Sidney Chambers & The Forgiveness of Sins
by James Runcie
This is the latest volume in the “Granchester” series, some of which have
been adapted for television although only loosely based on the books and
with major alterations being made to the plots and characters. Anyone who
first saw the TV version and then read the books would have been a bit
surprised!
The books tell the story of a young Anglican priest, Sidney Chambers, who
when the series starts, is the Vicar of Granchester near Cambridge in the
early 1950s.
By the time this volume starts he is married with a small daughter and, by
the end of the book, he has moved to Ely becoming the Archdeacon.
The author of the books, James Runcie, is the son of the late Robert Runcie,
former Archbishop of Canterbury and the character of Sidney is loosely
based on his father’s early career. Sidney’s wife, like Mrs Runcie, is a
talented musician, however she is German and the widow of a man who was
murdered at the beginning of the first book of the series.
I doubt if Archbishop Runcie had similar propensities for helping the police
with murder investigations so the similarities only go so far.
Each chapter of the book features a different crime and, in the volume in
question, explores how far sins can be forgiven.
In at least two of the cases, readers may feel that the perpetrators are
forgiven more readily than they might be in real life. Would one, for
example, really marry a man believed to be a widower when one discovered
that his ex-wife was actually alive and in a mental home?
The identity of the villain is usually fairly obvious early in the narrative but the
stories are enjoyable for the depiction of different characters, often with
considerable humour.
The Cambridge background is described in detail so if, unlike me, you are
familiar with the city, you could follow exactly where the events are taking
place.
The author is also careful to make clear exactly when things are happening.
By the end of this book we have reached 1966 and the World Cup Final is
mentioned! Sidney’s wife’s family is from East Germany and she is not
interested in football, so marital harmony is preserved!
The book is in paperback and available from Waterstone’s priced £7.99 or
from local libraries. Failing that, you are welcome to borrow mine.
Paula L Fleetwood.
StOM Page 24