The author made a huge risk of writing this because it tackles the stigma that the Catholic Church isn't perfect like what we assumed it to be. The author is really brave on writing a story about some members of the religious community who vowed celibacy yet they had issues like this. Moreover, she even incorporate on how the Church sometimes even hide and protect them just because they don't want people to be aware of it. A big round of applause for the author on making a leap and writing something like this. ( )

Bitter and beautiful and deeply sad. Would be a great read along side of Naomi Alderman's Disobedience - another take on what happens when we follow what we think is God - or society's will. ( )

I just dipped into the first few chapters of this to see if it would be suitable for a book discussion. I believe the answer is yes -- lots of discussion fodder here, though some may be put off by the back-and-forth from 1940s to present-day -- the changes are less clearly defined than is sometimes the case, possibly leaving the reader confused as to which events take place in which century. Looks good, though -- it is now on my list of possble titles for next year's book club list.

Sister Bernard, a young nun in a French convent during WWII, falls for a German soldier who is billeted nearby. It is difficult to know if Sister Bernard is capable of rational thinking; however, in the hope of keeping the German soldier interested, she betrays not only her vows, but the secrets of the Resistance movement. This novel moves between her past memories and the present day reality of having to leave the convent when she is in her 90s. There is a poignancy to this novel when the reader is allowed to see the consequences of Sister Bernard's long-ago decisions and heartbreak. I found it thought provoking and an interesting view of convent life. ( )

In the beginning of this book, I was unconvinced by the young nun Sister Bernard's naivete and then as the story continued I wondered if she actually had Downs Syndrome, the narrator refers to her moon shaped face, very short stature and she was such a simple soul lacking in guile and being taken advantage of. It seemed feasible that a widowed father might place such a daughter in a convent during pre-second World War years.
Anyway, young Sister Bernard is lured into a relationship with a young German soldier not realising that he is using her to find out information about the villagers Resistance movement. Of course the consequences prove catastrophic. The tale then moves forward to modern day, where the once bustling convent is being closed and the three remaining nuns are being transferred to aged care homes. Sister Bernard, now in her nineties, is one of them. The changing timeline allows for the slow revelation of events both past and present and produces a few shocks and surprises.
It was an interesting look at a community that I have read little about, although all my education was at Catholic Schools and by nuns. Their obvious lack of worldliness and simple lifestyle and also the attitude of the slightly wider village community during a period of turmoil, is subtly portrayed.
It also has a commendation from Hilary Mantel on both front and back covers 'An intensely imagined novel about one of the defining questions of the century just past: where and how we chose to draw the line between innocence and guilt, ignorance and complicity'. ( )