The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Aged 37 3/4

This book, originally a column in a Christian magazine, is written in diary format. The fictional writer has the same name as the real author, but a different family. Although Anne (the fictional wife) and Bridget (the real Adrian Plass’s wife) have rather merged into one in my mind, their college-age son Gerald is unique. He makes bad puns, and spends time making anagrams out of the names of famous people.

I’ve just finished re-reading this book yet again, wondering if I would still find it as funny as I did previously. I remembered many of the one-liners, and the general story which follows five months of the author’s fictional life. There were still a few places where I chuckled, many where I smiled. Gentle fun is made of the show more church and the way many Christians behave.

I love this book and have recommended it to many people; most of them have also enjoyed it, but occasionally someone has handed it back to me, a little puzzled, wondering what the point was. The humour won’t appeal to everyone. It’s satirical and British, as are the caricatured friends and colleagues. Yet the writing has a serious vein running through the humour, and I find it very thought-provoking.

Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-sacred-diary-of-adrian-plass-ag... show less

An enjoyable lighthearted and sympathetic fictional diary which has not dated as much as I thought it would have. It is a bit predictable and over-simplistic at times (wouldn't it be lovely if all problems with troublesome neighbours or teenage girlfriends resolved themselves as neatly as they do in this book!) and sometimes Adrian Plass drifts from charmingly sweet and naive into so stupid he's annoying, but the pages turn fast, it makes you giggle, and it warms your heart.

A loving poke at Charismatic Evangelicals in England, a total scream to those who are. Unfortunately, the Zondervan American edition has ruined some of this by "americanizing" various references; imagine Monty Python done by the current Disney regime, gastly, no? If you can, track down the British editions.

I heard a poem by Adrian Plass and mentioned it in passing to a friend-of-a-friend who loaned me a couple of books by him. This is fiction, but the characters within are based loosely on real people with whom Adrian has come into contact. Written entirely in diary form, this is an amusing account of a ‘normal bloke’ struggling to be a good Christian. Whilst you don’t have to be a believer yourself to find it amusing, I think it probably would strike a chord more with people who go to church (especially Anglicans). It had me chuckling out loud in places and I finished it really quickly. Good stuff! :)

A light-hearted and relatively quick read. A middle-aged husband and father shares ~6 months of life in diary format, mostly focused on church activities.

Anyone that's spent any time in or around churches can relate in some way to many of the characters and issues.

I was expecting a bit more of a laugh - I found the tales mildly amusing.

Adrian Plass decides to keep "a sort of spiritual log for the benefit of others in the future...". This log details his relationships with family, church friends, non Christians, and God in a funny yet also insightful way. An amusing and fun read, with a lot of truth in it!

Have enjoyed this book ever since I saw a one man play based on it.
Laugh so hard I cried.