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Angeline
After surviving a tragedy that killed her entire family, sixteen-year-old Meg joins a cloistered convent, believing it is her life's work to pray full time for the suffering of others. Taking the name Sister Angeline, she spends her days and nights in silence, moving from one prayerful hour to the next. She prays for the hardships of others, the sick and poor, the loved ones she lost, and her own atonement.
When the Archdiocese of Chicago runs out of money to keep the convent open, she is torn from her carefully constructed life and sent to a progressive convent on a rocky island in the Pacific Northwest. There, at the Light of the Sea, five radical feminist nuns have their own vision of faithful service. They do not follow canonical law, they do not live a cloistered life, and they believe in using their voices for change.
As Sister Angeline struggles to adapt to her new home, she must navigate her grief, fears, and confusions, while being drawn into the lives of a child in crisis, an angry teen, an EMT suffering survivor's guilt, and the parish priest who is losing his congregation to the Sisters' all-inclusive Sunday masses. Through all of this, something seems to have awakened in her, a healing power she has not experienced in years that could be her saving grace, or her downfall.
In Angeline, novelist Anna Quinn explores the complexity of our past selves and the discovery of our present truth; the enduring imprints left by our losses, forgiveness and acceptance, and why we believe what we believe. Affecting and beautifully told, Angeline is both poignant and startling and will touch the hearts of anyone who has ever asked themselves: When your foundations crumble and you've lost yourself, how do you find the strength to go on? Do you follow your heart or the rules?
When the Archdiocese of Chicago runs out of money to keep the convent open, she is torn from her carefully constructed life and sent to a progressive convent on a rocky island in the Pacific Northwest. There, at the Light of the Sea, five radical feminist nuns have their own vision of faithful service. They do not follow canonical law, they do not live a cloistered life, and they believe in using their voices for change.
As Sister Angeline struggles to adapt to her new home, she must navigate her grief, fears, and confusions, while being drawn into the lives of a child in crisis, an angry teen, an EMT suffering survivor's guilt, and the parish priest who is losing his congregation to the Sisters' all-inclusive Sunday masses. Through all of this, something seems to have awakened in her, a healing power she has not experienced in years that could be her saving grace, or her downfall.
In Angeline, novelist Anna Quinn explores the complexity of our past selves and the discovery of our present truth; the enduring imprints left by our losses, forgiveness and acceptance, and why we believe what we believe. Affecting and beautifully told, Angeline is both poignant and startling and will touch the hearts of anyone who has ever asked themselves: When your foundations crumble and you've lost yourself, how do you find the strength to go on? Do you follow your heart or the rules?
350 pages, Hardcover
First published February 7, 2023
60 people are currently reading
16755 people want to read
About the author
Anna Quinn
2 books613 followersAnna Quinn is the author of ANGELINE, (Blackstone Publishing, 2023), and THE NIGHT CHILD, (Blackstone, 2018). Her writing has appeared in Psychology Today, Brevity, Medium, Writers’ Digest, Washington 129 Anthology, Alone Together Anthology and more. Anna is the founder and former owner of The Writers’ Workshoppe and Imprint Bookstore in Port Townsend, WA.
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Order ANGELINE and THE NIGHT CHILD anywhere you love to buy your books.
Connect with Anna here:
WEBSITE: annamquinn.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/anna.quinn.9277
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/annaquinnpt
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/annaquinn55
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
November 1, 2023
Sister Angeline was known as Meg to her parents and younger brother and the few friends she had in her Chicago school. But in the wake of tragedy, she leaves her life and her name behind to join a convent. She is just sixteen, but already the larger world is too much. Sister Angeline takes a vow of silence, believing that loneliness and isolation are her crosses to bear for the suffering she has caused.
Within a few years, the Chicago diocese has run out of money and Sister Angeline is transferred a convent on a remote island off the coast of Washington state. But this is a convent unlike any Sister Angeline has heard of. Light of the Sea is run by five nuns who have a different approach to manifesting their faith: they eschew tradition, defy canonical law, live in yurts, wear jeans, sing, and agitate for social justice.
