, a lonely woman whose seemingly perfect marriage is anything but and finally Nicholas himself, a handsome exciting man who evokes feelings of passion and worship in all who encounter him but in reality is a fallible human being.

The story is told from four perspectives and Howatch is clever enough to make each voice so individual you feel for them and it makes it easier to see all sides of the situation. There is a death that you did not see coming and an ambiguously happy ending.

I will certainly be checking out Ms Howatch’s books in future.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book in a perfect series (I´m including Starbridge too, of course)

[Felicity Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel of what is essentially five parts. I thought it interesting that the author chose to 'get into the heads' of the individual characters so to speak. A ploy that may not have worked as well as it did, as it was it provided a multi-faceted perspective of events as we heard firstly from Alice, then from Lewis, Rosalind and Nicholas (also known as Nick/Nicky) before coming back full-circle to a much changed Alice again. It's just a shame that though featured throughout we never get to hear directly from Stacy, a young priest, who though under-used was one of my favourites.

One of those novels that if asked you'd have difficulty pinpointing just why you'd enjoyed it so much. Despite its many flaws ...

The so-so, arguably stereotypical, characters. The overweight Alice with low self esteem. Lewis, the elderly, border-line alcoholic priest with a panache for the politically incorrect.

. The over-use of certain catch phrases. I lost count how many times I read the words 'a woman of integrity' used to describe Alice's aunt, the words 'wonder worker' used by Rosalind. Both, depending on the publisher/book title (the novel was published as both A Question Of Integrity and The Wonder Worker) of course being key words in the title.

. The bizarre turn of events. Set in a healing ministry. What could be said to be a novel of every day ministry as Nicholas came to the aid of a grieving Alice all became a bit, well, surreal, as (hoping I don't give too much away here) one of the characters is declared if not exactly possessed, 'heavy with a demonic infestation

. How predictable it was. The above aside I found myself several steps ahead of events throughout so no particularly big surprises ....

oddly enough I thought A Question Of Integrity a compelling read that I found myself still reading well into the wee small hours.

Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first time reading this author and I was pleasantly surprised. An enthralling read and I'll be looking for more of this author's work.

From back cover:

"Young, lonely, and insecure, Alice Fletcher is on the verge of emotional collapse when she stumbles into St. Benet's Church to dodge the London drizzle. There, she witnesses a group of gifted healers led by the charismatic Nicholas Darrow. Gaining refuge at last, Alice is drawn-inexorably, seductively-into the complex network of relationships at St. Benet's healing center-as she falls immediately, dangerously, in love with Darrow himself.

Yet Darrow and his cutting-edge clergy are not all what they seem. And while Nicholas's dazzling powers now threaten to ruin all he attempts to save-including his own disturbed marriage-Alice's devotion to him deepens. Then a devastating tragedy transports her to the shocking center of truth. Yet fueled by her love for Nicholas and a boldly emerging intuition, she will hold together the lives spinning wildly out of control-as she herself is transformed forever."

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was recommended to read Susan Howatch by my writer's group, and when I discovered this series was set in an Anglican church in London, I was intrigued.
The book definitely kept me hooked - I read the second half in one long afternoon when I should have been doing other things - but I wasn't altogether satisfied with the ending, as I didn't think that particular conclusion had been enough support through the plot.
I enjoyed reading a book that didn't shy away from spiritual and religious themes without either using broad generalisations and clichés, or being overly critical. Having said that, one of the characters in particular was might long-winded and I wanted him to just shut up and skip to the point multiple times.
So not my favourite read ever but it was good enough that I might look up the other two Howatch has written focusing on the same context/characters.

[P.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For various unrelated reasons I re-read this in two halves, with a very different book being read in between. This was probably a mistake, although it had to be so. Had I read it straight through, I might have enjoyed it more. This time, I found the second half more difficult to read - despite racing through and thoroughly enjoying the first half. From 'Rosalind' on, there were chapters which I found quite tedious. Susan Howatch becomes embedded in her discourse, her themes encircle each other and there is excessive detail - but a rushed ending. That said, I found it an engrossing read, and would not have abandoned it.

