Product Description

Neville Aysgarth, archdeacon, and right-hand man of the Bishop of Starbridge, has spent his life chasing worldly success. In 1942 he has a perfect wife, a perfect family and a perfect future in the Church of England - all ultimate prizes. Then Aysgarth meets an attractive young socialite and is soon dangerously and chaotically involved in adultery, hypocrisy and obsession. Tormented and on the brink of ruin, he must at last face the truth about himself, his marriage and the mysterious past he cannot discuss as he chases the most vital prize of all - his own survival! Witty, wise and compelling, Ultimate Prizes powerfully explores both the temptations of sex and success, and the ultimate themes of sin and salvation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29717 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
'This superbly intricate ecclesiastical tale ! irresistible' Church Times 'A fascinating story' Publishers Weekly 'Howatch writes thrillers of the heart and mind ! everything in a Howatch novel cuts close to the bone and is of vital concern' New Woman 'A mesmerising storyteller' Daily Telegraph 'One of the most original novelists writing today' Cosmopolitan 'She is a deft storyteller, and her writing has depth, grace and pace' Sunday Times 'Susan Howatch may well become the Anthony Trollope of the 20th century. Howatch is more than just a novelist of ideas! She is a skilled storyteller who makes the reader wonder and care about her people.' Washington Post

About the Author
Susan Howatch was born in Surrey in England. After taking a degree in law at King's College, London, she emigrated to America where she married, had a daughter, and embarked on her career as a writer. In 1976 she separated from her husband, left America and lived in the Republic of Ireland for four years before returning to England. While living in a flat overlooking Salisbury Cathedral and "trying to hold my divided self together", she found herself inspired by the beauty of the cathedral and became a convert. She wondered if she should continue producing romantic novels. Instead, she wrote the series of six Starbridge novels about the Church of England in the 20th century, all of which reflect her own spiritual crises.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
In my view this is a quite exceptional novel. It combines a rattling good plot with a clear and provocative message about the baggage we may carry forward from our childhoods into our adult lives. It is one of the rare books which has changed my life for the better.

read it third!
In the third of the Starbridge series we get a closer look at Neville Ayesgarth, who was at loggerheads with Jon Darrow in the second book. Here it is Ayesgarth's turn to be stripped apart and laid bare by Howatch's expert scalpel! I have to admit that though I didn't dislike this book, I didn't like it as much as others in the series. It began promisingly enough, with Neville falling under the spell of the young flibbertigibbet Dido. Dido - who later becomes famous in the series as a loose cannon - resists his advances until... well, that would be giving things away. I felt though that the second part of the book gets bogged down in the dissection of Neville's past. I found it not so interesting to read about his background as he tells it to his spiritual director; as such the characters who are so important to Neville - his mother, his father, Uncle Willoughby - never came alive for me and his recounting of them felt rather slow. However, it is still a great book and indispensable to the series. Read it - but read it third; after Glittering Images and Glamorous Powers!...