At first bewildered by the nuns’ radical behavior and views, sheltered and shy Sister Angeline clings to her habit and the strictures of her religion. But gradually her new family's warmth and unconditional acceptance begin to dissolve the barriers of shame and grief the young woman erected to guard against complete collapse.
Angeline is breathtaking. It is a page-turner that is simultaneously tightly-plotted and generously conceived. Not only will Angeline herself swell your heart; the caretakers of Light of the Sea — Kamika, Alice, Gina, Sigrid and Edith — inhabit their own stories that become vital parts of an inevitable whole. The residents of Beckett Island, though few, have a profound impact on Light of the Sea as well, working either to protect the unique convent or to destroy it entirely.
Written with prose that is poetic and pristine, situated in a landscape that comes vividly alive as a character unto itself, offering deeply resonant themes of faith, spirituality, grief, forgiveness and resilience, Angeline will unsettle with its mysteries, charm with its characters, move with its pain and restore with its grace. Anna Quinn has written a beautiful, unforgettable story.
Within a few years, the Chicago diocese has run out of money and Sister Angeline is transferred a convent on a remote island off the coast of Washington state. But this is a convent unlike any Sister Angeline has heard of. Light of the Sea is run by five nuns who have a different approach to manifesting their faith: they eschew tradition, defy canonical law, live in yurts, wear jeans, sing, and agitate for social justice.
At first bewildered by the nuns’ radical behavior and views, sheltered and shy Sister Angeline clings to her habit and the strictures of her religion. But gradually her new family's warmth and unconditional acceptance begin to dissolve the barriers of shame and grief the young woman erected to guard against complete collapse.
Angeline is breathtaking. It is a page-turner that is simultaneously tightly-plotted and generously conceived. Not only will Angeline herself swell your heart; the caretakers of Light of the Sea — Kamika, Alice, Gina, Sigrid and Edith — inhabit their own stories that become vital parts of an inevitable whole. The residents of Beckett Island, though few, have a profound impact on Light of the Sea as well, working either to protect the unique convent or to destroy it entirely.
Written with prose that is poetic and pristine, situated in a landscape that comes vividly alive as a character unto itself, offering deeply resonant themes of faith, spirituality, grief, forgiveness and resilience, Angeline will unsettle with its mysteries, charm with its characters, move with its pain and restore with its grace. Anna Quinn has written a beautiful, unforgettable story.
March 3, 2024
Angeline by Anna Quinn was a beautifully written book that touched on all my emotions. It explored the path a young sixteen year old girl took when she was consumed with guilt, a tragedy and sadness. The girl was known as Meg. She had grown up in Chicago and lived with her mother, father and younger brother. Meg was typically considered shy and didn’t have a lot of friends in her life. She never minded being by herself, though. She was usually reading, writing or looking down from the branches of her favorite climbing tree. Meg was on the plump side growing up and had a hard time resisting late night snacks. She was mercilessly bullied at school as well. For all those reasons and more, that was probably why Meg and Jonathan started hanging out with each other. Soon Meg found herself in a compromising situation. Meg discovered that she was three months pregnant with Jonathan’s baby. Meg’s life was about to change drastically. Meg’s mother, father and younger brother died in a tragic car accident. Even Meg’s unborn three month old fetus failed to survive the accident. Meg was the only survivor.
Burdened with guilt and struggling to learn how to go on, Meg joined a cloistered convent known as The Archdiocese of Chicago and became Sister Angeline. She spent every waking moment trying to repent for her sins and she prayed for all the other people that had suffered, faced hardships, became sick or lived in poverty. Mostly, Sister Angeline prayed for the loved ones she lost and for her own repentance. Sister Angeline lived contently at the convent until she turned twenty-four years old. The Archdiocese had lost its funding that year and was forced to close its doors. Sister Angeline had felt safe there. When she was told that she was being reassigned to a rather liberal and progressive minded convent, Sister Angeline wasn’t sure how she felt. The new convent was called “Light of the Sea” and it was located on Beckett Island, off the coast of the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. It was a long distance away from anything that Sister Angeline was familiar with.
