REVIEWS AND READER COMMENTS
The Castle of Heavenly Bliss
Reviewed by Michael Gilchrist
AD2000 A Journal of Religious Opinion
582 Queensberry St
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Unlike most books these days dealing with Christianity and the Catholic Church – notably The Da Vinci Code – The Castle of Heavenly Bliss incorporates strong accurate presentations of Church doctrines and practices within its absorbing plot. In effect, it represents a strong counter to the Gnostic, feminist elements promoted in The Da Vinci Code.
Despite its rather daunting length, The Castle of Heavenly Bliss is a good read, with an engrossing storyline, vivid descriptive writing and striking scene and character depictions. The scenes are set in a variety of locations, from rural Victoria and urban Melbourne to Paris and the Dutch Province of Zeeland.
More traditionally inclined Catholic readers will not only enjoy the plot and how the pieces finally fall into place but no doubt welcome the sympathetic and prominent place given to Church teachings, practices and traditions. Less committed readers may find the somewhat proselytising style of these intrusive or off-putting.
GOOD AND EVIL
The novel takes its cue from certain 19th-century novels as well as epics like The Lord of the Rings, where the line between good and evil is sharply drawn. As in Dickens’ works, the good seem too good to be true, and the bad too bad to be true. But this serves the present novel’s purpose and will no doubt be a refreshing contrast for many readers to the moral relativism that dominates our secular culture and much of its literature.
One hopes the book may win some converts to the Catholic view among less committed readers, but my feeling is that its main attraction will be for the already converted – particularly traditional Catholics.
The Castle of Heavenly Bliss is a monumental and commendable effort by one of our local Catholic writers and deserves to be well supported. Gerard Wilson has considerable skills as a novel writer, reminding one at times of Malachi Martin whose books, despite their sprawling length, generally hold the reader’s attention to the end as this one does.
*****
The Castle of Heavenly Bliss
Ian MacDonald
Annals Australasia
Journal of catholic Culture
PO Box 13
Kensington NSW 2033
GERARD Charles Wilson has written a novel of epic scope set in contrasting locations. First, the Victorian country town, Binawarra, dominated by a peak known to the locals as Death Rock. Second, Middelburg in the Dutch Province of Zeeland, dominated by the eponymous castle on Walcheren.
The sinister, bitter character linking these locations is Gerda Vrouwendijk who arrives at the Binawarra High School disguised as Edith Bicknell, multi-lingual teacher with specialist qualifications in student counselling.
She is taken at face value by the genial, hardworking headmaster Bill Huckerby and his charming wife Joanne. But Vrouwendijk/Bicknell has more in mind than counselling unruly students. She has a specific target: one of the students, Estella Winterbine, beautiful and of formidable virtue, closely protected by her parents, the local carpenter Charles Winterbine, and his wife, the angelic, blue-eyed Aine (nee O’Riordan).
In these three, the author essays one of the most difficult tasks in literature: the portrayal of goodness, even saintliness. To assist them, he creates the tough-minded, incomer Englishwoman Florence Barker, trailing hints of having worked for the secret service, and the crippled Dutch priest, Father Jos van Engelen, whose work included service in New Guinea with an order not unlike the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
He is also cross-linked to a post-World War II episode with Vrouwendijk in which the defeated Nazi opened fire on civilians.
Ingeniously, Wilson shows how the hidden currents, hostilities and petty snobberies beneath the benign surface of a town like Binawarra can be manipulated by a person of ill-will, especially one like Vrouwendijk/Bicknell, to blackmail the local newspaper editor. She is backed by Boris, a mercenary with Balkan-Muslim connections and the influence of a rich and covert international organisation for whom Estella is a sought-after prize.
Here an intrepid hero is called for; Wilson introduces him in the person of Geoffrey Shawcross, a quiet local farmer who is also an ex-Vietnam veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment. He protects and falls in love with Estella.
With the main plot the author meshes two sub-plots: One, the attempt by some of her fellow students to seduce Estella and, two, Fr van Engelen’s conflict with those who take a more extreme view of renewal processes initiated by Vatican II than he does.
