A successful civil servant leaves her life behind to become a Benedictine nun. Philippa Talbot leaves behind a lover and a successful career in the civil service to pursue life in a Benedictine Abbey. Forty-two years old when she enters religious life--quite a bit older than the other postulants and novices--Philippa uses her life experience to help ease the younger sisters' burdens. She also carries with her into the convent the loss of her beloved son, Keith.
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While there are several overarching story lines, the book largely defies conventional storytelling, and several nuns' stories are threaded throughout the book. Long descriptive passages describe the life of the Benedictines of Brede, from their founding in France to the present day; centuries old ceremonies are described and customs are explored. One storyline concerns the death of the former abbess, Hester Cunningham, who made a series of imprudent financial decisions. When Abbess Hester dies, the new abbess, Catherine Ismay, must deal with the fallout. One of the abbey "treasures" passed down from generation to generation is a handmade cross, given to the founding abbess of Brede by a French princess who said, "I give you the most precious thing I possess." Worn by the abbesses of Brede, the cross mysteriously falls from Abbess Catherine's neck at the height of the financial crisis, breaking apart and revealing a large red ruby. The ruby is worth the entire sum owed by the abbey.
Philippa's internal struggle concerns her inability to completely process her son's death. While she makes emotional and spiritual strides forward, she is caught off guard when Kate Farren, the daughter of Keith's former nanny, enters the monastery. Unable to be alone with the young woman, Philippa is put forward by the abbess for the position of zelatrix, responsible for teaching new sisters the rules and customs of the monastery. A group of Japanese women wish to enter Brede, hoping to take vows and start a Benedictine monastery in Japan. The Japanese will need a zelatrix to guide them...but the zelatrix will also have to guide Kate Farren. Philippa resists until she and Kate are quarantined together during a bout of chicken pox. Philippa comes to terms with the young woman's presence, and is thereby able to accept the position of zelatrix. Her decision allows the Japanese postulants to come to Brede.
The founding of the Japanese monastery is an exciting endeavor for the nuns, and the decision is made that "one of their own" will go to Japan with the postulants to act as their head and continue guiding them in the monastic life. But when Dame Collette, the chosen prioress, dies unexpectedly, it falls to Philippa to go her in her stead. Philippa resists; her life is at Brede. But a chance encounter with one of Philippa's least favorite nuns, Dame Agnes, convinces her that she must give her all to God, which includes going where she would rather not. Her life is to do God's will.
In the final scene, Philippa boards the plane bound for Japan with her new Japanese sisters and waves goodbye to the life she knew, while looking forward to the life to come.
Best part of story, including ending:
The most interesting aspect of the story is the way it's told: the narrator weaves in and out of the past and the present, as well as the minds of several of the nuns. By the end of the book, one feels one knows the setting and the characters thoroughly.
Best scene in story:
Brede Abbey is facing bankruptcy because of the imprudent financial decisions made by a former abbess. The current abbess, Catherine Ismay, wears a primitive handmade cross given by a long ago princess to the founding abbess of Brede. When things are most dire and Abbess Catherine is unable to resolve the crisis, the cross mysteriously falls from around her neck and smashes on the ground, revealing a precious ruby. The ruby, when sold, brings in the exact amount of money needed to save the abbey.
Opinion about the main character:
Philippa Talbot is a smart, no-nonsense woman, but she enters the abbey late in life. Her genuine desire to become a nun clashes with her need to be in charge of her own life.
