Touching Cloth

I may be a non-believer, but I laughed my way through this warm and witty book, which made me admire the irreverent reverend Fergus Butler-Gaillie even more than I already did. It is so engagingly written, and could sit deservingly in the tradition of Monica Dickens's tales of muddling amusingly through in unusual jobs where one might not be considered a natural (very high praise!). It's funny, fascinating, and gorgeously humane. -- Marina Hyde, columnist and author of <i>What Just Happened?</i> Touching Cloth is a delight - a masterclass in the way pleasure, laughter and even God can be found in the most mundane moments of daily life. -- Edward Stourton, author of <i>Confessions</i> A warm-hearted and frequently hilarious insight into the daily life of the clergy that won over this inveterate atheist. -- Nick Pettigrew, author of <i>Anti-Social</i> Funny and touching in equal measure, the diary of a priest that ranges from slapstick to the hauntingly profound. -- Tom Holland, author of <i>Dominion</i> Irreverent and hilarious... The pitfalls of human physicality form the essence of the book's comedy... What he wants to remind us, I think, is how far from being perfect all who might aspire to being saints are. * The Times * Butler-Gallie's tales are narrated with a voice and self-deprecatory humour somewhere between Viz and PG Wodehouse. The stories are all gloriously funny, but, like all good clerical effusions, they have a serious point. * Literary Review *