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Act of Contrition
Act of Contrition focuses on the intimate relationship between Regina, a widow, and Michael, a young doctor whose wife left him for another man. Having found happiness in one another, they desire nothing more than to be together. Yet in the eyes of the Catholic Church, Michael is not free to divorce his wife and marry Regina. In an emotional climax Regina must decide if she loves Michael enough to give him up or if she'll force him to choose between her and God.
By modern standards, Giles's love scenes are tasteful, and the general atmosphere of ecumenism within today's Catholic Church renders moot many of the tensions in the novel. Yet in 1957 Giles's agent and publisher feared the work would cause "irreparable harm" to her reputation. As late as 1972 Giles was revising in the hopes of seeing the novel published. Finally her wish is fulfilled.
Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is Janice Holt A Writer's Life .
By modern standards, Giles's love scenes are tasteful, and the general atmosphere of ecumenism within today's Catholic Church renders moot many of the tensions in the novel. Yet in 1957 Giles's agent and publisher feared the work would cause "irreparable harm" to her reputation. As late as 1972 Giles was revising in the hopes of seeing the novel published. Finally her wish is fulfilled.
Janice Holt Giles (1905-1979), author of nineteen books, lived and wrote near Knifley, Kentucky, for thirty-four years. Her biography is Janice Holt A Writer's Life .
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
27 people want to read
About the author
Janice Holt Giles
39 books47 followersJanice Holt Giles was an American writer best known for her series of pseudo historical novels focusing on life on the American frontier, particularly within Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 25, 2019
This is like a cheap dime store romance novel from the 40s or 50s, but you want your dime back. No wonder I don't read romance. There's no substance to this book besides all the obvious hate the author had for various groups. This was an immature, prejudiced piece of tripe that I wish I had never touched. The anti-Catholic bias is hateful. The publishers were right not to publish it during Giles' lifetime, and it shouldn't have been printed during anybody else's lifetime either.
The main character is a self-absorbed childish librarian obsessed with a man she sees once fishing while she's out painting. The librarian pines, moans, and groans over the man not seeing her, calling her, or putting her on a pedestal immediately (although he does eventually) even though they just met, and, oh, yeah, he's married. Stalker much?
This is literally a piece of trash. The writing is cliche and boring like some kind of teen soap opera from the 1950s. The pages and pages of "oh, will he call me" and swooning made me want to throw up. It is also unclear to me how a librarian has paid help. The poor thing couldn't make her own dinner or clean her own home even though she lived alone. None of it makes any sense, and Giles' true colors come out in her racism, classism, and religious discrimination, not to mention any lack of morals in the protagonist. There is literally nothing redeeming about the librarian. It's disgusting how she pushes this man who is trying to do the right thing to choose her over his family, his own morals, and God. I guess it gave Giles a cheap thrill to write this garbage.
I'll never read another one of her books. I don't believe in burning books, but this one deserves it.
The main character is a self-absorbed childish librarian obsessed with a man she sees once fishing while she's out painting. The librarian pines, moans, and groans over the man not seeing her, calling her, or putting her on a pedestal immediately (although he does eventually) even though they just met, and, oh, yeah, he's married. Stalker much?
This is literally a piece of trash. The writing is cliche and boring like some kind of teen soap opera from the 1950s. The pages and pages of "oh, will he call me" and swooning made me want to throw up. It is also unclear to me how a librarian has paid help. The poor thing couldn't make her own dinner or clean her own home even though she lived alone. None of it makes any sense, and Giles' true colors come out in her racism, classism, and religious discrimination, not to mention any lack of morals in the protagonist. There is literally nothing redeeming about the librarian. It's disgusting how she pushes this man who is trying to do the right thing to choose her over his family, his own morals, and God. I guess it gave Giles a cheap thrill to write this garbage.
I'll never read another one of her books. I don't believe in burning books, but this one deserves it.
June 6, 2014
Before you read this book, keep in mind that this is a period piece. Written in the 1950s as it was, the idea of a Catholic being forever married to his/her first spouse, despite marital infidelity, is the driving force of the novel.
When she wrote the book, Janice Holt Giles felt it was one of the best books she'd written. I won't disagree with her. She submitted the book to her publisher twice, and was twice told that the world wasn't ready for it. She does spend a lot of the book arguing with the Catholic church. She withdrew the book, and thankfully, the manuscript when to her daughter, Libby, and was finally published by the University of Kentucky in 2001.
It really is a period piece, written when the idea of a married woman having a full-time job was just unheard. There was a shift in the main character, Regina, from confident, in charge, independent woman, to something like a typical 1950s housewife from the moment Regina and Mike really begin their relationship. I didn't like that. It felt like the author undermined everything in Regina she'd created. But those were the times in which she lived.
Still, it's a good book, full of lyrical descriptions and a love of good books and music. Regina is a librarian and pianist and painter, an intelligent woman, fully capable of taking care of herself. Throughout the book, she's quite independent. . . until she meets Mike, the Catholic doctor, and sort of submerges herself in him, in both good and bad ways.
I inhaled the book in an afternoon, so it's one that the reader doesn't get bored with, and one that keeps the reader guessing about the outcome until the very end.
When she wrote the book, Janice Holt Giles felt it was one of the best books she'd written. I won't disagree with her. She submitted the book to her publisher twice, and was twice told that the world wasn't ready for it. She does spend a lot of the book arguing with the Catholic church. She withdrew the book, and thankfully, the manuscript when to her daughter, Libby, and was finally published by the University of Kentucky in 2001.
It really is a period piece, written when the idea of a married woman having a full-time job was just unheard. There was a shift in the main character, Regina, from confident, in charge, independent woman, to something like a typical 1950s housewife from the moment Regina and Mike really begin their relationship. I didn't like that. It felt like the author undermined everything in Regina she'd created. But those were the times in which she lived.
Still, it's a good book, full of lyrical descriptions and a love of good books and music. Regina is a librarian and pianist and painter, an intelligent woman, fully capable of taking care of herself. Throughout the book, she's quite independent. . . until she meets Mike, the Catholic doctor, and sort of submerges herself in him, in both good and bad ways.
I inhaled the book in an afternoon, so it's one that the reader doesn't get bored with, and one that keeps the reader guessing about the outcome until the very end.
July 29, 2012
I really like Janice Holt Giles and picked up this at the library. It is set in a small college town in the 50's (?) or 60's. I read several chapters and nearly fell asleep. Didn't finish.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews