MARCH 2012 - AudioFile
A convent in southern France is closing its doors, and the last three elderly nuns must leave its cloistered safety. The story moves between the present day and the Occupation days of WWII as actions and judgments of the past continue to affect lives today. In particular, Sister Bernard must finally come to terms with her role in a messy chapter of the town’s history. Christine Williams narrates the story, moving smoothly between the past and present. Her slow-paced, compassionate delivery is a perfect match for this novel. She keeps the listener engaged as layers of secrecy and remorse are removed and Sister Bernard’s heart opens up to reconciliation and renewed faith. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Christine Williams . . . mov[es] smoothly between the past and present. Her . . . compassionate delivery is a perfect match for this novel.”
—AudioFile
“Is utterly compelling to the very end.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Williams matches the languid pace with a soft and precise reading infused with a delicate yet harrowing intensity. . . . A mesmerizing audio, a testament to the disturbing power of the story.”
—Booklist
Booklist
Is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of faith and its reconciliation with imperfect humanity. . . . So engrossing that readers will experience a range of emotions as the tragic circumstances shaping Bernard’s life are revealed.”
—Library Journal
Midwest Book Review
Yallop’s exploration of the space between innocence and guilt, of complicity and delusion has a lingering power.”
—Kirkus Reviews
New Zealand Herald
An intense and powerful story. . . . Wartime stories and nuns’ tales are common enough but Obedience manages to be something different. [It] is a tightly written study of betrayal, faith, loneliness and desire. The coolness and restraint of her prose seems ideally suited to the story’s setting and its themes.”
—New Zealand Herald
Diane Schoemperlen
"The deceptively quiet writing style of this compelling novel operates in perfect counterpoint to the intense drama of the story it reveals. A thoughtful and troubling look at the consequences of love, faith, blame, and betrayal, with the ferocious voice of God hovering above it all."
Catherine Gildiner
"The character of Sister Bernard is a Madame Bovary of the convent world. Her fantasy and insatiable need for love prove to be far greater than her ability to analyze character. While superficially simplistic, her relationship with God is complex and she is capable of battling God with the strength of Joan of Arc. These contradictions in her character are seamless and a complex and unforgettable character emerges."
Beverly Donofrio
"Obedience will give you no answers about good and evil, innocence, guilt, holiness, God, or obedience. What you will receive is a riveting story that haunts and provokes and subverts easily held assumptions, tosses them in the air and then makes you keep thinking long after you've read the last page."
Stewart O'Nan
"With delicacy and restraint, Jacqueline Yallop lets us get close to her characters yet never judges them—crucial, when dealing with the self- deluded and the self-righteous. Obedience is the best kind of Occupation romance: forbidden, tortured and indelible."
Hilary Mantel
"An intensely imagined novel about one of the defining questions of the century just past: where and how we choose to draw the line between innocence and guilt, ignorance and complicity. Obedience also asks us to consider what ghastly harm is committed in the name of love. It's rare to find a book that is seemingly so simple, but is really ambiguous and thought-provoking."
Library Journal
Part of a paperback series aimed at introducing American readers to new voices from around the world, this book takes place at a convent in southern France that must finally close its doors. Among the three gray-haired nuns still there is Sister Bernard, who reflects on a terrible act of betrayal she committed during World War II. Craving human love, she had an affair with a German soldier that has wider repercussions. Yallop is author of the McKitterick-shortlisted Kissing Alice; great for book clubs.
MARCH 2012 - AudioFile
A convent in southern France is closing its doors, and the last three elderly nuns must leave its cloistered safety. The story moves between the present day and the Occupation days of WWII as actions and judgments of the past continue to affect lives today. In particular, Sister Bernard must finally come to terms with her role in a messy chapter of the town’s history. Christine Williams narrates the story, moving smoothly between the past and present. Her slow-paced, compassionate delivery is a perfect match for this novel. She keeps the listener engaged as layers of secrecy and remorse are removed and Sister Bernard’s heart opens up to reconciliation and renewed faith. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