As the narrative moves to its climax in The Castle of Heavenly Bliss, Shawcross deploys his SAS skills to rescue Estella and the author reveals the nature of the secret organisation—one readers may find reminiscent of Dan Brown’s Priory of Sion in The Da Vinci Code.
Unlike the latter, this is a thriller of reverence for the Catholic faith as well as a scholarly novel of ideas and theology. It runs to 752 pages and is the first in what is scheduled to be a trilogy.
Like Walter Scott and Charles Dickens and any number of more recent authors, Wilson is his own publisher. At not a few points, there are signs he has essayed the more difficult challenge of being his own editor. Paradoxically, the ease of computer editing makes this process more difficult. Too often, Wilson, the author-editor, slows the drive of his undoubtedly imaginative plot lines with redundant material and, above all, by blurring and fudging his chapter breaks.
The exemplary work here is Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. Waugh was a film buff and wrote his chapters as cinematic cuts. Result: despite an expensive script by John Mortimer, the classic television version of Brideshead Revisited was shot from the book not the script.
*****
The Castle of Heavenly Bliss
Reviewed by Hedda Dooley
The Dutch Courier
Olinda VIC 3788
This is the first of a planned trilogy written in the Catholic/Christian genre. This style of writing generally does not appeal to me. However, I decided to give The Castle of Heavenly Bliss a try.
The story begins in a small country town of north-western Victoria called Binawarra. The narrative then moves to Middelburg in Holland. Having lived in both Australia and Holland myself, I found the scene depictions brilliantly written. Ranging from the harsh Australian summer to riding a bike in the cold ‘Hollandse’ winter, the author’s explanations are rather familiar to me and bring back fond memories. The range of characters in the novel are also cleverly thought up and explained in explicit detail.
The novel employs a deep philosophical aspect, not just about the different beliefs and religions but also delves into topics such as what is beauty and truth, giving a detailed analysis of these. Incorporating these philosophies into a novel is not an easy thing to accomplish. Therefore I congratulate Wilson on doing a marvellous job on the writing of The Castle of Heavenly Bliss.
I found The Castle of Heavenly Bliss slow to get going, perhaps too much detail in some parts, but once the story develops and the various plots begin to take shape, I found myself in situations whereby I could not put the book down and realised then the much given detail is necessary for the reader to get an accurate picture of the complex events which take place. The narrative really comes together in the end, leaving the reader with many things to think about.
*****
5-Star review by Ann ‘Joy for Life’
Amazon reviewer
December 25, 2012
‘Deep, compelling story of good and evil’
The battle of good and evil takes unusual manifestations in The Castle of Heavenly Bliss. For a long time, the characters are clouded, and the motives and methods are obscure. The action picks up, and I became almost breathless as the conclusion was reached. I’d love to discuss this book. It certainly did remind me of the grandiose plots of Dan Brown. But from the other side. This author recasts the good and evil sides in the battle.
The main setting is Australia from the 1950s through the 1970s. A strong second location is in the Netherlands.
The devotion to God by Aine and Charles, and their daughter was deep and abiding. However, the labelling of things as evil or temptation seems a little too overboard. The disparaging thoughts about teen boys and the sexual attractions occurring at puberty were contrasted to our ‘heroines’ complete vacancy of feelings in that department. Their bodies didn’t stir until presented with the mate God had chosen. Innocence means ignorance of these feelings.
The side of evil is portrayed as homosexual, pagan, occultist, misleading, and vicious. Surprisingly, Vatican II is a threatening occurrence where ‘reforms’ are going to destroy the church. Somehow, reforms were attacks of society-blinded clergy to destroy the church. The changes in the liturgy [notably using the congregation’s language, turning the altar to face the people,and such] are minimized and the compelling image is of mimes and provocative dancers desecrating the Mass. I lived through those times in a very ‘progressive’ parish, and it was all aimed at furthering a relationship with Jesus. It was unusual, and often useless, but never a desecration. The objections to the whole council shouldn’t be based on that image.
