I was very happy to discover that an interesting and sympathetic review of Going to Heaven: The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson appeared in the January 26th issue of Church Times, the leading worldwide Anglican newsweekly (published in London, but independent of the Church of England hierarchy.) Thank you to Leigh Hatts for such a careful reading and thoughtful discussion of my book.
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February 13, 2007
A View from the UK
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Who was Cassandra?
In the Iliad, she is described as the loveliest of the daughters of Priam (King of Troy), and gifted with prophecy. The god Apollo loved her, but she spurned him. As a punishment, he decreed that no one would ever believe her. So when she told her fellow Trojans that the Greeks were hiding inside the wooden horse...well, you know what happened.
Oh, I'm so pleased for you that this positive review has come from the other side of the pond, showing that your book is spreading its wings!
Posted by: marja-leena | February 13, 2007 at 03:24 PM
Thanks, Marja-Leena!
Posted by: beth | February 13, 2007 at 04:24 PM
Congratulations, Beth. Those who get it get it.
Posted by: Teju | February 13, 2007 at 09:11 PM
Well, I guess it was positive, but "a fascinating portrait of small-town American Anglicans’ coming to terms with being a branch of a much larger Church that they knew little about" sounded awfully patronizing to me. I was also amused by the author's evident irritation at your stressing the role of elections in the Episcopalian bishop selection process.
Posted by: Dave | February 13, 2007 at 10:14 PM
Sure it's patronizing but much less than what the really churchy types in the UK say. You wouldn't believe it. But that's what I meant by "a view from the UK." It's different.
Posted by: beth | February 13, 2007 at 10:21 PM
Beth, very glad your book was sympathetically reviewed in the C.T. and I hope that there will be many more UK reviews in a wide range of publications. It's great that the book is being distributed over here.Congratulations :)
Posted by: Natalie | February 13, 2007 at 10:45 PM
Beth, I think you're being very charitable. I found this review rather patronising, as well as pretty small-minded, and ignoring most of what is interesting and enjoyable in your book. At least it is not insulting, though, and excellent that the main Church of England publication has brought the book to its readers' attention and provided a link for ordering.
Posted by: Jean | February 14, 2007 at 05:06 AM
Jean, thanks, as I told Dave above, this is so much less patronising than what we usually hear! When a delegation from the NH Diocese was finally granted an audience with some of the Archbishop of Canterbury's advisors at Lambeth Palace, the message they were given was an arch "How could you?" I think the typical British church hierarchy feels not only patronising toward the US church, but possessive in a lingering colonial sense - they can't understand why we don't feel a similar "duty" to preserve the institution at all costs and see anything else as hopelessly American.
Posted by: beth | February 14, 2007 at 09:35 AM
Heh. The Anglican Church is sitting on its throne like Canute without the brains while the waves crash, with increasing insistence, over its vestmented knees.
Posted by: rr | February 16, 2007 at 04:04 AM