Howatch Ultimate Prizes

Im hoping to write some blogs about Susan Howatch's novels, especially her Church of England series. At the moment, I am re reading the third book, Ultimate Prizes, which is set in the second half of World War II, and focusses on Neville Aysgarth, the third clergyman of importance in the books. The first two are Charles Ashworth, an academic theologian, Jon Darrow, a mystic who spends several years as a monk, then comes out of the monastery, marries for the second time and becomes a spiritual counsellor. Neville is from a lower middle class background in Yorkshire, and as such, he knows his chances of getting on in the church are less than if he were upper middle or upper class. Neville is more relatable in many ways than the mystic Jon, or the glossily upper middle class Charles, but he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He is hard working, and devoted to his wife, Grace and their 5 children, but wartime life puts him under strain. He is coping with rationing, a modest salary, and the fears of wartime. Charles Ashworth had gone to war as a chaplain but Neville is persuaded by the Bishop he works for, to stay at home and he has to cope with the dull heroism of the Home Front, which has little excitement. Jon Darrow on leaving his monastery, married a rich woman... and secured a job as a teacher in a Theological college, so he is materially more comfortable. Neville has 4 sons, ranging from Christian, a very clever boy who is at public school, to Sandy who is a baby, who was a surprise baby, a year or so earlier, and he knows that Grace is finding it hard to cope with another child... with little domestic help. Grace seems to be increasingly tired and depressed, and Neville feels guiltily that he should not be getting annoyed with her, but he is. They have one daughter, Primrose. Neville is invited to dinner at the Bishops palace, and Grace refuses to go, though the guest of honour is Alex Jardine, the former Bishop of Starbridge, who was Neville's patron and appointed him to a post in his bishopric as Archdeacon.