The Gospel According to Sydney Welles

by Susi Rajah

Elizabeth Gilbert meets Jennifer Weiner in this hilarious comedy of errors starring resident Los Angeleno Sydney Welles. Sydney seems to have it all--a lucrative career, a comfortable life, and a man... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596913479
• ISBN13: 9781596913479
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Rajah Redefines The Genre

The Gospel According to Sidney Welles Sidney Welles is assigned the Catholic Church image overhaul campaign and sets out to give the church a face lift of sorts...what ensues is a hilarious stumble through questions of faith, love and self discovery. Susi Rajah's solo debut has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that contemporary literature or Chic Lit can be thought provoking and outrageously funny without requiring the reader to check their common sense and intellect at the door. Sydney Welles was one of those career women that seemed to have everything figured out and running smoothly. However, that which works so well on paper does not always translate into reality quite so seamlessly. Dumped by her boyfriend for a shapelier blond, she throws herself into work. Assigned, by her alcoholic boss, to the all important Catholic Church image overhaul campaign, it's up to Sidney to find a way to put the church back into the good graces of the people. She begins sending emails to god, simple questions, comments and personal observations and rants. In one particularly poignant communication she tells `god' she prefers he not respond, because these days folks that claim to speak with him aren't exactly Solomon or David. Part saint, part sinner, wholly engrossing, this book will have you laughing, while nodding your head in agreement. The no-nonsensical dialogue style brings the reader right into the heart and soul of theological, religious debates, as well as, the hypocrisy within our society through this hilarious, entertaining read. The blurbs on the dust cover are appealing appetizers, that give the reader an indication of the delicious entree just waiting to be devoured. Brilliantly conceived, uniquely written and conveyed with depth and conviction, Rajah's quick wit and subtle criticisms, combined with no holds barred emails to the Big Guy himself, demonstrate her uniquely evocative way of crafting an intelligent feast that is truly satisfying! This is one of those novels you will want to pass around to friends and family! I recommend this novel to all fiction readers, ladies and gentlemen alike! If you enjoy a fun read that seems to melt the hours from the clock and never insults your intelligence, The Gospel According To Sidney Wells delivers! Happy Reading! Note: This would be a wonderfully fun romantic comedy movie - provided the right folks were cast to play the roles! I would love to see it on the big screen!

Perfect for the big screen!

What a fabulous witty concept! Susi Rajah has applied intellect, humour and relevance to her thoroughly researched theme, to deliver an addictive novel that you just want to share with your girlfriends immediately! A perfect birthday present - I have already ordered 5 for my best friends! This has all of the natural ingredients for a successful movie, I would love to see this on the big screen!

Wish it were longer!

This book is funny. Very funny. I laughed out loud a lot and books rarely do that for me. It's full of sharp lines and intelligence. Its prose is vivid and rich and I was genuinely disappointed when it finished. I wanted to spend more time with all of the characters and I've since gone back and re read my favorite bits. I searched online to see if it had been published elsewhere and found that the UK edition, titled Heaven®, for some reason, is 100 pages longer. I would love to see what was left out for us in the US. I loved the story and all the characters. Sydney, Harry Rex (he is a rabbit), Jake, Larry, Cupid (he is a small boy), Brad Pitt (he is a dog), Anna and the twins, Noah and a Priest who I had in my head as George Clooney. Oh and God. American God that is. What great characters. I recommend this book to anyone with a brain, wants to be entertained and laugh. The Gospel is instantly a favorite.

A Refreshing Change

"The Gospel According to Sydney Welles" makes a refreshing change from all the no-brainer chick-lit we gals are usually toting on vacation because there isn't anything else out there to READ if you don't want to spend your entire week on the beach struggling through some pretentious novel which, even if you haven't had one cocktail too many, makes no sense whatsoever. (I think Sydney says "whether the glass is half empty or half full, it's still only half a drink" says it all...) The author has managed to combine the pre-requisite star-crossed 21st century romance with a deep, damning and very, VERY funny expose on organized religion (I hope, for her sake, that she's not planning on taking a break anywhere near Vatican City - or the Bible Belt - any time soon!). Unlike a lot of modern-day "literary" heroines, Sydney Welles is blessed with wit and wisdom as well as heart and soul. I, for one, am a total convert.

The Must-Read Book of the Summer!

I bought this book because of this magazine review. Now I've read it, I can recommend it myself, but I can't do a better job of telling you about it than the magazine did, so: Times are hard, and you probably don't believe in much of anything anymore -- not ghosts, Santa Claus or even organized religion. If that's the case, you'll certainly identify with the title character in Susi Rajah's hysterically subversive novel, "The Gospel According to Sydney Welles" (Bloomsbury). This sinfully funny satire of religious mores will restore your faith in the healing power of chick lit as the adorable and devoutly agnostic Sydney writes cheeky e-mails to God while juggling the stress of her advertising job and love life. To make matters worse, she's expected to create an image-boosting ad campaign for the Catholic Church with the help of an extremely hot priest. After skimming the Bible, she sends the following message to God: "The threat of eternal damnation is compelling, but just think how many more copies you'd sell if it were actually readable." It'll be a miracle if she survives with her soul intact. But aren't you dying to find out? BloomsburyUSA.com - ZINK (Summer 2007) [...]