Comments (13)

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Nov 03, 2023talltimt rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Is this a story of early 20th century nuns nursing and ministering to the poor, hungry, and wretched in a squalid, urban area of Brooklyn, displaying their “saintly” love and concern for others? [One even takes the name, Sister St.…
Oct 15, 2023hamelau rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely wonderful book. Great writing, Excellent story. Ignore any bad reviews.
Jul 27, 2022
Irish-American Brooklyn, nuns, murder mystery
Aug 26, 2019maipenrai rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I read some books because they are "brain candy" - pure entertainment. When I read a novel by a Pulitzer prize nominee, I expect better. This book is a mess. If I have to ask myself at the end of a book why it was written, there is a…
Feb 26, 2019mtdietz1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is a great read - not a pretty story, but full of the pathos of life. McDermott's a really great writer! Her development of character and her sympathetic feel for the ordinary person is remarkable. I just finished my fourth novel…
Nov 24, 2018
keep for author
Jun 01, 2018ontherideau rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
These nuns were feminists in their own way, seemingly subservient but accomplishing goals in their sisterhood. There are likely people alive today because of care given to a grandmother long ago by a nun- and at no cost to the health care…
May 31, 2018DBRL_ANNEG rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Quiet little novel that follows an Irish-American widow and her daughter and the nuns who helped them get by in the early years of 20th century Brooklyn. The story, heavily wrapped in the Catholicism of the time, reminded me some of the…
Mar 25, 2018posie12 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I found the book a compelling read. The work of the nursing nuns interesting, but their motivation and personalities are often not what you would expect.
Jan 31, 2018Margush rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Couldn't get past first 20 pages telling about the same event over and over again. Gloomy and depressing read.
Nov 20, 2017Nicr rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In the early twentieth century, a young man commits suicide, leaving his pregnant wife to support herself by laboring in the laundry of a convent. McDermott's novel vividly recounts the lives of Annie, her very interesting daughter Sally,…
Oct 12, 2017geordie18 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was totally immersed in this novel. It was a fascinating tale, in which nuns were presented as real people. The story of the young widow, Annie, and her daughter Sally was also very compelling. A quiet , contemplative novel, full of…
Oct 08, 2017laphampeak rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
When I finished this novel I felt a strong sense of satisfaction - not from a light and fun read but satisfaction in reading the author's strong sense of descriptions of place, events, and time. The part in the story that gives account of…