“Light of the Sea” was run by five very feminist nuns. Upon her arrival, Sister Angeline noticed obvious changes immediately. The homes that the nuns lived in were yurts. Attire worn was not the traditional habit. The nuns at “Light of the Sea” preferred wearing jeans. Their visions for organized religion was not what Sister Angeline was used to. They did not follow canonical principles. Sister Angeline was confused by the actions of the nuns at “Light of the Sea”. Of course, Sister Angeline insisted on wearing her traditional habit regardless of how these nuns chose to dress. Sister Angeline expressed it best shortly after she arrived at “Light of the Sea”.
“ How much has changed in only six days. She’s gone from a place with walls and rules- a place she’d loved, a place she’d felt completely on the right path - to a place without walls and rules, and a path she’s unsure of, a path with five women who speak of protests and poetry, who drink cappuccinos and wine, a path with a dead squirrel in a prayer box, a forlorn girl named Amelia, and a statue who speaks.”
At “Light of the Sea”, Sister Angeline embraced the five nuns, Kamika, Alice, Gina, Sigrid and Edith. Slowly, Sister Angeline let these atypical nuns into her heart and began to trust them and she formed beautiful friendships with them. For the first time in Sister Angeline’s life she had true friends. They helped Sister Angeline learn how to rid herself of the grief and blame that she had been carrying with her for so long and to open up to them. Sister Angeline also discovered that she possessed a very unique ability.
A Catholic priest, Father Matt, was not pleased with the way “Light of the Sea” practiced nor conducted their day to day activities and Mass. He was in his late thirties, handsome and had striking black hair. Father Matt did not make the lives of the nuns of “Light of the Sea” easy. Sister Angeline connected with Amelia, a young child she feared was being abused physically by her father, Collin, an EMT who had tragically lost his wife and with his son, Liam who was constantly bullied at school due to his stuttering and she discovered that he was randomly blamed for countless occurrences that happened on the island. There was definitely a sense of community on Beckett Island. Each of the five nuns had secrets of their own. Over the course of Angeline, those secrets were revealed.
Angeline by Anna Quinn was about grief, acceptance, compassion, trust, love, loss, forgiveness and faith. It touched on the power of healing through prayer. Angeline was the first book that I had the privilege of reading by Anna Quinn. I won a copy of Angeline in a goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it highly.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read Angeline by Anna Quinn through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
Burdened with guilt and struggling to learn how to go on, Meg joined a cloistered convent known as The Archdiocese of Chicago and became Sister Angeline. She spent every waking moment trying to repent for her sins and she prayed for all the other people that had suffered, faced hardships, became sick or lived in poverty. Mostly, Sister Angeline prayed for the loved ones she lost and for her own repentance. Sister Angeline lived contently at the convent until she turned twenty-four years old. The Archdiocese had lost its funding that year and was forced to close its doors. Sister Angeline had felt safe there. When she was told that she was being reassigned to a rather liberal and progressive minded convent, Sister Angeline wasn’t sure how she felt. The new convent was called “Light of the Sea” and it was located on Beckett Island, off the coast of the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. It was a long distance away from anything that Sister Angeline was familiar with.
“Light of the Sea” was run by five very feminist nuns. Upon her arrival, Sister Angeline noticed obvious changes immediately. The homes that the nuns lived in were yurts. Attire worn was not the traditional habit. The nuns at “Light of the Sea” preferred wearing jeans. Their visions for organized religion was not what Sister Angeline was used to. They did not follow canonical principles. Sister Angeline was confused by the actions of the nuns at “Light of the Sea”. Of course, Sister Angeline insisted on wearing her traditional habit regardless of how these nuns chose to dress. Sister Angeline expressed it best shortly after she arrived at “Light of the Sea”.
