I'm going through the painful, yet interesting process of downsizing my book shelves. I have hundreds to go, stacked all over the house, cluttering the place to the point that it's cluttering my mind. Now, that I've discovered this site, I thought it would be a good place to keep my discarded babies, so I could just visit with them from time to time without having them underfoot. Now I come to this one, and I can't decide if it stays on the shelf or not. I've read it twice, the 2nd time being 13 years ago. What bothers me is that I obviously I liked it, because of the re-read, but for the life of me, I don't remember anything about it. I just read a couple of pages, and the writing does have a style I found appealing. Perhaps I was just very interested in the subject matter at the time. I know our tastes often change as we grow older. I've re-read books that I loved when I was much younger, only to find that my older self thinks, "Why in the world did you like that"?! I generally read reviews to decide if I want to read a book. Sometimes it works out good, but most times, it doesn't. It all comes down to where we are in our lives and our own peculiar tastes. Of course there are books that transcend, like [b:To Kill A Mocking Bird|29008550|To Kill A Mocking Bird|Harper Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582303449l/29008550._SX50_.jpg|3275794]. If you recommend such as that, you can be fairly certain that most people will thank you for it. But, for most books, I believe you just have give it a try if the writer or subject matter appeals to you. This book is no where near the quality of Mockingbird, but you might like it, or maybe not. ( )

This book was good for what it was (highly subtle), but it could have been better. 3 Ways it could have better:

1. It should have been more ambiguous. Was anyone in doubt that her miracles were real? Other than the doubt of the jealous nuns, what evidence showed any sign of her faking it?

2. It should have been more ambitious. There are so many directions you could go with religious experience, and he chose stigmata? C'mon. And the sexual connection with religious experience was downplayed. He could have gone in such interesting directions.

3. It should have been reorganized. We needed to see stronger opposition from the nuns, and not only in the last 25 pages of the novel. ( )

Oddly enough, this was mentioned by John Waters in one of his books in a list of Catholic-related books. It is strange and well-written as it tells teh story of a 17-year old girl joining a convent as a postulant who soon begins to show the signs of stigmata. The reactions range from those who think she is a fraud, to those who think she is a saint, to those who think she may be a saint but hate her for being singled out by Jesus rather than them. The day-to-day life of the convent, in all its repetitive masses for one martyr or another and the petty jealousies and tiny acts of rebellion by its inmates, are interesting. In the end, the book is about religious hysteria at all levels, and for the non-believers among us, yet more evidence of the of the bankruptcy of religion in all forms.

I listened to the audiobook, which has gaps between sections that are way too long.

Disturbing (it left me feeling a bit depressed - but I grew up Catholic, and what very young Catholic girl doesn't want at some point to become a nun, a "bride of Christ"? Thank the goddess, I'm way past that). Provocative, beautifully written. Looking forward to reading more of Ron Hansen's. ( )

Superb!! I want to read it again. ( )