The Calling

by Fleur Beale

'Dreams were dangerous things.'
It was the dream of Molly's dying mother that she would become a nun. It isn't, however, the dream of her Methodist father, who wants her to marry. But what is her true calling and how can she follow it? As the 19th century draws to an end, Molly searches out the extraordinary nun Mother Mary Joseph Aubert to find out.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Religion

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2021

About the author

Fleur Beale is the author of many award-winning books for children and young adults, best known for her novel I am not Esther which has been published worldwide.

Beale was one of six children of a dairy farmer Cedric Corney and of a teacher and author Estelle Corney (née Cook). She was born in Inglewood, Taranaki, New Zealand, on the farm where her father was born. Beale grew up in the town before attending Victoria University, Wellington and Christchurch Teachers' Training College, where she met her husband. Since 1985 she has taught at Melville High School in Hamilton, Waikato and in Wellington. Beale's first stories were written for the children's radio programme Grandpa's Place. Her first book was a small reader and picture book for young children and she started to write for teenagers in 1993. Her stories often involve troubled adolescents engaged in outdoor activities.

Beale was a finalist in the Aim Children's Book Awards (junior fiction) and her 1998 novel I am not Esther was shortlisted for the senior fiction section of the 1999 New Zealand Post Children's Awards. In 1999 she was awarded the Children's Writing Fellowship at Dunedin College of Education and quit teaching to write full time. Her 2001 novel Ambushed was a finalist for the Junior Fiction section of the 2002 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. Her 2004 account of how an indigenous girl discovers how her education can save her tribal lands (My Story A New Song in the Land. The Writings of Atapo, Pahia, c.1840) received a Notable Book award in 2005 as did Walking Lightly.

Reviews

[The Bibliognost Bampot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beale writes well for this age group, unchallenging and easy to read. This is an interesting insight into New Zealand at the turn of last century, well researched and full of real historical characters, but the slightly strange religious calling aspect to the book makes it particularly unrelatable to most young adult readers and despite the awfulness of her life, the protagonist is distinctly unlikable and frustrating. Unfortunately that makes it a hard book to enjoy.

[JudeH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book! Well written as always!
A story of a teenager deciding what’s right for them (not what their parents think is right for them).
Highly religious content but written in a way that is historical and clings to the heroins teenage angst being the same as any other teenager.
I enjoyed learning about mother Aubert!

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another awesome book from Fleur Beale, well researched and I loved reading the end notes about the real Mother Joseph and how this book included details from the life of this remarkable woman. Fans of I am not Esther will certainly enjoy this one. The pace certainly picked up towards the final third, however I’m not sure this is meant to be a completely gripping read, more something to be savoured and enjoyed.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Enjoyable read, however the beginning and ending were much more enjoyable to read than the Middle (Molly’s time at Jerusalem) as it seemed to be very repetitive and drag on - overall another wonderful novel from Fleur Beale!

[Jayne Downes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life for 16 year old girls in New Zealand during the 1890s was hard and so different from today. This story for young adults has recreated life in this era very skilfully and the short extracts from historical sources at the start of each chapter add to this. Molly was a strong character who worked hard caring for her younger brothers after her Mother died, she was different from other girls because she had the ambition to become a nun following Sister Aubert in the tiny settlement of Jerusalem.She was the only catholic in her family and her father did not support her becoming a nun. An interesting story.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I liked the perspective and premise well enough but it just wasn’t very captivating

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mum and Aunty Christine; you two might enjoy this book. It has nuns in it, some gentle feminism, and scenes from Wellington.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy historical fiction and this new novel by Fleur Beale is no exception. The main character Molly is torn between her father and brothers, and the duty she feels to become a nun (which was the wish of her late mother). I loved the little snippets from historical publications which feature at the start of every chapter, these help the readers gain insight into what life was like in New Zealand in the late 1800s. Very enjoyable and very readable.

[whatbooknext · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Conway has known from very young that her calling is to be a nun. She is the only child of her devout Catholic
mother to follow her faith, her brothers and Father, Methodists. In order to honour her dead mother's memory, in Molly's mind there is no other future for her.

This determined path is soon strewn with obstacles. Her father suddenly drops hints about her marrying Eddie, the blacksmith's son. Eddie is a dear friend to Molly, but Molly can't entertain the idea. Firstly Eddie is Methodist, she's only 15, and everyone knows she is to become a nun.

Her father presses this issue, as if he expected Molly to grow out of her intended path plans, urging marriage for her. The truth of his sudden switch in attitude reveals itself. He is to remarry...soon.

Blindsided by a new wife that Molly and her siblings are instructed to call Mother, Molly's faith is attacked within her own home. With no other option she flees to the only refuge she can imagine - the community of Mother Mary Joseph Aubert in Wanganui.

Life with Mother Aubert is nothing like her mother had described and Molly frequently wonders if she has done the right thing. Forced home again, then released, Molly becomes even more uncertain about her mother's dreams for her. Only time helping others, acceptance by strangers, and finding Eddie, helps her to decide on a path for her future.




Historical fiction at its brilliant best, The Calling captured me early and took me on a trip back in time to late 19th Century NZ. Set in a small kiwi town, life in the Conway house, Molly's fervent desire to follow her mother's wishes, and her growing uncertainty about that path, was expertly written and real.

I experienced life in 1895, with its religious bigotry, and society expectations for women. Swagmen roamed the roads, hungry and looking for work and the divide between rich and poor didn't correlate with levels of kindness.

Each chapter of the book begins with snippets of of the times, whether it be a newspaper report, encyclopedia entries, a recipe for scones, or even a guide on waterproofing boots.

