As the Clock Struck Twenty

by S.M.C.

This vintage volume is a Cold War era novel of a Dominican friar who, after surviving a plane crash and being isolated for 25 years, returns to England to find that the world has been taken over by Communism. From the "English has been replaced as the spoken language, men and women have no surnames but are known by letter and number, land and industry are state-owned and administered by local soviets. Money is non-existant, people work as they are directed and in return, according to how much they work, are fed, housed and clothed."

209 pages

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Sister Mary Catherine, O.P. was born Kathleen Agnes Cicely Anderson on 21 January 1888 in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. Born to an Anglican clergyman, Kathleen converted with her family to the Catholic Church when still a little girl. She was educated by the Stone Dominican Sisters at their convent of St. Marychurch and entered the congregation on May 2nd, 1908 at St. Dominic’s Convent, Stone, receiving the religious name of Sister Mary Catherine. Sister made her profession on November 25th 1909 and afterwards trained as a primary school teacher at the Sacred Heart Training College in St. Charles’s Square, London. Her younger sister Lilian M. Anderson was a novelist since 1920.

By 1936, when Sister was assigned to St. Marychurch, she had begun to write—mainly historical novels of the revolts in Devon and Cornwall. It is during this time that Sister wrote her most popular book, Brother Petroc’s Return, which received great acclaim in both England and in America. Following this came many other titles including two biographies—Steward of Souls and A Treasure of Joy and Gladness—as well as lives of St. Margaret of Hungary and of St. Hyacinth. After her retirement she was appointed prioress to the community in Kelvedon, Essex and then assigned to the convent in Brewood where she continued to write. She died at Stone on April 14th, 1972 in the 85th year of her life and the 63rd year of religious profession.

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific story! I would entirely recommend reading it.