Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Angeline by Anna Quinn


Publication date: February 7, 2023
NetGalley
Blackstone Publishing
350 pages
Fiction, digital, audio, literature, spiritual, religious 
4/5 
6/26/23-6/28/23

In 2014, after a tragic accident which killed her family, 16 year-old Megan finds herself alone. Her parents, although working professionals, were alcoholics who died in the tragedy along with her sick brother. Not knowing where to go or how to deal with her guilt and grief, she joins a convent where she chooses the religious name Sister Angeline after a saint. 

Coincidently, the real Sister Angelina was orphaned at age 6 and raised by her grandparents who married her off at 15 years-old. When he died 2 years later she made the decision to dedicate her life to God. Her experiences might serve as a reference to that of Angeline in that she had lived in cloistered and un-cloistered communities with the  goal of serving the poor and sick in their society.

Sister Angeline lived with 20 other nuns in an oath of silence except for 1-hour a day of conversation. The convent fell under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Chicago who is unable to provide the financial support to maintain the convent. Sister Angeline is then uprooted from her structured, conventional schedule to live at the Light of the Sea in the Pacific Northwest. She has difficulty transitioning as this is a group of radical, unconventional nuns in this un-cloistered convent run by five feminist sisters. The culture shock is more than she was prepared and finds herself praying for strength among these women who have abandoned the traditional clothing of religious order. While there she learns more about herself and her mission to help people as well as discover her own powers of healing.

This is a poignant story of the resilience, courage and renewal of the human spirit. This book is more religious and spiritual in nature than I expected which was fine for me. It may not be a good read for people who have fixed religious beliefs or steer clear of spiritual, religious themed stories. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me access to read this digital book. My review is my honest and unbiased opinion. All comments are expressly my own. 

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1618610838

https://www.librarything.com/work/29389440/details/250912536&savedbook=1

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=9798200756636&g=4400

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5291906950

https://bookwormreviewblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/new-releases-in-february-2023.html


 

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