A City of Bells

In THE CITY OF BELLS the author introduces the Fordyce family, an odd collection of characters. There is Grandfather, small and twinkly, slightly uneasy being Canon of the Cathedral after a lifetime of slum ministry; Grandmother, a stickler for the proprieties; Hugh Anthony, an orphaned grandson and a curious incorrigible at eight; Henrietta, ten, an orphan with a loving nature; and Jocelyn, a grown grandson, newly home from the Boer War.

The cathedral itself is a character, with its amazing clock. The Bishop's moated palace has swans who ring to be fed. The town's cobbled streets wind up the blue hills of Somerset that form a backdrop for this story that combines romance, mystery and humor.