“ How much has changed in only six days. She’s gone from a place with walls and rules- a place she’d loved, a place she’d felt completely on the right path - to a place without walls and rules, and a path she’s unsure of, a path with five women who speak of protests and poetry, who drink cappuccinos and wine, a path with a dead squirrel in a prayer box, a forlorn girl named Amelia, and a statue who speaks.”
At “Light of the Sea”, Sister Angeline embraced the five nuns, Kamika, Alice, Gina, Sigrid and Edith. Slowly, Sister Angeline let these atypical nuns into her heart and began to trust them and she formed beautiful friendships with them. For the first time in Sister Angeline’s life she had true friends. They helped Sister Angeline learn how to rid herself of the grief and blame that she had been carrying with her for so long and to open up to them. Sister Angeline also discovered that she possessed a very unique ability.
A Catholic priest, Father Matt, was not pleased with the way “Light of the Sea” practiced nor conducted their day to day activities and Mass. He was in his late thirties, handsome and had striking black hair. Father Matt did not make the lives of the nuns of “Light of the Sea” easy. Sister Angeline connected with Amelia, a young child she feared was being abused physically by her father, Collin, an EMT who had tragically lost his wife and with his son, Liam who was constantly bullied at school due to his stuttering and she discovered that he was randomly blamed for countless occurrences that happened on the island. There was definitely a sense of community on Beckett Island. Each of the five nuns had secrets of their own. Over the course of Angeline, those secrets were revealed.
Angeline by Anna Quinn was about grief, acceptance, compassion, trust, love, loss, forgiveness and faith. It touched on the power of healing through prayer. Angeline was the first book that I had the privilege of reading by Anna Quinn. I won a copy of Angeline in a goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it highly.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read Angeline by Anna Quinn through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2022
Mystical, marvelous tale of love and loss and growth, a story that takes place at the fascinating intersection of 21st-century realism and centuries-old faith. The language is pure poetry, and the story is both mysterious and inevitable, terrifying and inspiring. A satisfying, beautifully-plotted novel that will cling to the reader for a very long time.
October 17, 2022
You'd think a novel set in a cloistered convent populated by nuns following vows of silence would a sleeper. Guess again. Anna Quinn’s Angeline blasts that notion out of the water.
Teenaged Meg is the only survivor of an automobile accident that kills her entire family. Stricken with guilt, she joins a cloistered convent to pray for the suffering of others—and hopefully obliterate her self. She takes the name Sister Angeline and spends her days in silence and prayer. The Archdiocese of Chicago closes the convent due to lack of funds. Angeline is thrust into a new life when she's assigned to a radical convent in the Pacific Northwest run by feminists. They break every rule Angeline has spent years internalizing, and she struggles to adapt. When her new home is threatened, she musters the strength to fight back, to relinquish her fear and grief, to open herself to new places, new people, new freedoms.
I like Anna Quinn’s writing. Her prose is near-poetic as she explores how our past lives affect our current states, how we reform, recuperate, and grow. Angeline is poignant but not teary and combines the mystical with millennia-old beliefs and twenty-first century front page news. This is a truly lovely novel that develops into an exciting thriller.
Teenaged Meg is the only survivor of an automobile accident that kills her entire family. Stricken with guilt, she joins a cloistered convent to pray for the suffering of others—and hopefully obliterate her self. She takes the name Sister Angeline and spends her days in silence and prayer. The Archdiocese of Chicago closes the convent due to lack of funds. Angeline is thrust into a new life when she's assigned to a radical convent in the Pacific Northwest run by feminists. They break every rule Angeline has spent years internalizing, and she struggles to adapt. When her new home is threatened, she musters the strength to fight back, to relinquish her fear and grief, to open herself to new places, new people, new freedoms.
I like Anna Quinn’s writing. Her prose is near-poetic as she explores how our past lives affect our current states, how we reform, recuperate, and grow. Angeline is poignant but not teary and combines the mystical with millennia-old beliefs and twenty-first century front page news. This is a truly lovely novel that develops into an exciting thriller.
