Love Divine by Ysenda Maxtone Graham (SH 1978-80) is our OKS Book of the Month for October 2026. 

About the Book:

Set in the fictional village of Lamley Green, the story centres on the congregation of St Luke’s church, whose members find themselves navigating bereavement, parish politics, personal rivalries and the everyday dramas of community life. Through a lively cast of characters, Maxtone Graham explores the gap between outward respectability and private reality, finding plenty of humour in the eccentricities and contradictions of those who gather in the name of faith.

Told through an inventive combination of letters, emails, text messages, sermons and parish council minutes, Love Divine offers a fresh and entertaining approach to storytelling. Maxtone Graham’s keen eye for social detail and her gentle satirical touch make for a warm, witty read, while the themes of grief, forgiveness and belonging give the novel real emotional depth.

Readers have said:

A comic masterpiece, unputdownable (literally!). Austenesque in its portrayal of that marvellous cast of characters and the consequences of their actions.

-  James Lefanu

I was enchanted by Ysenda Maxtone Graham’s gently hilarious new book. It was not just the cast of wonderfully recognisable parish characters, the clever plotting, and the understated satire that delighted, but the reminder that, for Christianity to be authentic, it must be kind, generous, and above all profoundly sincere. Beautifully bound in red cloth by Slightly Foxed, this is a volume that would grace any drawing room, kitchen table – or Christmas tree.

- Catherine Coldstream

Reccommended for:

• Fans of English social comedy
• Readers interested in church and village life
• Lovers of character-driven fiction

About the OKS Author:

Ysenda Maxtone Graham attended King's in School House from 1978 to 1980. Beyond King's, she completed her Master of Arts degree at The University of Cambridge. Her career has grown steadfast in literary and journailstic fields. She has written for Tatler, Sunday Telegraph, and Daily Times, to name a few. She is known for her sharp, often comic observations of English social life. Her books explore subjects ranging from the Church of England and girls’ boarding schools to summer holidays, women’s working lives and the small irritations of modern living. She has also written a biography of her grandmother, the writer Jan Struther, creator of Mrs Miniver, and more recently turned to fiction with Love Divine.

You can purchase Love Divine here.