Feminism is also cast as an evil temptation for women to abandon God. It is portrayed as a Gnostic heresy, where if women only knew the truth of their bondage they’d dump the church and its oppression. Maybe radical feminism did that, but it also helped shine the light on systemic ways that society and the church failed the women of the world.
Even the opposition to the Vietnamese war was cast as a tool for evil to prevail. Not the war itself, but the protesters.
The author paints with a broad brush, from depth of knowledge certainly, but too black and white. Perhaps this is the author’s right, after all, it is his story, but I struggled with that a lot.
Of course, I had to buy his other book In This Vale of Tears. Just started it.
READERS’ COMMENTS
‘I have read your revised edition of The Castle of Heavenly Bliss and am very impressed. It is much tighter and I found the story flowed better with a few loose ends better explained. There was no point in this edition where my mind wandered. I cannot wait to read the third book.’
Gay Smith, Blaxland NSW
Last year I read the first two novels of your Winterbine Trilogy and what remarkable stories they are. I know of no modern Australian novel in which the Catholic side has been presented with such sympathy and understanding. The Fr van Engelens of this world are not usually allowed to defend traditional Catholic teaching in a logical and rational way, and the forces of renewal in its many guises are so often justified by an appeal to the ubiquitous Spirit of Vatican II. The purpose of this email is firstly to congratulate you on your fine achievement and to enquire when Part III of the trilogy will be published. The first two volumes generated so many questions for which this reader craves answers.
J. Gerald Wilson (no relation), August 2009
I found The Castle of Heavenly Bliss absolutely riveting. It touches on all the right political and religious issues. I read the whole 752 pages in five days. I look forward to the next book in the trilogy.
Fr Terence Mary Naughtin, Franciscan Friars, Kellyville NSW
I couldn’t put it down.
Pauline McKenna, Caulfield, Victoria
The book is a jolly good thriller. I’m glad a book of this sort has been written. It was desperately needed. It might be the start of a movement. The author is to be congratulated on a story that keeps up the interest despite some challenging passages.
Dr Paul McKenna (retired medical doctor), Caulfield, Victoria
Despite being a long work, The Castle of Heavenly Bliss holds the reader’s interest. The characters are vividly presented. The various threads to plot heighten the interest, with the reader wondering how they fit together. There is a sense of impending danger or distress threatening a number of people. A good picture is drawn of the clashing outlooks, and of the trends in society that have developed since that time. Elements of mystery and intrigue add interest and tension. The author deserves congratulations for the quality of this book.
John Young, author of The Natural Economy
I thought The Castle of Heavenly Bliss was terrific and very much enjoyed reading it. I really did find it difficult to put it down during the four days I took to read it. I thought the character development was comprehensive and believable with the story having me wondering what might happen right up until the rescue and even past that…This novel has obviously been the author’s passion. The time and research put into it must be extraordinary. I’m amazed at the detail relating to the location of the events. I congratulate the author.
Michael Wilson, Goldsmith & Jewellery Designer, Eltham Vic
At last, an Australian author to rival the best of contemporary Catholic novelists. A tender love story of characters caught up in a gripping thriller of moral, theological and ideological conflicts
Brian Schaefer, Director of John XXIII Co-operative
The story really grabbed my attention. The characters were credible and interesting. As a Dutch person of Protestant background, and now of no religious belief, I had pleasure in reading the parts about Holland. The Dutch ambience was accurately drawn. All in all, it was a really thrilling story.
Corrie Roggeveen, Booval QLD
I took advantage of Mother’s Day unhindered by family duties to read The Castle of Heavenly Bliss. I spent the whole day on it. The story kept my attention right to the end. I especially liked the character of Estella and the interesting background information about the Catholic Church.
Janet Mitchell, Librarian, Patterson River Secondary College, Carrum Vic
I thought The Castle of Heavenly Bliss was a gem – entirely relevant to the times.
Margaret Condon, Cherrybrook NSW