Easily my favourite read of 2024, this book is, at times, soul-achingly beautiful with characters that felt so real and I cared for deeply. Reading thEasily my favourite read of 2024, this book is, at times, soul-achingly beautiful with characters that felt so real and I cared for deeply. Reading this book felt as if Elizabeth von Arnim or Elizabeth Gaskell had written Brideshead Revisited.
Madge, a young widow, is the central character as well as her husband's sister Mary, their paternal cousin Hilda and maternal cousin Marmaduke. (I had to draft a bit of a family tree when I started reading because at first it was hard to parse out the relationships between all the different key players!) The novel opens with Madge deciding to make a visit to her in-laws estate at Skipton-le-grange to try to repair a relationship that has been tense since her marriage and non-existent since the death of her husband and infant daughter.
At the heart of this story is a group of young adults coming of age and grappling with the desires of the human will versus the divine will. The characters' faith, or lack there of, becomes central to the choices they make, in a way that felt very unique among other classics that I have read. As Catholics, living in a majority Anglican society, their beliefs are often misunderstood or looked down upon by other characters. As a result the impact and influences of friendships, both good and bad, becomes another key element to the plot.
I have a hard time putting into words just how much I enjoyed this book, and I feel like I will need a reread sooner rather than later to be able to fully appreciate it.
I think this book suffered for being read at the same time as The Woman in White... it is hard to hold a candle to the classics! I found it frustratinI think this book suffered for being read at the same time as The Woman in White... it is hard to hold a candle to the classics! I found it frustrating that the main crux of this story wasn't revealed until the 75% mark... because this was a first person narrative this meant that the reader was also in the dark for most of the book which made it feel more drawn out and repetitive than if we had been let into some of the secrets of the other characters earlier on and could actually try to put the clues together....more
A lovely collection of scripture passages, poetry, hymns, and reflections from Saints, Popes, and great theologians of past and present to read througA lovely collection of scripture passages, poetry, hymns, and reflections from Saints, Popes, and great theologians of past and present to read throughout Advent and Christmas....more
The devotion to the Holy Face is beautiful, unfortunately this book veered too much into conspiracy theories and rad-trad-ism for me to be able to recThe devotion to the Holy Face is beautiful, unfortunately this book veered too much into conspiracy theories and rad-trad-ism for me to be able to recommend it....more
My big, year-long, Catholic reading project for 2024... insightful, inspirational, informative. Read alongside the audiobook/podcast "Saint Faustina'sMy big, year-long, Catholic reading project for 2024... insightful, inspirational, informative. Read alongside the audiobook/podcast "Saint Faustina's Diary in a Year" by Fr Joe Roesch of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception who provided some commentary on each day's portion of text....more
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