Altar Music

by Christin Lore Weber

Enter a Mysterious, Cloistered World Full of Passion and Regret, Where the Lines Between the Sexual, Artistic, and Religious Become Blurred.
This achingly beautiful and revelatory first novel is the story of three generations of strong-willed women and their battles to balance personal longings with the disciplines of their Meghan, who dismisses the priest's injunctions about sex until tragedy befalls her family; Kate, who so fears God's power to destroy that she shuts herself off from emotion completely; and, finally, Elise, whose connection to unknowable forces drives her into the most exhilarating, disillusioning, and haunting experience of her life.
Written with lyricism and emotional authenticity, Altar Music is a portrait of a nun as a young girl, an epic tale of a family both defined and divided by its religious beliefs, and a powerful story about mothers and daughters.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was left on the plane so i snatched it up. its not something i would normally read, but im glad i did. this is about three generations of women and their experiences with catholocism, God, and nuns. it was extremely real (written by a former nun) and great to see how things in life affect how we feel about God and religion and how small and large things change our ways of thinking. it also shows how we change in our beliefs as we grow. there's a lot of sexuality in the book (as within the catholic religion as of lately- and not so lately.) it only took me a day to read, and im definitely glad i did.

[Emily Allene · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book came so close to being one that I refused to finish. Trigger warnings are necessary for many forms of sexual assault.
The book grapples with Catholic guilt as it pertains to sex. "How can love be a sin?" is the moral the book attempts to explore, but over and over again the book just includes horrible scenes involving assault.
I didn't like the story, the book is written from the perspective of just about every character in the book, it jumps around in time and was confusing to keep up with. I would not recommend this book.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was absolutely not what i was expecting. This is beautifully written but slightly disjointed at times and definitely takes some suspension of disbelief because the characters do such crazy things, but it does make sense given the amount of religious fervor, familial and non-familial abuse, and general zealotry of all types that seems to infect the people of this area. Overall I liked it, but it is not what I expected to read.

[Sharon Hardin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Close to 4 stars, but just short, primarily because it became too mystical and meandering toward the end. The book takes three passions of 3 women -- music, religion, and sex -- and demonstrates that they all three can be devastating or miraculous. I was not familiar with this author at all -- this was literally a "found" book, but it was well written and I'm interested in reading more of her fiction and nonfiction.

[Bev Emerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. It was well written, but I didn't care for the story.

[Ojas. P Suresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever been so much disturbed in a book. Loved the way she had brought it up. And opening up a different way of thinking towards the characters in general.

[WisMx1821 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book out of the my library's bargain corner. I didn't know what it was about when I started it, but I was immediately drawn by the lyrical prose.

It is in a lot of ways a very difficult book to read because of how graphic portions it are; I can hard stand to read such specific details of abuse.

However, I thought that this book is a realistic portrayal of how messed up religion can be. I understand the very strict and conservatively religious mindset and this book could almost be a cautionary tale of how it can go all so very wrong.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

First novel and a wonderful result! The author was herself a nun for 14 years before she returned to the world and got married. She successfully navigates the fragile boundary between religion, sexuality and family dynamics. I found the book graphic at parts but that may be my own issues clouding my judgement but overall it was a fascinating story.

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about a young pianist who gives up a potential musical career to become a nun. It's a dark story that denies that God or people who try to represent God can "fix" all the many things that will inevitably go wrong in people's lives--denies the possibility of redemption, in other words.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Three generations of women and their relationship with the Catholic church. A depraved book that delved into every sick sexual abuse and relationship possible that I could not finish it.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I started to read and then put down for a very long time. I was glad I finished it. It was worth it. Strong women and music is woven into the fabric of the story.

[Drew]

Altar Music: A Novel by Christin Lore Weber (2000)

[Beth]

Note to self: did you read this? Probably, but if you find it on the shelf then probably not.

[Glenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel explores the power and influence of the church in people's lives, sometimes in very corruptible ways throughout each generation. A very well written first novel by a former nun.

[Theresa Lange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, surprising