January 4, 2023
Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: February 7, 2023
Anna Quinn’s newest novel about tragedy, community and redemption, “Angeline”, is very much unlike her previous novel, “The Night Child” but then again, it is unlike any other novel I’ve ever read. Surprisingly, “Angeline” is the second novel about nuns and cloistered convents that I’ve read within the last few months, which is a very unusual coincidence, but it seems that eccentric, rejected nuns with attitude are here to stay (and I’m all for it)!
After suffering the tragic loss of her entire family in an accident, Angeline is desperate to find faith, hope and redemption, turning to the church in hopes that becoming a nun will bring her the solace she seeks. But when her extremely religious, cloistered convent is shut down by the diocese, she is sent to “The Light of the Sea”, an extremely small and modern convent in the Pacific Northwest. Angeline begins to question her placement at “Light of the Sea”, when she meets the five other women who reside there, women who refuse to identify themselves as “Sisters” and have, in fact, been ex-communicated by the Catholic church. Surrounded by this group of Holy misfits, Angeline unveils a power in her that has been dormant for years and finally receives the acceptance and redemption she has been looking for.
“Angeline” is a compassionate, unique piece of writing by Quinn, exploring religion and personal growth after a tragic loss. That being said, Quinn’s novel almost spits in the face of modern religion (especially the hypocrisy of Catholicism) and ushers in a new belief system, where everyone is accepted. The “religion” practiced by “Light of the Sea” is definitely something I could get behind! Somehow, Quinn manages to write a novel about a nun and her community, without making its sole focus on organized religion.
The novel is told in third person, but its structure takes some getting used to (Quinn purposely avoids linking verbs and conjunctions in a lot of situations), although the plot still flows well. Angeline is a powerful protagonist, humble and human, and the nuns of “Light of the Sea” are hysterically honest and full of the rallying power that will have readers rooting for them from the first introduction!
Angeline’s story is heartbreaking, and as she comes into her “power”, a little bit of magic is sprinkled into the storyline. Quinn’s storytelling is unique and emotional, and “Angeline” provides the heart-wrenching and uplifting read I did not quite expect!
Expected publication date: February 7, 2023
Anna Quinn’s newest novel about tragedy, community and redemption, “Angeline”, is very much unlike her previous novel, “The Night Child” but then again, it is unlike any other novel I’ve ever read. Surprisingly, “Angeline” is the second novel about nuns and cloistered convents that I’ve read within the last few months, which is a very unusual coincidence, but it seems that eccentric, rejected nuns with attitude are here to stay (and I’m all for it)!
After suffering the tragic loss of her entire family in an accident, Angeline is desperate to find faith, hope and redemption, turning to the church in hopes that becoming a nun will bring her the solace she seeks. But when her extremely religious, cloistered convent is shut down by the diocese, she is sent to “The Light of the Sea”, an extremely small and modern convent in the Pacific Northwest. Angeline begins to question her placement at “Light of the Sea”, when she meets the five other women who reside there, women who refuse to identify themselves as “Sisters” and have, in fact, been ex-communicated by the Catholic church. Surrounded by this group of Holy misfits, Angeline unveils a power in her that has been dormant for years and finally receives the acceptance and redemption she has been looking for.
“Angeline” is a compassionate, unique piece of writing by Quinn, exploring religion and personal growth after a tragic loss. That being said, Quinn’s novel almost spits in the face of modern religion (especially the hypocrisy of Catholicism) and ushers in a new belief system, where everyone is accepted. The “religion” practiced by “Light of the Sea” is definitely something I could get behind! Somehow, Quinn manages to write a novel about a nun and her community, without making its sole focus on organized religion.
The novel is told in third person, but its structure takes some getting used to (Quinn purposely avoids linking verbs and conjunctions in a lot of situations), although the plot still flows well. Angeline is a powerful protagonist, humble and human, and the nuns of “Light of the Sea” are hysterically honest and full of the rallying power that will have readers rooting for them from the first introduction!
