Felice: A Novel

by Angela Davis-Gardner

In a remote convent school in Nova Scotia, an aging nun has a miraculous vision; a mute, injured man washes up on the nearby shore; and a group of girls is busily creating a reckless drama of excitements real and imagined. Here, amid the vows and rituals of Lent, a young girl named Felice has been sent after the death of her parents, poised somewhere between childhood, womanhood, and sainthood. A tragic death, a shocking revelation, and a baffling disappearance will set Felice on a staggering passage to self-discovery—armed with miracles that are uniquely her own.

337 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly acclaimed book, but I'm not sure why. Maybe is was my mood, but I had to keep putting this one down and then picking it back up to give it another try.

The setting is a remote Catholic convent school in Nova Scotia, very strict. A very young girl, Felice ends up at this boarding school after the death of her parents. The storyline revolves around her trying to fit in and achieve a state of grace, while hormones rage and her mind refuses to be quiet. The girls boarding at this convent school aspire to be like the nuns, and their lives revolve around prayer, repentance, and suppressing non-pious thoughts, which is a never-ending struggle.

I don't want to give too much away. There's a lot to wade through, and depending on your religious views, there are passages that might make you want to throw the book through the window of the nearest convent.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Felice is sent to a convent school, where her imagination and storytelling spark her indecision about whether to become a nun or a woman of the world. The novel's language is florid and stilted, and the girl is prone to wild fantasies about her sainthood, martyrdom, and fame as a concert pianist. The book does shed light on 1920s Nova Scotia, a time and place not too often portrayed in fiction.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another book I don't really remember. I only know I read it in 1986 because I mentioned it in my journal.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Just couldn’t get into it.

[Danielle Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Angela Davies Gardener's novel "Felice" , is the story of a young girl who lives and goes to school at a remote Nova Scotian convent. When she is about 13, she beings to have thoughts of becoming a nun. These desires are heighted when she is tasked with helping care for a mute invalid man, who shows up mysteriously at the convent one day. I very much enjoyed the troupe of Felice wanting to become a nun, however I do think that the story seemed to suffer from lack of research that felt unfinished to me. Davis- Gardner’s characters all had a role to play within the story. As a whole the plot was good enough to keep interested for the duration of the story. There where lots of loose ends that needed to be dealt with that made the story feel incomplete, such as the conformation of who impregnated the novice Evangeline.

The most intrigueing relationship in this story was that of Felice and Sister Agatha an aged nun who falls seriously ill, who is unfairly imprisoned. Through these two trails of Sister’s life she and Felice become close, and Felice seems to look up to Sister Agatha. I wonder if this friendship was an unmentioned reason why Felice wanted to be a nun.

The place that seemed to lack research, is when she talked about the miracles and visions within the plot. For instance, the supposed miracle of the mute man. seem to lack in possibility since we never find the source of his inability to walk. This plot point seemed to be unfinished, and ends up one of the loose ends of this story.

Overall, I thought this book had a good premise, however, I thought it lacked full ending. This is a coming of age story with a good amount of depth to its characters and subject matter.

[Paulette]

Too slow. About a young girl in a convent, placed there because of death of parents and then uncle who didn't want her. She's one messed up kid. Religion seems to be messed up. Seeing "signs" and attached to deranged num.

[LInda L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps I'm just unappreciative, but I found this book tiresome and boring. It is also unrealistic in the extreme. Strange little girl, strange friends, strange nuns -- no normal people in the entire book. Well, maybe the strange little girl's brother..................

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I wouldn't even call this a coming of age story. The girls make up stories and push the boundaries the nuns set for them, but they never seemed to progress. Loved the book's cover, though. But I never caught anything distinctly Nova Scotia in the setting.