Welcome to Litsy!

“The prioress remarked that it was not till christian times that simplicity became a virtue; the good characters of the Old Testament were ingenious as well as virtuous.”
Pg 115

A book about the day to day lives of medieval nuns living in a small convent in Oby,England opening with the arrival of the Black Plague.The prioress has much to consider as death surrounds them.Credentials aren‘t checked and thus the new priest is not actually a priest! I had trouble keeping track of the Dames who were either flying,hearing or seeing dead Saints, escaping, embroidering and even committing murder!
Well written,but tedious.#nunlit

‘There are so many stories of flying,‘ said Dame Beatrix,‘that no doubt some of them are true. But I think one would need to be extremely young or extremely saintly.‘ #nunlit

A bit behind, but persevering.

The Corner That Held Them is quite enjoyable, but it's hard to pin down exactly why that is. There's no plot, it's about a convent in the late Middle Ages (it ends in 1382,) there's no real protagonist, a lot of the people are awful . . . and yet, I enjoyed this book very much.

Warner's writing is wonderful, of course, but ⬇️

#nunlitquarterly

“… in proof of how women, despite all their weaknesses,perhaps,indeed,because of them,are best fitted to live under the Rule. The Rule is a kind of dance to them,he exclaimed,a lifelong dance. The Bell chimes, the music strikes up;and with the whole force of their sense of drama,their willfulness, their terrific vanity,they give themselves over to a formal pattern of obedience.” Prior Thomas to his secretary while riding through the forest. Rude!

Finally started #nunlitquarterly! It is moving slowly.

@Deblovestoread Oh, thank you! It‘s funny as this Jewish woman is fascinated with books about nuns and convents. 🤣 I so look forward to reading this. Thank you for thinking of me. 😘

The print and long paragraphs made it difficult for me to read this in anything but natural light, but slow and steady I finished. I realize my fiction is at great advantage given a protagonist and it took a while for me to connect with this parade of 14th century dames. But the writing is so good and somewhere along the way it all fell into a wonderful place and I rather enjoyed this parade of acerbic dames ↓. @jlhammar #nunlitquarterly

Considering there‘s not much plot to this book, you would think there wouldn‘t be a lot to keep your interest, but the opposite is true with this book. The characters are engaging and the writing is beautiful, so that I was never bored. I loved this book and will miss the nuns of Oby. You can‘t really tell in the top picture, but in keeping with the nun theme, that‘s a grotto dedicated to Mary at Spring Hill College. #NunLitQuarterly #audiowalk

And so we come to the end. Sharp, wry, insightful, mesmerizing, feminist—this is one brilliant book. Much like the ars nova style of music that so captivates our custos, voices come together in varying rhythms, swelling and fading, in consonance and in dissonance, to create the beautiful whole.

I‘m quite sad to leave Oby behind. It‘s been wonderful reading this alongside all you smart #NunLitQuarterly sisters. I‘m loving your posts and comments.

Thank you to @jlhammar & #nunlit for encouraging me to read this modern classic languishing on my TBR. It tells the story of Oby, a convent in the 13th and 14th century, through a few generations of its nuns and prioresses. This is a history told through the small details of lives and we switch from character to character building a sense of the community of nuns and the people that visit them. Just a delight for me as a history lover 😍

Dang, Dame Alice! I wasn‘t expecting that from a nun. 😳. I‘m 72% through, so I should finish relatively soon. If it were not for #NunLit, this book wouldn‘t have been on my radar. So lovely outside today. #audiowalk

“Greeting his dear sisters, Bishop Walter informed them that he had earnestly considered the plight of their house…full of pride, sloth, greed, falsehoods, worldliness, pet animals and private property. His grieving eyes had beheld spiced meats, soft cushions, perfumed and flowing mantles, better befitting harlots than the brides of Christ, whose joy it should be to feed on roots and wear narrow garments.”

#NunLitQuarterly

More #NunLit on my walk at Dauphin Island. It was such a gorgeous day that we had to get out. I‘d originally planned a lazy, read in bed, day. #audiowalk

Completely engrossing and compelling book, centered on a 14th century convent, the women who inhabit it, and the greater community (ecclesiastical and otherwise) that support it. With a meandering-to-nonexistent plot, shifting perspectives, and a large cast of characters who wander in and out of the story, on paper it probably shouldn't work at all, but in reality it's a complete triumph. Loved it and what a book to kick off #nunlitquarterly

Warner uses the setting of a medieval convent as a microcosm of society, turning an unflinching eye on human motivations and relations. She offers so many flashes of insight, often in dark comedic form. It makes for a surprisingly funny work.