Fleur Beale is a well loved, accomplished and much awarded YA Kiwi Author. The Calling is another astounding piece of New Zealand YA Fiction.

Author - Fleur Beale

Age - 13+

[Michelle Summerfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love it but in a similar way to 'I am not Esther' I just wasn't hooked. The story was well told and I appreciated the historical background in which the book was set. I just found the main character a bit whiny and and the ending schematic. It will however be well used in the high school library and possibly even as a companion text for our junior students.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was fantastic. I had vaguely heard of Mother Joseph before, but I knew almost nothing about her, so I very much enjoyed reading about her, and also reading different perspectives of what it means to serve God and be obedient.

Also my excitement at Palmerston North being mentioned briefly was probably much greater than it should've been.

[Jess Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd read - interesting, and with Beale’s usual strong, vivid characters, but it meanders. The plot is weak - I suspect it may be a book hanging on its research, rather than vice versa.

Molly was a great character - capable, determined, competent, good-natured. I was rooting for her to succeed. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get some resolutions or satisfying confrontations in some of her relationships. I also feel like several sub-plots could have been cut to strengthen it expand others. For example, could we have reduced some of the Molly-seeks-employment plot in favour of letting her use again the Māori reo she so enjoys? Could we have seen more of her competence as a nurse, and even the journey through nursing school? Why the bit with her brother going to the South Island? Could she have discovered for herself what it meant to serve God without a calling, without needing to tie it to a romance?

A good read for Fleur Beale fans (or high-school students tasked with a unit on life in 1890s NZ), but not her strongest work. Read A Respectable Girl instead.

[Amanda Pittar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Gentle Soul

I bought this after seeing it reviewed in the Sunday paper - and not being able to afford the Tapsell book on Kindle. I’ll have to buy paperback.
This was a nice, pleasant read. I kept having to remind myself though WHERE I was, and WHEN I was. None of the writing made you aware of the time or place. It was an interesting study of the idea of a “calling” to the religious life. What it means to be a nun or priest, why folk take the step. It touches briefly on religious intolerance in 19thC NZ, which I knew about.
I just missed the snap, crackle and pop which it could have had. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe this is why I veer away from fiction, I just don’t learn enough to justify reading the book.

If you want a snapshot of a certain time period in NZ, with a good story thrown in, woven around real life historical figures - you will enjoy this. Its well written and never plods. Just never gallops either…

[Francesca Pashby]

A very readable book by one of NZ's most established authors ... but not one I can see having much popular appeal among the young.

Set in the 1890s, it is almost incomprehensible to me (let alone a current teenager) that a girl's choices were so limited and limiting ... basically marriage or the church. Molly (our 15 year old heroine) does get temporary respite to take up nursing training, but her future beyond that still would appear to be circumscribed by society's wishes and expectations.

Thank God for feminism, I say!

[Sophia is Reading Today · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like a good story that teaches me something. I learned that Jerusalem, in NZ, was a real place and enjoyed the picture of life for a girl in the 1800s. I was surprised at how much freedom she seemed to enjoy around travelling? But I wouldn't have read it if the story was bad, so some good writing with bonus history lesson.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start and then a long, smooth rest of the story.
Quite a lot of angst, which got a bit tiring, but an interesting view into the past - especially given the uni paper I did on NZ History last year AND the fact that I stopped in to Jerusalem literally three weeks ago (although the church and convent were closed to visitors).
Surprised myself by reading till midnight one night.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start. Have read several of Beale’s young adult fiction and expected this to be another well-written, captivating read. The pace did pick up eventually. Well-drawn characters but not my favourite Fleur Beale book.

[Helen Cummings · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed aspects of this book. It was easy to read and the historical excerpts that headed each chapter were interesting. However I did not enjoy the overtly religious catholic overtones to the story and it made me wonder how many young adults have read and enjoyed this book?

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, not quite sure how I feel about the ending.

[Mandy Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book from this author

[Mia (Taylor’s Version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book with no expectations, and it blew me away. It is my favourite Fleur Beale book that I have read. Molly was strong and independent, and I was quite a fan of Eddie! 4/5 stars.

[Shelley Mcconnel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another easy to read Fleur Beale story . This time with an insight into sister Suzanne Aubert and life for girls in New Zealand at the end of the 19th century

[Shelley Currier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book

[T.K. Roxborogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting.

[Mari Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the Children of Faith series, but worth a read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it - although Molly’s character seemed very muddled. She was always so unsure, but confidently got on a train at the age of 16 to find a life in Wellington.

[Wendy Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lived this book an easy read but so interesting. I want to read the memoir of Sister Aubert now

[Ava Morahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needs a book two

[Ess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the historical aspect of this book; it felt very well researched and comprehensive while still being accessible for the average teen. The bit I didn’t love was the character of Molly — she seemed ill-developed and a lot like the protagonists from Beale’s other books — namely End of the Alphabet and I Am Not Esther.

[Leanne Webster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all Fleur Beale’s books. She is well known for her teen books I am Esther and I am Rebecca, stories about girls in, then out, of religious cults in NZ.

The Calling is set around Masterton In the late 1800’s and is about a young girl struggling with her calling to become a nun, her dying mother’s wish, and her duty to her father, to marry a local boy.

I enjoyed the story, it’s always great to read something based in NZ. This story includes lots of cultural aspects of Māori, the culture and the language. I liked learning more about the parent/child relationships of that era. The household duties expected of a daughter without modern technology. They rode their horses 2 hours each way to attend church each Sunday!

An easy read that I enjoyed - something a bit different. I’m sure this too could end up as a high school compulsory read, particularly in the catholic schools.

The main character in this story is fictional however many other characters are not, which adds to the enjoyment and credibility of the story.