Philippa is a middle-aged senior civil servant when she decides to give up her job and all her worldly goods and enter a convent. Philippa is the main character of this chronicle of life in a convent, but there are a dozen or so other major character, all nuns, who become living, breathing individuals who we come to know deeply over the course of this novel. I am not religious, but I found reading about the inner workings of a convent fascinating. In this convent, causal nuns do most of the day to day chores (cooking, cleaning) and the most exalted nuns (Dames) have specific roles they are assigned by the Abbess or head nun. And there are some very talented and highly regarded nuns in this convent. Dame Maura was a hugely respected music leader, and chants by the nuns were highly valued by music lovers. Dame Agnes was an esteemed scholar, writing and publishing scholarly works. Another nun published poetry. One nun wove exquisite silk on the convent's loom. And so on.

We follow these and many others over the years, some as newly entered novitiates, all the way through to the deaths of more than one. They grow and develop as the convent suffers a financial crisis and other woes, and the nuns try to overcome their petty rivalries and peeves, all narrated with a lot of good humor.

Highly recommended.

4 stars ( )

This novel explores the daily lives of a group of nuns at a monastery. I really appreciated that Godden made her characters' personalities distinct, and didn't portray any of the nuns as free of flaws.

There were many aspects that were thought provoking to me, especially since I'm Protestant, not Catholic. There were definitely things I could relate to, but also beliefs and practices that make the Catholic Church seem more cultish than Christlike.

Story-wise, one of the "challenges" seemed overcome far too easily/conveniently, which was disappointing to me, as it was a great opportunity for character growth.

Also, though a minor issue, the pages allocated to each chapter are very uneven. The average number of pages in a chapter is 30, yet one chapter is 70 pages long! This makes it difficult for me to stay motivated, as I hate having to break in the middle of a chapter. ( )

Who knew a book about nuns would be a five star read?! I unexpectedly adored this book. It centers around a Benedictine chapter of nuns - the kind of nuns who lead a contemplative life of prayer and isolate from the outside world. Philippa Talbot makes the unusual choice, as a successful 40-something business woman, to join the order. She remains the central character, and her journey to truly accepting the lifestyle and fulling opening up her heart to it is the crux of the book. But also, we see the power dynamics, relationships navigated, illness, financial difficulties of the abbey, and how the changes in the Catholic church over the 1900s will affect the Benedictine lifestyle.

I don't consider myself at all religious anymore, and I know next to nothing about Catholicism. I was really ready to read the first 40 pages or so and set this one aside, but I was totally enamored. As you would expect, it's a quiet, reserved book, but the characters and situations also have a depth and heart that I loved.

I read this on my kindle from the library, and I'm really considering buying a hard copy for my shelves to reread some day. ( )

this novel is quiet, and it is beautiful.

when i realized there were only 50 pages left, i started crying and am still. i loved this novel on its own, but as i read on and on i felt more and more as though i were reading with, even as, my mother. the benedictine principles of stability and usefulness atop the monastic vows were hers--both what she admired and what she embodied. what she strived to be is encapsulated in abbess catherine's affectionately wry take on the novitates' flights of spiritual exaltation: they long to sleep on bare boards and to kneel on hard floors but struggle to use a pencil down to its nub.

my mother was an indefatigable user of pencil-nubs. ( )

This was a beloved book from my young adulthood. Godden writes so that you are immersed in the day to day life of this mid century Christian Benedictine Abbey. Enclosed by choice in a small acreage, nevertheless, each nun must face the world daily, the implications of her choices and the depth of her soul. Whispers of eternity interspersed with an overload of barn cats leave you laughing and weeping. A most exquisite book. ( )