“But then there are two truths, perhaps three truths, perhaps a dozen.” This line sums up how the characters connected to Oby live their lives, pursuing their own truths. Don‘t we all? #nunlitquarterly

A plotless narrative about a 14th-century convent in Norfolk that is a genuine masterpiece. There are no protagonists; we live with an assortment of characters over the years, through plagues, rivalries, & murder. I found almost every sentence a revelation of the author's incredible artistry. It's a social realist novel of a convent, where the enchantment of holy life is dissolved to reveal flawed people & their material concerns. #NunLitQuarterly

What to say about this novel? It‘s a dense and beautifully written story of a 14th-century fenland nunnery, with no niceties (or “grossities”) ignored. We follow numerous sisters (and several bishops) from the onset of the Black Death to the Peasants‘ Revolt. Nothing much happens but EVERYTHING happens. It‘s life and death in a nutshell and utterly absorbing. I loved it.

#NunLitQuarterly
@Lcsmcat

Now I can get started on my #NunLit reading. 😊

There‘s no real plot to this book — just incidents in the lives of the nuns — yet I‘m really loving it so far. The writing is excellent and the characters are great. Three day weekend. Yay! #audiowalk

Some azaleas are being fooled into blooming because it‘s relatively warm right now. I‘m really enjoying the humor in this book. It‘s not laugh-out-loud funny; it‘s more gentle. #NunLit #audiowalk

My favorite section so far! No spoilers. It involves one of the character‘s discovery of ars nova music, specifically Machaut‘s Kyrie. And the commentary is cutting! #nunlitquarterly

I have a soft spot for early music, medieval thru baroque eras. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OsWZfPCK6aY

“Dame Johanna was elected prioress with a majority of one vote.
Dame Cecily glanced from face to face…What had happened was one of those accidents that overtake the righteous in the midst of their prosperity. Feeling sure of Dame Matilda‘s election, grateful to be relieved of the old prioress…nun after nun yielded to the thought: Why not vote for that poor Dame Johanna? - one vote can‘t upset the result, and it would please the poor wretch.”

The characters are often comically awful to one another! 😅 (Henry is a custoses.)
#nunlitquarterly

Sylvia Townsend Warner was such a fascinating woman. Very ahead of her time. A music scholar and a writer like no other. I‘ve included a few links in the comments for those of you who may want to get to know STW a bit more.

#NunLitQuarterly

“It alarmed him to be feeling such loathing for such an insignificant person, to catch himself avoiding the sight of her, leaping aside from the thought that a hair in the soup might be one of hers, or sitting in his room like a prisoner because he fancied he could hear her breathing outside the door…when Dame Susanna had spoken of how devotedly Ursula had nursed him during his sickness, he had been compelled to lean from the window and vomit.”

"Since the pestilence it is impossible to find a spare priest at a reasonable price. People think of nothing but money." #EternalPlagueProblems from the Middle Ages to current times...

Only 2 chapters in but I'm loving the utter sumptuousness of the writing. And the humour! Every page a feast of delights. #nunlit #nunlitquarterly

“It travelled faster than a horse, it swooped like a falcon, and those whom it seized on were so suddenly corrupted that the victims, still alive and howling in anguish, stank like the dead…All across Europe it had come, and now it would traverse England, and nothing could stop it, wherever there were men living it would seek them out, and turn back, as a wolf does, to snap at the man it had passed by.”

Yikes! Loving her writing.
#NunLitQuarterly

The problem with adding new bookcases and rearranging your books is you find things you didn‘t know you had. Sometimes it is a nice surprise and sometimes it an oops!

The oops is the tagged book. I already had a copy but bought one last month for #NunLitQuarterly. If there is anyone in the US who would like my other copy please email me at kdgordon88 @ gmail.com. FCFS

@CrowCAH Found this copy of P & P. It‘s yours if you want it😊

If any of the ladies doing #nunlit are looking for some soothing music to listen to while reading, this is a lovely little piece written by a medieval nun! 🧘 🎶

Another poignant description of the individual in the collective. #nunlitquarterly

Smart and amusing description of any collective. #nunlitquarterly

Doing some browsing before starting our January #NunLitQuarterly selection. The English Heritage site has some great photos of abbey ruins and other bits of monastic history you all might enjoy. Link in comments below. I think this photo is from the Creake Abbey ruins in Norfolk.

January is always a busy month so I am getting an early start on the first installment of #nunlitquarterly.

My dear Perpetual Reading Sisters of Litsy, this isn‘t an easy read but it is full of dry wit & humor, which at first I didn‘t recognize! 😆

repost for @jlhammar:

#NunLitQuarterly 🔔 January 2023 reminder 🔔

Dear Perpetual Reading Sisters of Litsy,

The new year is almost upon us and with it our group read of The Corner That Held Them. Just read it sometime during the month of January, post your review &/or thoughts along the way and be sure to tag the group.

All are welcome to join us!

#NunLitQuarterly 🔔 January 2023 reminder 🔔

Dear Perpetual Reading Sisters of Litsy,

The new year is almost upon us and with it our group read of The Corner That Held Them. Just read it sometime during the month of January, post your review &/or thoughts along the way and be sure to tag the group.

All are welcome to join us!

Repost for @jlhammar

#NunLitQuarterly 2023
JAN The Corner That Held Them
APR The Land of Spices
JUL And Then There Were Nuns
OCT A Shameful Murder

Your #NunLit mission is simply to read the chosen book during the assigned month, post your review &/or thoughts along the way and tag others in the group. Thanks to all who voted. Look forward to reading these with you in the year ahead!

If you‘d like to join us, let me know. All are welcome!

#NunLitQuarterly 2023
JAN The Corner That Held Them
APR The Land of Spices
JUL And Then There Were Nuns
OCT A Shameful Murder

Your #NunLit mission is simply to read the chosen book during the assigned month, post your review &/or thoughts along the way and tag others in the group. Thanks to all who voted. Look forward to reading these with you in the year ahead!

If you‘d like to join us, let me know. All are welcome!

Okay my wonderful #NunLitQuarterly crew, The Corner That Held Them is officially our January 2023 (Quarter 1) selection! Read it sometime during the month, post your review &/or any thoughts along the way and tag your fellow #NunLit Sisters.

Stay tuned for Q2-Q4 (Apr, Jul, Oct) book voting next month. Want to give you plenty of time to plan and procure the picks.

If you‘d like to be added (or removed) at any time, let me know. All are welcome!

I‘m planning to tackle a few nunnish reads in the year ahead and I‘m hoping some of you may want to join me. #NunLitQuarterly—a low-key group read every few months. Just read the chosen book during the chosen month, post your thoughts/review and comment on others if so inclined.

Thought one of these pillars of #NunLit would make a good inaugural read. Interested? Which would you prefer? Should we start Dec or Jan?

All are welcome!

SEPTEMBER #bookspin #doublebookspin

Innnnnteresting! Two religion-themed books.

One is “funny, haunting strange” historical fiction about 14th century nuns. The other is “one of the finest historical novels by anyone anywhere “ about an idealistic Portuguese Jesuit priest. I recently watched the movie starring Andrew Garfield & Adam Driver.

“He was looking at the spire. As the web of low-lying cloud scurried under the wind it seemed to breathe like a living thing. Sometimes it inhaled the light of day, and then its pallor enriched to the colour of a primrose; a moment later it waned, and pulled the misty air over it like a veil; and whether it brightened or waned it seemed to be flying towards him against the scudding sky so that he felt that ⬇️

“Drawing his hand over his chops Sir Peter assumed an air of patience, and began to expound in easy language the doctrine of the sacraments, of the sacramental virtue which sets the priest apart from the ruck of the world. Pedantic fool! thought the prioress, saying courteously: ‘Of course Undoubtedly. How clearly you put it.‘

‘We shall miss your explanations,‘ added Dame Helen with sturdy malice.”

Mansplaining, 14th century style

Spent my long weekend reading in a hammock! How about you?

This novel set in the 1300s amid the plague years has particular resonance to our own corona-virus times. Warner is a delightful writer, full of insight & gorgeous phrasing. Don‘t be put off by the time period. Warner portrays the characters in the Oby Nunnery with all their flaws, humor, & vitality. There is no single protagonist, but it works. The personalities & intrigues of these women (and a few men) had me racing through the book.

Currently reading

The September NYRB Book Club has just arrived. Nuns, a Benedictine convent, the 14th century, and the Black Death. Just my cup of tea.

#SelfImprovementSept
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620
#SomethingNew

Eggplant Parmesan is great, it just takes so long and has so many steps. Finally. Food! #bookanddinner #nuns #vmc

Also worth mentioning that I have a thing for nuns. Classic films, literature. They fascinate me! Ever watched THE CHEESE NUN documentary? Amazing! Okay that is all.