I'm giving it four-and-a-half stars this time around, deducting half a star for the above mentioned reasons. Will I read it again? I'm sure I will!

[Linda Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characters... Alice eating her ice cream is so easy to identify with.
But this is story of 3 people caught up in a crisis.. and how they each must face their own issues. And since we, the reader, can identify with the type of self crisis they are facing... it is also a way to face our own issues

[Ruthiella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voraciously read Howatch’s Starbridge series back in the ‘90s. These were six books chronicling the interconnected lives of clergy in the fictional Anglican diocese of Starbridge and took place from the 1940s to the 1960s. And don’t think that because the books were about Anglican clergy, that they were pious and chaste narratives. These are warts and all portrayals of Christians who are flawed, like anybody else.

Little did I know that there was a follow up trilogy and that The Wonder Worker is the first in the set. I read it just as hungrily as I did the Starbridge books back in the day. Howatch knows how to spin a good story. And I absolutely plan on reading the next two in this trilogy post haste.

The title character is Nicholas Darrow, the son of Johnathon Darrow from the Starbridge books who was also featured in the last of that series, Mystical Paths. Set in 1980’s London, charismatic Nicholas is running a healing ministry, one that combines medical psychotherapy along with laying on hands and prayer. Nicholas seems to have it all, a flourishing career in London in the week and a beautiful wife and two healthy sons who live in Surry and who he sees at the weekends. But the perfect life of Nicholas isn’t so perfect and the temptation for someone who has the ability to empathetically heal is to mistake their powers to be their own, instead of a gift from God. The book is split up into five sections narrated by four different characters, which is really well done because it allows the reader to see events through their eyes which in turn shed light on perspective and motivations of other characters in previous sections.

[Julie Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Susan’s novels. I read all the Starbridge novels and have now read the first St Benets book. I enjoyed it very much. You need to be aware that a lot of the background story is to do with faith and integrity /psychological balance and that adds a powerful dimension to the story. You are not just reading situations, actions and consequences in the temporal sense but in the spiritual sense. Really good.

[Bianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf @ 28%

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A novelist’s primary duty is to entertain. If readers also get enriched or enlightened or inspired or whatever as a by-product of the entertainment, that’s fine, but none of that will happen unless the book is first and foremost readable and entertaining.” - Susan Howatch, in an interview for The Wonder Worker

The quote above perfectly summarizes what I love about Susan Howatch's writing: compelling and page-turning stories coupled with deep spiritual truth.

This story begins with the perspective of Alice, an unemployed chef with formal training but inability to hold a job due to her aunt’s illness and health needs. She stumbles upon a healing service at St. Benet’s church led by Nicholas Darrow, a minister devoted to the practice of healing others in his community. This chance encounter draws Alice into the unfolding saga at the Centre for Healing in St. Benet’s, where we see the wonder workers’ shortcomings and their own need for healing as the narrative develops.

I love how deftly Howatch showcases her characters’ flaws in a way that could make them totally unlikeable, but then shows their painful and humbling path to redemption such that you can’t help but love them in the end. As a Christian who knows that faith doesn’t mean I’m perfect and failure is part of my journey, I appreciate the encouragement these stories bring.

There are so many times during this story that I felt hit with a warm-and-fuzzy gut-punch (I know that sounds weird, but it’s the best way to describe it!) with truth of the message of grace from a loving God. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next Susan Howatch novel I can find!

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the St. Benet's series but I think of it as the seventh book of the Starbridge series because it ties up a lot of loose ends for me.

The story is set instead in St. Benet's-by-the-Wall, a small church and healing center in London's inner city. It would seem that Nicholas has finally found a way to use his psychic talents in a way that doesn't compromise his religious calling.

A lot of the Starbridge characters come wandering through the story, including Lewis Hall who is Nick's associate and mentor at St. Benet's. The mystery of Rosalind, Nicks wife is finally answered for me. I never understood the reasons that they married and my questions were pretty much answered for me as the marriage begings to fall apart in this book.

Venetia seems to finally be getting her act together. She is a character I worried a lot about in earlier books. The characters from these books have become very real to me so I was glad to get some closure on some of them.

