I remembered that I really enjoyed reading a few of Lindop’s books way back in the 1970s and for that reason I decided to add her to the CPR Book Group list, which is a place for neglected authors and books which deserve to be better known than they are at present. It only seems to be myself and Anne Hayes who have any interest in Lindop’s books at the moment.
Unfortunately her books are quite difficult to get a hold of but I bought The Singer not the Song in an Edinburgh second-hand bookshop and it was one which I hadn’t read before. At first I was really disappointed when I realised that the book is set in Mexico and is about the Roman Catholic church, in fact I almost didn’t read it for that reason, but I’m glad that I persevered.
Firstly I have to say that my copy is from 1954 and the blurb on the cover is wrong when it says that it is set in the revolutionary period of the 1920s and 30s. It is definitely post World War II early 1950s and a bishop is interviewing priests for an appointment in Quantana to replace the elderly Father Gomez who hasn’t exactly stuck to his vows and has lost the respect of his parishioners.
Quantana is a small village in the mountains and is very cut off from the rest of society and the whole place has been taken over by Malo, a young bandit, and his sidekicks. Basically Malo – the Bad One – runs a protection racket in that if the villagers don’t pay him ‘tax’, nasty things are going to happen to them. Malo has an affinity with cats and he has the same habit of playing with his victims.
Father Keogh, a young priest from Ireland, is chosen for the difficult position. Just about the first thing he has to do is get Father Gomez out of the village alive as Gomez believes Malo will kill him.
The whole book becomes a fight for the lives and souls of the villagers as Malo is determined to keep his evil hold on them and tries to humiliate the priest. Father Keogh struggles against Malo for the good of the people who are all terrified of the bandit gang.
It doesn’t sound like much I suppose but it is a very good read and the book was made into a film in 1961. I had already finished the book when I realised this but strangely I had imagined Dirk Bogarde as Malo so maybe I did see it when I was knee high.
There seems to be virtually nothing on the internet about Audrey Erskine Lindop. Possibly her mother or grandmother was Scottish as Erskine is a Scottish surname and place name. She was married to a playwright called Leslie Dudley and I’ve discovered that at one point she lived in a place called Chagford in South Devon. I discovered that because someone is selling a letter from her on Ebay at the moment and you can just make out the address. Does anybody have any more information on this sadly neglected writer?
Came across this site as I was looking for some information on this writer. I have had a 1954 hardback copy of The Singer not the Song in my posession for many years. It would have belonged to an older family member. She seems to be a bit of a mystery. No photos and very little written about her. A shame because she writes very well.
A pity you thought you might not read the book due to it’s Catholic theme. And I am glad you overcame your prejudice.
Eddie Griffin,
I’m sorry I’ve been so long in replying to your comment. We’ve been away for a few days and had no internet access. I’ve been lucky enough to find another couple of her books and I’m hoping to get around to reading them soon as I’m sure I’ll enjoy them too. I’m really not at all interested in books with any religious content no matter which religion. I find it to be a subject best avoided really but I do dislike the RC habit of getting involved with politics and telling their congregations which way they should vote, I think that that should be illegal.
Hi – my name is Jonno; I have just had a look at your article. I’m glad to see it; I read this book quite a long time ago, and I shall probably do so again at some point. What a good book! I was quite young when I read it; it was quite influential on my life, and the battle between good and evil is very well portrayed. Malo is obviously charismatic in an enticing way, and this must be recognised. But God, through Father Keogh, triumphs. I remember thinking what a powerful story it was, and, as I have said, has a strong message, and it has had a big influence on my life as a Christian. The book made me see about the struggle between good and evil, and really helped me towards a faith in Jesus.
Jonno,
It is an enjoyable read although I must admit that it didn’t encourage me to become religious as I’ve always believed that the most important thing is to just know right from wrong. and make sure you do whatever is right.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
You MUST read her wonderful I Start Counting. I first encountered it as a Readers Digest Condensed Book selection belonging to my parents. I was absolutely enthralled! Only recently was I able to get the complete novel, second-hand, on the Internet. It is a story about a teenage girl who begins to suspect that the older man on whom she has a gigantic crush might actually be the serial killer terrorizing her small town. The girl is absolutely authentic & rather heartbreaking. Trust me, you won’t regret reading this!
H.CALVERT,
I definitely will look out for that one, probably on the internet as I haven’t found many of her books in second-hand bookshops. Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
Katrina
Thank you for your interesting comments. Have just seen The singer not the song on tv and would love to read the book. I wanted to know more about the interesting title and was sad to find so little about the author. By the way having been Catholic since baptism more than 60 years ago as far as I am aware I have never been told how to vote that is a common prejudice! I’ve been told how to vote by neighbours/colleagues/ political parties/ friends etc..!
Catherine,
Yes there isn’t much information about Audrey Erskine Lindop around, but when I started working in libraries in the 1970s she was quite a popular author. About being told who to vote for, I had RC friends and work colleagues when I lived in a part of the west of Scotland which had had a lot of Irish Catholics who had settled there and they and their descendents were definitely told who to vote for, possibly that was just a local thing. I’ve never had anyone tell me how to vote – apart from political canvassers!
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
Katrina