Touching Cloth
- Author Fergus Butler-Gallie
- Narrator Fergus Butler-Gallie
- Publisher Transworld
- Publish Date 1 January 1970
- Run Time 5 hours and 6 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Anglican and Episcopalian Churches, Autobiography: religious and spiritual, Biography and non-fiction prose, Humour, Memoirs, Religious social and pastoral thought and activity, Worship, rites, ceremonies and rituals.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Flexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only $7.95.
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- $13.95
- $12.95
- $11.95
- $10.95
- $9.95
Listen to a sample
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
A laugh-out-loud memoir of becoming a 21st-century priest, Touching Cloth is also a love letter to the Prayer Book, Liverpool, lager, funerals, homemade lemon curd, and, above all, to what the Church of England can be at its best.
The very word 'reverend' inspires solemnity. To be a priest is to dedicate one's life to quiet prayer and spiritual contemplation. Isn't it?
Fergus Butler-Gallie reveals what it's like to become a priest in the twenty-first century. Find out why black really is slimming, how to keep a straight face when someone is inadvertently hot-boxing a funeral, and which royal-themed biscuit tin can best contain a very loud personal alarm that no one knows how to switch off. Spot a sweet old lady trying to pay for a taxi with coinage from fascist Spain? Congratulations, shepherd, she's your problem now.
Behind the daily scrapes is an all-too-human love letter to the Church of England, and the amazing variety of people who manage to keep it going, providing a listening ear, company and community at a time when so many people desperately need it, as well as a reflection on what it means to follow a spiritual path amid the chaos of the modern world.
©2023 Fergus Butler-Gallie (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Critics Review
A witty and adept guide to the foibles of the well-intentioned and all too human figures who follow holy orders… Touching Cloth can be compared to Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt and the writings of the Secret Barrister… there is a warmth and wit here that recalls everyone from Wodehouse to that other godly humorist GK Chesterton.
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.
Funny and touching in equal measure, the diary of a priest that ranges from slapstick to the hauntingly profound.
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.
A warm-hearted and frequently hilarious insight into the daily life of the clergy that won over this inveterate atheist.
More from the same
About xigxag
Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.