At the very end of the book Howatch starts to get very weird and that was the point where I lost interest in them. Fortunately she goes off on her paranormal tangent with mostly new characters I hadn't bonded with.

[Kristen Pollard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because a student of mine is writing an essay on it. I did have trouble getting into the beginning as I felt some of the writing was a bit awkward, but after that I was intrigued by the multiple narratives. I also found the ins and out of the Christian religion in the UK quite interesting.

In the end, though, I felt the book was just okay as the last 100 pages were very dramatic with too many events crashing together all at once. Having three of the major characters give such extended monologues to explain everything also felt a bit too preachy (no pun intended). In addition, the resolution of the relationship between the two main characters seemed a bit too sudden and ultimately cliché. All together, it was too much, and I think the story would have been more elegant without quite so much going on.

[Holly Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Howatch is one of my favorite authors but occasionally I stumble into one of her novels that just doesn't impress me. Even authors need to make a living. The premise of this was irritating, the characters annoying, the ending rather cloying. I would skip this one because there are better novels by this author.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the only book of the series I read so maybe I missed something. The Christian healing aspect was interesting but the rest was a lot of navel-gazing, at best. Still, it was well-written for what it was.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Needed serious editing down. Some excellent bits. Not convinced by the ending.

[Dollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been quite a while since I've read a Susan Howatch novel. She's a writer whose work I had stumbled upon by accident in a BORDERS bookstore a long time ago, some years before the advent of Kindle. I bought one of her novels from her Church of England series --- Absolute Truths, which examined the inner struggles of a respected, high ranking (albeit controversial) Anglican priest following the unexpected death in 1965 of his beloved wife who had long been his rock and ever faithful helpmate --- which I read and savored. This was a novel that had real, relatable characters in a story that was both compelling and intriguing. And so it was that I went on to read the other novels in the Church of England series. Howatch showed herself to be a writer with a sure touch for telling rich and well-crafted stories with complex characters whose own stories made for rewarding reading.

A Question of Integrity shows Howatch in top form. It's centered on a healing center in the City of London --- the Church of St. Benet's --- that is headed by an Anglican priest (Nicholas Darrow, who had figured prominently in one of the novels of the Church of England series) known for his psychic gifts and capacity for helping its parishioners and anyone else who entered the center in need of help and assistance.

One rainy day in March 1988, Alice Fletcher, a plain-looking, shy, dumpy woman in her 30s who has been caring for a dying, cantankerous aunt who had helped raised her, comes into London during her lunch break. She is stressed out, frustrated, and in despair following a pointless job interview earlier in the day with a personnel officer she had described as behaving like "a sadist." Alice is someone whose life had been one of unremitting struggle in which she felt herself unloved by the wider world. Only the support and guidance of her aunt -- a woman whose granite views of life and people, fueled her with a resoluteness that defined her character and approach to living --- who had taken on Alice after her parents abandoned her as a child, gave Alice a sense of purpose. Indeed, it was her aunt who helped get Alice into a culinary school, where she proved to be an apt pupil, and graduated to become a superb cook.

The rain came down in sheets. Alice, in seeking a place that could offer her some temporary relief from the elements, stepped into a church and, in the process, "stumbles into a situation that will revolutionize her life. She discovers [in the Church of St. Benet] a modern but mysterious healing centre and is drawn inexorably into the lives of the people who work there."

The novel, as laid out by Howatch, is tightly structured, made up of stories as told by not only Alice, but also Nicholas Darrow, his wife (who comes across as glamorous and successful from having built up a thriving business, and reveals her growing frustration and unhappiness from a 20-year marriage in which she has been neglected by a husband wholly devoted to his priestly vocation), and the Reverend Lewis Hall, an "irascible traditionalist" [a widower in his late 60s] working with Nicholas at the healing center who is a bit of a misogynist, as well as a homophobe at odds with the liberal spirit then sweeping through the Church of England. Added to all this is Francie, a woman working at the healing center as a 'Befriender' (i.e. a layperson employed by the Church who is qualified and highly capable of meeting the needs of people who enter Reverend Darrow's church seeking a way of sorting out their lives and addressing their spiritual needs). Though on the surface Francie shows herself to be a superb Befriender, she is later revealed as someone with deep, unresolved needs and desires that causes a major shakeup affecting Darrow and the healing center itself throughout most of 1988.