Angeline’s story is heartbreaking, and as she comes into her “power”, a little bit of magic is sprinkled into the storyline. Quinn’s storytelling is unique and emotional, and “Angeline” provides the heart-wrenching and uplifting read I did not quite expect!
September 24, 2022
A compassionate page-turner that is at once a gripping thriller and a deep examination of grief, Anna Quinn’s Angeline takes us from the cloistered halls of a Chicago convent to an island in the Pacific Northwest where a group of remarkable women have created a community on their own terms. Filled with memorable characters and startling events, Angeline illuminates the power of nature, friendship and self-acceptance to heal the most painful of wounds. Writing with lyricism, grace and insight, Anna Quinn reminds us of our shared suffering, our shared humanity and the possibility of transformation even in the darkest of times.
January 11, 2023
Sixteen- year-old Meg joins a convent after a tragedy that killed her family. She takes the name Sister Angeline and spends her days in silence, praying and grieving. When the Archdiocese can no longer afford to keep the convent open Sister Angeline is sent to another convent in the Pacific Northwest where she meets radical feminist nuns that don't follow canonical law. Sister Angeline has an awakening like she's never know and never expected. This was a deeply moving story about dealing with trauma, the human condition and healing. It was humorous, tragic and full of hope. I loved everything about this. Poetic and beautifully written. I was glued to it. I highly recommend this. Our book club picked this as a selection for this year. It's a perfect book for book clubs.
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
November 3, 2022
Oh, this book! What a challenge it must have been to write this story; yet here is the author's beautiful, and successful, rise to that challenge. You're not religious? Neither am I: keep reading.
Angeline has spend 6 years at the convent, and is now, finally, a nun. She feels safe in the convent, but that safety cannot begin to assuage her guilt. She spends her days in near silence, doing chores, studying prayer, praying with the sisters, praying alone on her knees, and self-flagellating while praying. There is never enough prayer for Angeline. When the Archdiocese shuts down the convent, the nuns will have to go elsewhere.
Angeline is to be moved to a "convent" even though it has been unsanctioned by the church. This group, housed in yurts in the Pacific Northwest, is made up of a loosely organized handful of liberal women who have their own idea about faith, and aren't the least bit afraid to speak their truth. When things begin to go wrong at the convent, it's coming from all directions, and the nuns will need to rely on each other for help.
A coming-of-age story that is told in the oddest (but best) way, Quinn's quiet prose is lovely, and her storytelling chops are off the charts. Her Pacific Northwest setting is sublime, and you'll fall in love with it, right along with Angeline. Quinn never takes the easy way out, and even throws in a sucker-punch or two, just to keep you on your toes.
One of the best books I've read in 2022, Angeline is a mesmerizing gift to readers.
Angeline has spend 6 years at the convent, and is now, finally, a nun. She feels safe in the convent, but that safety cannot begin to assuage her guilt. She spends her days in near silence, doing chores, studying prayer, praying with the sisters, praying alone on her knees, and self-flagellating while praying. There is never enough prayer for Angeline. When the Archdiocese shuts down the convent, the nuns will have to go elsewhere.
Angeline is to be moved to a "convent" even though it has been unsanctioned by the church. This group, housed in yurts in the Pacific Northwest, is made up of a loosely organized handful of liberal women who have their own idea about faith, and aren't the least bit afraid to speak their truth. When things begin to go wrong at the convent, it's coming from all directions, and the nuns will need to rely on each other for help.
A coming-of-age story that is told in the oddest (but best) way, Quinn's quiet prose is lovely, and her storytelling chops are off the charts. Her Pacific Northwest setting is sublime, and you'll fall in love with it, right along with Angeline. Quinn never takes the easy way out, and even throws in a sucker-punch or two, just to keep you on your toes.
One of the best books I've read in 2022, Angeline is a mesmerizing gift to readers.
December 2, 2022
"A poetic, innovative story that portrays the interplay between trauma and memory. Sister Angeline's narrative reveals how the mind is constantly processing the world around us and the world within us, a dialogue between past and present. This book is a triumph of beauty and human resilience." Gale Massey, The Girl from Blind River
May 15, 2024
I wasn’t really sure what to expect of this book and I’m also not really sure why I picked it up to read it but once I started, it intrigued me. The story is about a young woman who joins a convent when she’s about 17 at 23 takes her final vows.
