Ambrose tries to jump on a current Catholic Bandwagon
I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, the new reprinting of In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. Loyola Classics, edited by Amy Welborn, is bringing back into print the Greatest Hits of "Catholic Literature," except of course those by Graham Greene, which never go out of style. Puritas Corbin gave this enthusiastic thumbs up, so I trusted her and took the plunge. I started to have second thoughts when I heard Amy Welborn on some sort of Catholic radio program online where the wife hostess described Brede and some of the other Loyola Classics as being "uplifting, turning your mind toward heaven, not at all depressing, and uck." This kind of endorsement to me can be a real turn-off. For those of you who have known me for years that will come as no surprise. But I read it anyway. Corbin wouldn't like something just because it had a happy ending.
General overview: Philippa Talbot, career woman of the 40s and 50s makes a radical change to her life when it appears to the world that she abruptly abandons her great life to pursue a vocation at a Benedictine abbey. Story follows her from her entry to a logical point (don't want to reveal the ending because someone might find it surprising though I found it predictable--duh, of curse, Philippa is going to come to understand what obedience and Benedictine submission is), with adequate flashbacks and revelation to see a great deal of Philippa's life (at one point I did cry actually) that led up to her decision. There are also dozens of other nuns whose stories are also followed.
It is not a perfect book. As I said in a combox on Corbin's blog, it does improve with continued reading. The two worst things I can say about a book are "Largely Unreadable" and (also with films) "I cease to care about these characters." High praise from me is "Well, it doesn't suck." Brede is not unreadable; there was no point in reading this book that I was apathetic towards any of the characters. And it doesn't suck. The beginning drags and has some ineffective dialogue tricks that feels as though it should feel cinematic and instead it just comes out jumbled. The pace, oddly, picks up when the activity is at a minimum. There are even parts of the book that are pretty compelling, requiring reading on my part into the wee hours. On the whole Godden's writing is not remarkable prose (that is not meant to sound bad), so it does not distract from the story. I have read a lot of books, like those by Henry Miller or even Milan Kundera at times, where the language and expression of ideas in specific metaphorical codes supersedes whatever story needs to be told. For me these types of books are the real page-turners because I can get intoxicated on the poetry. I really don't care if the story takes me places or has unexpected turns--blah blah blah. I just like the way the story is told, revealed if you will and whether the characters matter. I can hate every last one of them, but I just have to feel them. The monastery characters are very interesting and consistent. I can't go so far as to say finely drawn as Godden as the author has her hands full with creating a convincing monastery replete with the extra-ordinary cast of characters you encounter in monastic life. The monastery and the politics and interactions of such a setting are well captured.
Even though I wasn't overwhelmed by Godden's writing, there are a few memorable gems in the book.
Here's the upshot--not a waste of time, a potentially enjoyable read. It is no Ya-Ya Sisterhood crap. In fact, it is a good alternative to the Ya-Ya or other Pop Chick-Fiction that is soooooo saccharine. Definitely better than those Ya-Yas. Also, it is a good book to read at your in-laws, which you don't have to explain or apologise for, which is often my situation. Better than some Anne Tyler, not as good as really good Annie Proulx. Better than Anita Brookner and Penelope Fitzgerald (as close to Godden's English lady-writer contemporaries I have read), both of whom for reasons beyond my comprehension have received Bookers.
All this, of course, IMHO.
General overview: Philippa Talbot, career woman of the 40s and 50s makes a radical change to her life when it appears to the world that she abruptly abandons her great life to pursue a vocation at a Benedictine abbey. Story follows her from her entry to a logical point (don't want to reveal the ending because someone might find it surprising though I found it predictable--duh, of curse, Philippa is going to come to understand what obedience and Benedictine submission is), with adequate flashbacks and revelation to see a great deal of Philippa's life (at one point I did cry actually) that led up to her decision. There are also dozens of other nuns whose stories are also followed.