I ABSOLUTELY SAVORED this novel, whose reading for me was like watching a captivating PBS TV mystery drama from the UK. Frankly, why A Question of Integrity was never, to the best of my knowledge, adapted for either the small or large screen, boggles the mind.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a big chunky read, and a really good read. The book is written from the perspective of four characters, one of them both beginning and ending the novel, the other three being parts 2, 3 and 4. Howatch does a great job of inhabiting these very different voices, they seem like the completely different people they are as they tell the story from their perspective.

And quite cleverly done it is, too, this perspective shifting: The story pretty much stays on a linear chronological path, we just step into another character's shoes and see things from his or her perspective for a while... before we step into yet another character's shoes as the story continues. I really enjoyed that element of this novel, it didn't seem remotely gimmicky, but an interesting way of shaping the story.

The story itself isn't that amazing or fascinating. A young woman, overweight and feeling friendless, seeks help out of desperation from a Christian healing centre during the last days of her Aunt's life, who is clinging on to life after a stroke. This young woman then becomes enmeshed in the lives and goings on of this Christian healing centre, and we then go on to look through the eyes of two main members of that centre - two of the charismatic priests - and one other character, the wife of one of the charismatic priests.

I found two of the characters just plain strange. One because she was truly horrible, with a social class consciousness that made every word she spoke and every decision she made cloaked in the veil of "what would people think?" (if not "what would Mummy think?" - is it just me, or is the use of the word Mummy coming out of a 40 year old woman's mouth just a bit creepy?). The other because of the pseudo-psycho-spiritual analysis that went into every observation about every other person (except himself, he always seemed to skirt these deep and scathing reviews of his character, his psyche, his intentions and his behaviour), plus his endless references to sex. It started to grate.

But apart from the gentle loathing I felt toward those characters, they added to an overall sympathetic telling of a household in some form of crisis, with flawed characters and misinterpreted intentions and behaviours. Alice, the beginning and ending voice, saved the day. If it weren't for her perspective, this may have slipped into one of those nutty British novels that anybody not born and raised on those shores may find difficult, if not impossible, to grasp.

[Mary Burbidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Wonder Worker in the early 1990s because I had read all the other novels in Susan Howatch's Church of England canon, and I was hungry for more. I picked it up again a week ago, and loved it all over again.

A demonic possession, a violent exorcism, a tragic suicide, and a forbidden love - those are the high points of this book. Howatch is past mistress at combining the big plum-pudding romance-type of novel with explorations of contemporary theology and philosophy.

The Wonder Worker of the title is Nicholas Darrow, a psychic priest and healer who heads up St. Benet's Healing Centre in London in the 1980s. His psychic gifts tempt him to take centre-stage, to perform miracles, and sometimes to hypnotically control the other characters. Lewis is his partner, an aging priest who is also a psychic healer. Lewis's deep religious conservatism contrasts with Nick's revolutionary attitudes. Nick's wife, Rosalind, is lonely, frustrated, and angry, having given up her rewarding career to care for Nick's children and his country retreat. Enter Alice, who meets Nick and instantly falls in love with him. She is overweight and insecure, so she has no hope of winning him from Rosalind, but she cannot say no to him nevertheless.
The story, of temptation, sickness, violence, healing, and forgiveness is told by the four main characters. Underlying it is their conviction that the Devil is at work in the world, and that they must do whatever is necessary to defeat that evil so that the healing can continue.

[Debbie Berris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and its characters. Told in the first person by the four main characters, the five sections (the first and last by the character, Alice) evolve with increasing complexity. I learned a lot about the intersection of the healing community, medical community, and the Anglo-Catholic church. What we learn is that all is not as simple as it seems to be when Alice, by chance, first encounters St. Benet's healing center. The smooth leader, Nicholas, captivates her and most of the other female members of the center. All the characters ponder and worry deeply about their relationships with God and the people around them. As we see them as complete ("integrated") humans, we are swept up in their relationships and their surprises. I now want to read the previous series of books about these same characters. This one, though, is going to start a new series in a trilogy, I believe. I plan to read each as they come out. Enjoy.