Although I am Catholic, and have some experience with nuns, it was a long long time ago. Sister Angeline was a cloistered nun and because her convent was no longer receiving funding from the dioceses, shortly after her final vows, she was sent to a new location, a new “ unconventional convent” that was entirely different than what she was used to. Herein lies the adventure and a new beginning for a very troubled young woman.
Sister Angeline is sent to join a group of “excommunicated “ nuns who did not agree with the church’s views on abortion, sexual orientation, women’s rights, to name a few topics. They no longer wear habits but do continue to follow prayer rituals, devotion to God and community and do much to help the local peoples. They are located on Beckett’sIsland off the coast of Washington state, in a somewhat small somewhat remote community and live off the grid. Angeline, on the other hand has had no communication with the outside world for well over seven years, she owns nothing other than her habit and doesn’t feel comfortable without it. She had limited relationships even with the nuns at her convent, as was the nature of her vows. This all of this is somewhat of a cultural shock to her.
Sister Angeline continues her service to God at the Light of the Sea convent with 5 other nuns. This is the story of their devotion to God and service to their community, to inclusivity, to making no judgements, to acceptance, to forgiveness, and to finding their own peace in their work. All of this despite some resistance from some members of the community, and attempts to drive them out.
The story is well written with an interesting cast of characters, who are well developed throughout the story. The plot is often realistic dabbled with a few situations of magical realism but it makes for a good story.
I enjoyed that at the end the author tells you what became of each of the 6 nuns after the story finished.
Although I am Catholic, and have some experience with nuns, it was a long long time ago. Sister Angeline was a cloistered nun and because her convent was no longer receiving funding from the dioceses, shortly after her final vows, she was sent to a new location, a new “ unconventional convent” that was entirely different than what she was used to. Herein lies the adventure and a new beginning for a very troubled young woman.
Sister Angeline is sent to join a group of “excommunicated “ nuns who did not agree with the church’s views on abortion, sexual orientation, women’s rights, to name a few topics. They no longer wear habits but do continue to follow prayer rituals, devotion to God and community and do much to help the local peoples. They are located on Beckett’sIsland off the coast of Washington state, in a somewhat small somewhat remote community and live off the grid. Angeline, on the other hand has had no communication with the outside world for well over seven years, she owns nothing other than her habit and doesn’t feel comfortable without it. She had limited relationships even with the nuns at her convent, as was the nature of her vows. This all of this is somewhat of a cultural shock to her.
Sister Angeline continues her service to God at the Light of the Sea convent with 5 other nuns. This is the story of their devotion to God and service to their community, to inclusivity, to making no judgements, to acceptance, to forgiveness, and to finding their own peace in their work. All of this despite some resistance from some members of the community, and attempts to drive them out.
The story is well written with an interesting cast of characters, who are well developed throughout the story. The plot is often realistic dabbled with a few situations of magical realism but it makes for a good story.
I enjoyed that at the end the author tells you what became of each of the 6 nuns after the story finished.
March 2, 2023
How is your weekend going?☀️
Alyssa and I are flying back to Seattle today after spending the week in Hawaii!🌺
While on vacation I had a chance to read Angeline by Anna Quinn and I couldn’t put it down!
Sister Angeline joined a Chicago convent after a tragic car accident that killed her whole family. She struggles with guilt and is able to focus on prayer in this strict and traditional convent.
After the convent is shut down due to lack of funding, Sister Angeline is transferred to an extremely nontraditional convent in the pacific northwest. She is confused and trying to work through her feelings after meeting these new and eccentric nuns.
I loved this coming of age story and would love to see it continue, each character had their own unique personality that really was able to shine!
Thank you @katerockbooktours for this gifted copy!
Angeline published on 2/7/23 and is available on our Amazon storefront!
