And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life

by Jane Christmas Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley

Overview

Jane Christmas takes a decidedly unconventional journey to find out whether she is, as she puts it, "nun material". This is no carefree adventure. The call toward a religious vocation has beckoned Jane since she was a teenager, and now in her fifties she decides to explore it in earnest. Meanwhile, her long-term partner Colin, previously disinterested in marriage, springs a surprise marriage proposal on her unaware of what she is about to tell him. Jane, however, decides not to allow her monastic dreams to be interrupted. She sets off on an extraordinary and intense year-plus journey that takes her to four religious communities-one in Canada and three in the UK-and in the course of her immersion provides a seldom-seen glimpse inside modern cloistered life. The book lacks none of the bursts of candor or unrestrained humor that have made her books so popular and relatable (this one is sure to ruffle a few starched clerical collars), but And Then There Were Nuns comes with a darker side as the author comes to terms with a traumatic event from her past.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2014 - AudioFile

The title sets the tone for this amusing and enlightening journey of discovery and introspection. Narrator Elizabeth Wiley captures this approach with a delivery that moves smoothly between wry humor and serious musings. The author provides plenty of both as she explores a vocation she abandoned early in life but finds herself increasingly drawn to in middle age. The resulting chronicle of her sampling of Christian communities offers fascinating glimpses as she adjusts to convent life and uses the contemplative atmosphere to face a personal trauma. Wiley's conversational tone allows light moments to shine while providing gravity for darker memories. Her convincing British and Canadian accents add authenticity to this intriguing listening experience. M.O.B. 2016 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

01/06/2014
When her long-time beau finally proposed to Christmas, her desire to accept his marriage proposal was complicated by a competing desire—to explore a long-standing call to give her life to God through service as a nun. With clever wit and humor, as well as honest insight and candor, Christmas (Incontinent on the Continent) shares the details of her attempt to discern whether she has the dedication, discipline, perseverance, introspection, contemplative capability and spirit needed for a cloistered life. She seeks direction by registering as an aspirant in four different convents over a period of 18 months. Taking the plunge at an Anglican convent in Toronto, she then moves on to three Catholic communities in the U.K., including the exquisite 17th century Quarr Abbey monastery on the Isle of Wight. While participating in the nuns and monks' routines —celebrating "the offices," cooking and cleaning, spending hours in quiet contemplation, scripture reading, reflection and prayer—she struggles to stay focused, to maintain a contemplative state of mind, and to free herself from ever-intruding worldly thoughts and distractions. In the silence and simplicity of those hallowed halls, she challenges her self-perception, her personal issues and her demons well enough to see who she is and where she really belongs. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

"A thought provoking(and often amusing) journey ...This is the best kind of memoir, revealing,refreshing, and reflective enough to make readers turn many of the questions on themselves. A delightfultrip down the road less traveled." —BookList Starred Review

“A lovely, heartfelt tale. Get thee to a bookstore and buy it.”—AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

Praise for What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim:
"[Jane Christmas'] style is equal parts Nora Ephron and Bill Bryson" — Quill and Quire

NOVEMBER 2014 - AudioFile

The title sets the tone for this amusing and enlightening journey of discovery and introspection. Narrator Elizabeth Wiley captures this approach with a delivery that moves smoothly between wry humor and serious musings. The author provides plenty of both as she explores a vocation she abandoned early in life but finds herself increasingly drawn to in middle age. The resulting chronicle of her sampling of Christian communities offers fascinating glimpses as she adjusts to convent life and uses the contemplative atmosphere to face a personal trauma. Wiley's conversational tone allows light moments to shine while providing gravity for darker memories. Her convincing British and Canadian accents add authenticity to this intriguing listening experience. M.O.B. 2016 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169156423
Publisher:	Post Hypnotic Press
Publication date:	01/03/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos