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The Convent Maureen McCarthy Books

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The Convent Maureen McCarthy Books

Based on her mother's own history as ward of the state at the Abbotsford Convent in Victoria, the author tells the story of three generations of women whose lives have been affected in different ways by the convent's historical past. Ellen, who at age four became a ward of the state living at the convent, after her father had her mother declared an unfit parent; Cecilia, Ellen's only daughter, who at age nineteen took her vows and joined the secluded order as Sister Anunciata; and 19-year-old Peach (or Perpetua), Cecilia's daughter adopted out at birth and as yet unaware of her heritage.

With insight and sensitivity the author tackles the subjects of motherhood, religion and the changing role of women in our society, as well as the search for our origins and the legacies of past generations which shape our lives though we might not be aware of them. I really enjoyed reading this book, and the characters came alive for me. McCarthy is one of the few authors who manages to pull off switching characters and times between individual chapters, without distracting from the main storyline or confusing the reader. Whilst we hear from Peach in the first person, her mother's and grandmother's stories are narrated in the third person, and skip back and forth between 1916 and the present time - which slowly unveils their personal histories and fleshes out their characters as the reader learns more about them.

Having visited several convents on our travels around Australia, I could picture the austere room Cecilia would have inhabited at the convent, as well as the isolation, the heat and a life totally removed from anything she would have known previously. Not a stranger to the Catholic religion (after spending my childhood in Europe), I was still somewhat shocked by the harsh boundaries imposed on the convent's young recruits and charges - as well as learning that a man had the power to have a child taken away from her mother without a proper trial and prove of neglect. Despite the messages contained in the story and its sometimes controversial themes, the author tells the story without judgment or righteousness, but creates an interesting contrast between the different life stories which stimulates the readers to make up his/her own mind. Though some of the later elements of the story where predictable, I savoured every opportunity to learn more about its protagonists, hoping for all the threads to come together in the end.

Tackling issues affecting every woman at some stage of her life, this book will appeal to women of all ages - even if only to muse how conditions have changed for our gender in the last century. The Convent also provides a fascinating insight into a chapter of Australian history not often addressed in fiction - of convent life in rural Australia. An insightful, thought provoking and enjoyable read - highly recommended.


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The Convent Maureen McCarthy Books Reviews

Maureen McCarthy is one of the few authors whose protagonists are generally aged in their late teens or early twenties, embarking on university or finding their way in the first years after leaving school. I started university about the time Queen Kat, Carmel & St. Jude Get A Life was published (it has been republished this year by Allen & Unwin) and loved the book, quickly devouring the rest of her backlist soon after. It has been a while now since I have read anything by the author but I was thrilled to receive The Convent for review. Though The Convent is labeled as young adult fiction, I feel the novel will appeal to a much broader age range of women. A thoughtful, intriguing and heartfelt story, it explores the experiences of four generations of women whose fates are linked to the Abbotsford Convent.

Nineteen year old Peach (Perpetua) has always admired the Abbotsford Convent's grandeur, now home to artists studio space, boutique stores and the cafe at which Peach works, but she was unaware of it's personal significance. Adopted at birth, it isn't until Peach receives a letter from her biological grandmother, Ellen, that she learns her grandmother was raised there and her birth mother, Cecilia, once served as a nun within the Enclosed order. While Peach struggles to come to terms with the unexpected information about her past, it is her present that she is most concerned with. Her sister is depressed, her best friend is pregnant and she is still reeling after a messy break up.

As Peach navigates her way through her changing world, McCarthy traces Peach's lineage and their connection to the convent. Sadie was declared an unfit mother in 1915 after her husband abandoned her and her daughter Ellen taken from her to be raised in Abbotsford. Ellen spent her entire childhood as a ward of the nuns before marrying and her daughter, Cecilia pledged her life to God's service as a young woman. The author shares snippets of these women's lives and their hopes, dreams and regrets with alternating chapters.

Through the the women's stories, McCarthy also traces the changing social and moral landscape for women over the century. Attitudes to women's rights, motherhood, marriage and sexuality have shifted seismically in the last one hundred years and the author acknowledges the evolution without any feminist rant.

McCarthy admits that she has a very personal connection to this story. Most significantly McCarthy's own mother was raised in the Abbotsford Convent after being made a ward of the state at age 3 and while she rarely spoke about her time there, McCarthy was always fascinated by her mother's early life. McCarthy's interest in her characters and their experiences is evident in the care in which she has constructed the story.

The Convent is a wonderful story, an easy read but with surprising depth for the thoughtful reader to ruminate on. This is a great choice for any Australian Women Writer Challenge participants given the relevance of its themes.
I enjoyed the book from the fist few pages. I didn't want it to end. Jumped from on charater to another, however once you get to know each one you will be hooked.
Fascinating story.well researched and a gripping tale. This is Mc Carthy's best novel. Helps if you are from Melbourne but the concepts are universal/
I think you need to get stuck into the beginning of this book in one session. I am a before bed reader and didn't read enough in one go to sort out who was who and where they were in the time line.
But when you do work it all out it is a great story. I love Maureen McCarthy's stories, and once started I couldn't put it down
This is the best book I have read all year. I simply could not put it down. I live close to the Convent and have been in the gardens a few times, but now I really want to do a tour of it all.
I found it very sad to think this happened in my life time. Thank goodness they don't take inpressionable young ladies in to the cloisters any more. I have recommended this engaging book to several of my friends.
I would recommend this book to a wide range of age-groups - older and younger females in particular. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and I related to the area and the convent in which it is set as I have visited there often. It was an interesting social commentary on religeous life pre Vatican II, as well as an accurate depiction of a teenager's life in this era. I also liked Maureen McCarthy's sensitive insight to the emotional issues in this story. All in all, very enjoyable and highly recommended.
Based on her mother's own history as ward of the state at the Abbotsford Convent in Victoria, the author tells the story of three generations of women whose lives have been affected in different ways by the convent's historical past. Ellen, who at age four became a ward of the state living at the convent, after her father had her mother declared an unfit parent; Cecilia, Ellen's only daughter, who at age nineteen took her vows and joined the secluded order as Sister Anunciata; and 19-year-old Peach (or Perpetua), Cecilia's daughter adopted out at birth and as yet unaware of her heritage.

With insight and sensitivity the author tackles the subjects of motherhood, religion and the changing role of women in our society, as well as the search for our origins and the legacies of past generations which shape our lives though we might not be aware of them. I really enjoyed reading this book, and the characters came alive for me. McCarthy is one of the few authors who manages to pull off switching characters and times between individual chapters, without distracting from the main storyline or confusing the reader. Whilst we hear from Peach in the first person, her mother's and grandmother's stories are narrated in the third person, and skip back and forth between 1916 and the present time - which slowly unveils their personal histories and fleshes out their characters as the reader learns more about them.

Having visited several convents on our travels around Australia, I could picture the austere room Cecilia would have inhabited at the convent, as well as the isolation, the heat and a life totally removed from anything she would have known previously. Not a stranger to the Catholic religion (after spending my childhood in Europe), I was still somewhat shocked by the harsh boundaries imposed on the convent's young recruits and charges - as well as learning that a man had the power to have a child taken away from her mother without a proper trial and prove of neglect. Despite the messages contained in the story and its sometimes controversial themes, the author tells the story without judgment or righteousness, but creates an interesting contrast between the different life stories which stimulates the readers to make up his/her own mind. Though some of the later elements of the story where predictable, I savoured every opportunity to learn more about its protagonists, hoping for all the threads to come together in the end.

Tackling issues affecting every woman at some stage of her life, this book will appeal to women of all ages - even if only to muse how conditions have changed for our gender in the last century. The Convent also provides a fascinating insight into a chapter of Australian history not often addressed in fiction - of convent life in rural Australia. An insightful, thought provoking and enjoyable read - highly recommended.