[Zareen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice stumbles into a healing service, wrongly believing that she is taking shelter in a quiet City church. From this point her life changes steadily.
The narrative is told from the perspective of four principal characters. Alice begins and ends with this novel. Lewis, a traditionalist priest takes up the narrative. In complete contrast the tale is moved on by Rosalind who is Nicholas Darrow’s wife. An outsider who isn’t part of the St Benet’s Community. Nicholas, a forty-five year old man takes over from where his wife leaves telling the story from her perspective. Alice narrates the concluding part.
Each part begins with a quote and each chapter has another quote from another source.
The themes are on:
Loss and grief
Misunderstanding and confusion
Integrity and insincerity .
It is written in a clear uncomplicated style which is easy to read.

[JennanneJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read Susan Howatch's Starbridge series a couple times now. Most recently, I read the whole series in order about 2 years ago. I started this book little realizing it was actually the same characters as that series!

Unfortunately, I think Howatch has gone off the rails. Initially in the series I liked the thoughtful mix of philosophy, theology and psycology, but this book went way over the top. Characters overanaylized every little thing - to the point that I was skipping whole pages at the end as every character had to explain their philosophies independently to each of the other characters.

I didn't care for the misogyny, the fat shaming, the tramp shaming, the women's lives being ruined by selfish men and the men getting everything they wanted in the end anyway.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I finally did it. I ordered this book on impulse only ti find I'd read it 20 years ago! I did enjoy it the second time but had to work hard to remember what the cultural viewpoint was in the late 1980s regarding feminism, spirituality, the role of the church, the emerging field of spiritual healing and many other things. I still enjoyed it, though. Fast-paced and easily readable, the characters stay with you after you finish the book. Not sure I'll read books 2 and 3 in the series, though, now that I've recalled I've read them all!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5 for me. I had read other books by this author and liked her but this one was a bit wordy for me. While I love a good story there were so many shenanigans (love that word) going on I found myself tripping over the different story lines. And the ending? Fat girl (who happens to be a great cook!) loses weight and gets the guy!?? Jeesh... p.s. and all within the hallowed halls of a healing center and rectory

[Leslie Ayala · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wonder Worker is beautifully written. It is an in-depth study of charismatic healing. Susan writes an in-depth study of four different characters and tells the story in four parts through the point of view of each character. She portrays the characters in terms of their spiritual, physical and mental health. She also portrays the dangers of the ego in healing. Its a very fascinating read and the writing is incredible!!

[Bill Peake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The convergence of physical, mental and spiritual health continues in this Howatch novel. As clergy, I relish the presentation of those who serve both God and people in their full humanity, flaws, sins and gifts! In some ways “The Wonder Worker” is a kind of soap opera, but it stretches limits and horizons to bring home an important truth: there is a God who is not us and the orchestration of our lives in ways beyond us to secure us!

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Starbridge series is on my list of favorites read this year. This book is the first in a "spin-off" series, beginning about 20 years after the last Starbridge book. I didn't love it as much as I did Starbridge; multiple narrators meant I didn't get to know any one character as well as I would have liked, but I did appreciate how this presented the story from a variety of angles. I continue to be amazed at how Howatch presents you with a very flawed character and writes him/her so well that you sympathize even as you see the mistakes s/he makes (and sometimes even what a jerk s/he is). It might be a bit before I get to them, but I definitely plan to read the next two in this trilogy.

[5greenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't resist these page-turning clerical bonkbusters (tm, me). Again, we have a breathless expose of all sides of a mess of humans, thinking deep thoughts and messing it all up before it comes to a suitably melodramatic conclusion. My to-read shelf looks so worthy right now, this was a refreshingly pacy treat.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing from page one. It’s the first of a trilogy and I see I read part 2 eight years ago and only gave it 3 ⭐️. Understandable now that I’ve read the first. I think I’ll reread #2. It’ll probably make more sense now!
I really enjoy Howatch’s religious books (though I’m not religious at all 🤷🏻‍♀️) I may have to try one of her more ‘romancy’ novels.