I don’t remember where I came across the title of this book. It was in some other thing I was reading but it seemed like a good book to read, so I picked it up.

So far it’s pretty good, it’s a very long book and I’m not that far into it yet. But her writing is very beautiful.

Here’s an example of a prose:
(She’s describing the vision of the channel island of Saint Pierre as one of the characters looks back on the island after they have taken a small rowboat further out into the harbor)

The author of this book is Anglican, the main family in this book is Anglican, but this book is drenched with Catholic themes… In a good way.

There’s monasteries, devoted and loving nuns who are portrayed in vary kind ways. There’s a very moving moment in the book in which one of the main characters is staring at a statue of the Virgin Mary as the statue of the Virgin Mary stares out west towards the Atlantic ocean. The whole scene is described very beautifully.

The narrator even states that all of the wealthy people on the island are Anglican but their souls are moved by unconscious Catholic undercurrents; and that all of the peasants on the island are still devoutly Catholic.

I’m surprised I have never heard of this book until a couple weeks ago.

But you have heard of the motley crew of Anglicans, I think.

Somewhere I have a copy of that book, obtained from an aunt.

I never heard of it.

I tried looking for it but I couldn’t find the book without title of; a motley crew of Anglicans

Perhaps I should write the book ANGLICANS ARE A MOTLEY CREW.

I've posted on the subject for many years.

There's a scene midway through the book where a beloved clipper is sinking after being bashed among some rocks off of the shore of Wellington (NZ).

One of the main characters is saving people on the clipper by swimming out to the ship and bringing them to a calmer stretch of water.



Nat is one of the old crew-hands of the clipper.


I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this author until recently.

Few people these days have heard much about a few of my collected authors, either.

Any name of them that you would suggest to somebody else?

Another beautiful line from this book. It almost feels like a hint of CS Lewis or Tolkien.


One of the characters as walked out into a little bay that she had gone to in her youth. While in her youth she was struck by the beauty of the place so much so that she did not notice that the tide was rising. The tide did rise and trapped her in the little bay but she was able to find a way out which led up steep path to a convent. She’s now back in the little bay 30 some years later collecting shells which she intends to give to her little niece who lives in New Zealand. And she’s reflecting on the beauty of the little bay.

Doubtful a useful exercise, but what the heck. I'm thinking of authors in selected areas of genre fiction, that are part of my esoteric literary tastes. Once popular, now out of fashion and forgotten (sort of like this board, it seems), but they speak to my condition. Some also wrote non-fiction, but I don't follow that, generally.

Exempli gratia: Melville Davisson Post/R. Austin Freeman /John Buchan /Dornford Yates (pen name of Cecil William Mercer)/William Hope Hodgson/Montague Rhodes James/Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett (better known by his title as 18th Baron of Dunsany), and etc. Everyone knows Kipling, so he doesn't really fit here, but he is one I read and collected in similar fashion. Some such authors are easier to find than others. I couldn't say I'd recommend them, unless some folks had tastes similar to my own. But they do take up a lot of room around here.