It is not a perfect book. As I said in a combox on Corbin's blog, it does improve with continued reading. The two worst things I can say about a book are "Largely Unreadable" and (also with films) "I cease to care about these characters." High praise from me is "Well, it doesn't suck." Brede is not unreadable; there was no point in reading this book that I was apathetic towards any of the characters. And it doesn't suck. The beginning drags and has some ineffective dialogue tricks that feels as though it should feel cinematic and instead it just comes out jumbled. The pace, oddly, picks up when the activity is at a minimum. There are even parts of the book that are pretty compelling, requiring reading on my part into the wee hours. On the whole Godden's writing is not remarkable prose (that is not meant to sound bad), so it does not distract from the story. I have read a lot of books, like those by Henry Miller or even Milan Kundera at times, where the language and expression of ideas in specific metaphorical codes supersedes whatever story needs to be told. For me these types of books are the real page-turners because I can get intoxicated on the poetry. I really don't care if the story takes me places or has unexpected turns--blah blah blah. I just like the way the story is told, revealed if you will and whether the characters matter. I can hate every last one of them, but I just have to feel them. The monastery characters are very interesting and consistent. I can't go so far as to say finely drawn as Godden as the author has her hands full with creating a convincing monastery replete with the extra-ordinary cast of characters you encounter in monastic life. The monastery and the politics and interactions of such a setting are well captured.
Even though I wasn't overwhelmed by Godden's writing, there are a few memorable gems in the book.
"One of the good things about a Catholic Church is that it isn't respectable."
No true nun is afraid of death. "I wish I knew when I was going to die," ninety-six-year-old Dame Frances Anne often said, "I wish I knew."
"Why, Dame?"
"Then I should know what to read next."
In the chapter house the novice mistress took charge of the postulant, presenting her to the nuns in turn, to be given the Pax, the Kiss of Peace. "Kiss the community!" Philippa had shrunk in dismay when Dame Ursula told her about the Pax. "Kiss the all! But Mother, I smell of whiskey."
"Postulants smell of all kinds of things," said Dame Ursula placidly.
"They are dear, good girls, " Dame Ursula often said of the novitiate--it did not matter which novitiate--"If only they wouldn't be so ardent. They want to sleep on planks, go barefoot, which isn't necessary, but the won't use up a reel of thread, or make a pencil last, or darn a patch which is necessary," and, "What is the use," she said to Philippa, "of taking a vow of poverty if you look to the house to provide you lavishly with everything you need?"
The younger nuns hoped for a progressive pope, the older ones were silent, remembering Pope Pius. "We shan't see his like again," said Dame Perpetua. Then the excited voice proclaimed the eleventh smoke, a spiral of white, strawless, and the heard the cry [on the radio] that went up from the crowd, thousands strong, in St. Peter's square: "We have a pope! We have a pope!" The voices were of acclamation, but in Brede's parlor depression filled the room. "Cardinal Roncalli?" asked the nuns disbelievingly. "Roncalli?"
"But who is he?" That was the question asked by many. "They have chosen an old man," said Dame Anselma in disgust. "An interim pope," and "He won't rock the boat," said Dame Paula, who was emerging as the abbey's progressive nun....
Then, "John," said the abbess. "A curious name to choose."
"Yes, he has broken precedent," said Dame Agnes. "There hasn't been a John for five hundred years."
"He has broken precedent!" Young Dame Paula approved of broken precedents.
"The church has got blood poisoning," said Dame Perpetua, "and I think it is because it has lost the disinfectant of the Creed." The Creed, touchstone and measure of the faith, was only said now at Mass on Sundays and on important feast days. "We used to say it every day--and we need it. If we had it, had to keep it, there couldn't be all the defections, and the small things wouldn't matter."
Here's the upshot--not a waste of time, a potentially enjoyable read. It is no Ya-Ya Sisterhood crap. In fact, it is a good alternative to the Ya-Ya or other Pop Chick-Fiction that is soooooo saccharine. Definitely better than those Ya-Yas. Also, it is a good book to read at your in-laws, which you don't have to explain or apologise for, which is often my situation. Better than some Anne Tyler, not as good as really good Annie Proulx. Better than Anita Brookner and Penelope Fitzgerald (as close to Godden's English lady-writer contemporaries I have read), both of whom for reasons beyond my comprehension have received Bookers.
All this, of course, IMHO.
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