Product Description

Aggie Grey is a jaded sexual health counsellor who finds herself having to defend her abortion clinic against the attacks of a radical new fundamentalist sect. Pastor Luke Butler is young, idealistic and out to capture the hearts and minds of Sydney's disaffected youth; his first campaign is to shut down Aggie Grey's clinic. Caught in the crossfire is 16-year-old Honey - pregnant, battered and ready to cling to whatever hope is offered. As Aggie and Luke fight over the fate of Honey's unborn child, they discover a deep and surprising connection. But as the war between the secular and religious intensifies, Aggie, Luke and Honey find themselves in moral and physical danger. Against a backdrop of religious terrorism and social decay, The Gospel Acording to Luke is a contemporary love story about belief, family, grief and hope.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #249832 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"'Packing in more issues than a Hollyoaks omnibus, this novel reads like a tragic Shakespearean romance, given a coarse 21st century rubdown' The List 'Moving, intelligent and shocking' Scarlet 'A powerful tale of faith and fanaticism' Big Issue 'Emily Maguire...invites the reader to slide into the skins of her beautifully flawed characters and share in their human weaknesses. Be prepared to be absorbed; this is compelling storytelling' Good Reading 'Witty, poignant and hard-hitting' Sainbury's Magazine"

Scarlet
`Moving, intelligent and shocking'

Sainsbury's Magazine
`Witty, poignant and hard-hitting'

Customer Reviews

Compelling, modern day Romeo and Juliet
Pastor Luke Butler is a young dynamic preacher in charge of a modern Christian youth centre in Sydney, Australia. Across the road from the youth centre is a sexual health clinic, offering advice to young people about sex and unwanted pregnancy, which is run by Aggie Grey. The clinic is threatened by Christian fundamentalists, and this throws Luke and Aggie together.

The pair are immediately attracted to one another but have completely opposing views about teen pregnancy and pro-choice arguments. Luke feels that he should save Aggie's soul, but does she want to be saved?

Then thrown into the mix is a young girl called Honey. She has been systematically abused throughout her short life and then finds herself pregnant. The arrival of Honey highlights all that is different about Luke and Aggie, how they help Honey deal with her pregnancy will have huge implications for their blossoming relationship.

This really is compulsive reading. Two lonely and damaged people coming together, despite all that is different about them, and whether such a love can survive. The characterisation is great, you have a clear sense of who these people are and why they behave the way that they do.

Highly recommended.

Beautifully Written
Emily Maguire's first novel Taming the Beast is one of my all time favourite books. So when I picked up The Gospel According to Luke I was expecting a real treat and I wasn't disappointed! Although a very different story to Taming the Beast, I was yet again gripped by Maguire's flawed characters and the beautiful way their story is written. This is the tale of a modern day Romeo and Juliet, which deals with the issues of abortion and religion both respectfully and sensitively. Having now read both of Emily Maguire's published novels I am eagerly awaiting more.

Another beautifully written passionate tale with a twist
Maguire truly knows how to do passionate, inconvenient, across the barricades love stories. Very different from her earlier work Taming the Beast which is also brilliant. This tells the story of Aggie a sexual health worker and Luke a Christian Pastor who are different in every way but fall in love despite themselves against reason, wanting or rationality. This is also the story of Honey a young girl who gets pregnant and has both Aggie and Luke doing their best for her but coming from very different perspectives.

Uncomfortable, sexy and challenging and enlightening.