Scan barcode
sarah1984's review against another edition
3.0
Slightly wacky book about a trio of nuns and their determination to keep their convent, even under the pressure of a priest's dreams of rising in the church's hierarchy and how he plans to achieve that. Not sure if this book would encourage me to read other Marele Day books - it was decent, but not the highlight of my year (or anywhere near it). The TV adaptation was equally wacky, but did follow the book, mostly.
missalwayswrite715's review against another edition
4.0
I very much enjoyed this book! The lush imagery and deeply evocative characters lent an otherworldly and spiritual mist throughout the entire novel. It was thought provoking and humorous and poignant. I was especially in love with the character of Sister Carla whose innocence and child like wonder were so well developed and integral to the story and its overall symbolic themes.
Is the book an odd one? Oh yes! However, Marele Day is a superb storyteller and brings forth such a page turning , bittersweet, and in depth tale of faith, mysticism, and the struggle of wills and divine intervention.
Is the book an odd one? Oh yes! However, Marele Day is a superb storyteller and brings forth such a page turning , bittersweet, and in depth tale of faith, mysticism, and the struggle of wills and divine intervention.
jennifer60656's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stefhyena's review against another edition
5.0
This strange and unsettling book is full of destabilising events. We begin in an abbey, where there are only three sisters left and their religious observances have taken on a peculiar flavour all of their own. They weave fairy tales and ancient myths as well as pagan beliefs through their understanding and observance of Christian monastic life and they have begun to connect with the environment in ways that are represented by dirt, by the wool they spin and wear and the sheep they have a symbiotic relationship with (and know they have begun to resemble). There are three nuns of differing ages, but they manage not to take on quite the stereotypes you would expect from them (although Carla comes close) nor do they quite fit the old cliche of maiden, mother, crone.
Their life is enclosed, they do not even see the seals, nor the causeway that is as shifting as the plot and relationships of the book and comes and goes to connect their "island" to the mainland, but at low-tide when there is a causeway a young and ambitious priest comes across to look at what he thinks is an abandoned monastery and to get it ready for selling or developing.
This is where it gets weird, with Ignatius as sort of a colonist coming into what he has already decided is "terra nullius" and all too ready to see the inhabitants as savages, especially given the lack of separation between themselves and their environment. Things like cutlery and dependence on technology are presented as evidence of being "civilised" while the sisters are portrayed as animalistic, instinct driven, rarely even speaking and kind of disgusting actually. At the same time throughout the book this view of them is undermined from time to time, both by Ignatius' occasional sexual attraction to one of them and by the many instances of culture by these "savages" their greater ability to weave myths and daily life together in complex ways as well as the technology of carding, spinning and knitting...human hair added to the mix. This is about gender- gendered power, culture and technology as the conflict of interests between Ignatius and the community becomes a potentially deadly game of wits.
Ignatius underestimates the three women by a long way and the reader is almost led to do the same (though there are hints all along). The "happy ending" almost seems too contrived and simple, it is achieved through the author unravelling the ideas of enclosure and in some ways self-defeating because the sisters can only win through by using power from the world they have abandoned (and a male is pivotal in this). In this story ONLY the master's tools can destroy the master's house but along the way we get some cynical views of church, culture, male power and ownership. Place and personhood are explored (often uncomfortably) and "knowing" is made complex as the irrational triumphs again and again. Surprising amounts of tolerance and forgiveness strew the emotional landscape but abuse and suffering can also lead to violence and death, while all sorts of unpleasant odors are constantly present along with dirt and degradation.
There's a disappointingly conventional and heteronormative view of sexuality, although the exploration of celibacies was sort of interesting, it wasn't quite as cynically treated as I expected (as you often find). At the end the author, reader and characters in effect have their cake (honey biscuits) and eat it too, the story weakens to allow resolution and to bring back a sense of taking the spirituality in the text more-or-less seriously (I had mixed feelings about this).
It's well worth a read and very thought provoking.
Their life is enclosed, they do not even see the seals, nor the causeway that is as shifting as the plot and relationships of the book and comes and goes to connect their "island" to the mainland, but at low-tide when there is a causeway a young and ambitious priest comes across to look at what he thinks is an abandoned monastery and to get it ready for selling or developing.
This is where it gets weird, with Ignatius as sort of a colonist coming into what he has already decided is "terra nullius" and all too ready to see the inhabitants as savages, especially given the lack of separation between themselves and their environment. Things like cutlery and dependence on technology are presented as evidence of being "civilised" while the sisters are portrayed as animalistic, instinct driven, rarely even speaking and kind of disgusting actually. At the same time throughout the book this view of them is undermined from time to time, both by Ignatius' occasional sexual attraction to one of them and by the many instances of culture by these "savages" their greater ability to weave myths and daily life together in complex ways as well as the technology of carding, spinning and knitting...human hair added to the mix. This is about gender- gendered power, culture and technology as the conflict of interests between Ignatius and the community becomes a potentially deadly game of wits.
Ignatius underestimates the three women by a long way and the reader is almost led to do the same (though there are hints all along). The "happy ending" almost seems too contrived and simple, it is achieved through the author unravelling the ideas of enclosure and in some ways self-defeating because the sisters can only win through by using power from the world they have abandoned (and a male is pivotal in this). In this story ONLY the master's tools can destroy the master's house but along the way we get some cynical views of church, culture, male power and ownership. Place and personhood are explored (often uncomfortably) and "knowing" is made complex as the irrational triumphs again and again. Surprising amounts of tolerance and forgiveness strew the emotional landscape but abuse and suffering can also lead to violence and death, while all sorts of unpleasant odors are constantly present along with dirt and degradation.
There's a disappointingly conventional and heteronormative view of sexuality, although the exploration of celibacies was sort of interesting, it wasn't quite as cynically treated as I expected (as you often find). At the end the author, reader and characters in effect have their cake (honey biscuits) and eat it too, the story weakens to allow resolution and to bring back a sense of taking the spirituality in the text more-or-less seriously (I had mixed feelings about this).
It's well worth a read and very thought provoking.
barbarajean's review against another edition
3.0
Exceedingly quirky and weird. Frequently hilarious, often squirm-inducing, but it had depth that surprised me. It features three forgotten nuns in a crumbling ruin of a monastery, lots of sheep, and a priest who stumbles across them in his quest to turn the property into a holiday resort. Oh, and knitting. Lots of knitting.
Also: I seem to be continuing my recent recurring theme of books about monks & nuns. It's unintentional, I swear.
Also: I seem to be continuing my recent recurring theme of books about monks & nuns. It's unintentional, I swear.
girlvsbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
What a bizarre book, a bit of a dark cross between Father Ted and Misery by Steven King...
pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
My mom really liked this book and kept telling me how glad she was that she had read it. So then I was concerned that I would not find it at all worth reading.
Should not have worried. My mom and I don't agree on all books, but this one was a delight. This story of Carla, Margarita, Iphigenia, nuns who continue to serve God long after the church have forgotten them is a well told tale of good triumphing over everything.
I really enjoyed the nuns, the sheep and the priest who means so well, but learns better. This is an unusual story that won't appeal to everyone, but I thought it was wonderful.
Should not have worried. My mom and I don't agree on all books, but this one was a delight. This story of Carla, Margarita, Iphigenia, nuns who continue to serve God long after the church have forgotten them is a well told tale of good triumphing over everything.
I really enjoyed the nuns, the sheep and the priest who means so well, but learns better. This is an unusual story that won't appeal to everyone, but I thought it was wonderful.
More...