Alyssa and I are flying back to Seattle today after spending the week in Hawaii!🌺
While on vacation I had a chance to read Angeline by Anna Quinn and I couldn’t put it down!
Sister Angeline joined a Chicago convent after a tragic car accident that killed her whole family. She struggles with guilt and is able to focus on prayer in this strict and traditional convent.
After the convent is shut down due to lack of funding, Sister Angeline is transferred to an extremely nontraditional convent in the pacific northwest. She is confused and trying to work through her feelings after meeting these new and eccentric nuns.
I loved this coming of age story and would love to see it continue, each character had their own unique personality that really was able to shine!
Thank you @katerockbooktours for this gifted copy!
Angeline published on 2/7/23 and is available on our Amazon storefront!
July 16, 2023
2**
Sometimes the people we punish and are the most unforgiving towards is ourselves. This book is not just about the miraculous healing power of forgiveness for our own weaknesses, but it also is a book about the renewing cover of love for the unlovable and compassion for the undeserved.
I truly liked the premise - a young woman who first becomes a nun in a highly structured, cloistered convent in Chicago but moves into to another convent in the Pacific Northwest run by a rich motley of social justice feminist warriors. So far so good. Angeline, too, has the gift of healing that somehow has to do with her different color eyes, and she can bring creatures and people back from the dead. Ok, starting to lose me here, but I’ll go along with it. Not sure where the beliefs fit in? Now it’s slowly going downhill.
For the clincher, I thought there would be an interesting mix of religious hypocrisy (conservative vs. liberal) which is a debate I always enjoy, but instead the author unfortunately chose to paint priests - at least this one anyway- as a misogynistic, gun-wielding rapist. Now you’ve lost me. Yes, everyone has pain and a past, but this became too much to swallow.
This had the makings of a good novel, but either the author was too ambitious, or just tried to compile too many ideas that simply did not fit together well. Perhaps I was too optimistic going in and came out the other side wholly unsatisfied. Overall, meh.
Sometimes the people we punish and are the most unforgiving towards is ourselves. This book is not just about the miraculous healing power of forgiveness for our own weaknesses, but it also is a book about the renewing cover of love for the unlovable and compassion for the undeserved.
I truly liked the premise - a young woman who first becomes a nun in a highly structured, cloistered convent in Chicago but moves into to another convent in the Pacific Northwest run by a rich motley of social justice feminist warriors. So far so good. Angeline, too, has the gift of healing that somehow has to do with her different color eyes, and she can bring creatures and people back from the dead. Ok, starting to lose me here, but I’ll go along with it. Not sure where the beliefs fit in? Now it’s slowly going downhill.
For the clincher, I thought there would be an interesting mix of religious hypocrisy (conservative vs. liberal) which is a debate I always enjoy, but instead the author unfortunately chose to paint priests - at least this one anyway- as a misogynistic, gun-wielding rapist. Now you’ve lost me. Yes, everyone has pain and a past, but this became too much to swallow.
This had the makings of a good novel, but either the author was too ambitious, or just tried to compile too many ideas that simply did not fit together well. Perhaps I was too optimistic going in and came out the other side wholly unsatisfied. Overall, meh.
December 5, 2022
During a time when so many of our freedoms are at risk, so many of our voices are silenced, and our faith in humanity is dwindling, Angeline by Anna Quinn is a reminder that not all is lost.
In this powerful story about a young woman who goes from living in a cloistered convent to joining a group of radical nuns who challenge the traditions of the church, we become part of a microcosm of womankind and what is possible when we disrupt the likes of misogyny and patriarchy. We are lovingly guided through the pasts of each of these women, the tragedies and the gifts that led them to Light of the Sea where together they build a life in hope and courage.
The pacing and tension of Quinn’s storytelling is absolutely brilliant with its powerful twists and turns, always anchored in each fully developed heroine.
Anna Quinn writes in stunning, poetic prose that takes your breath away, and in those lines of poetry you feel yourself discovering a new way to walk in faith, and in beauty.
In this powerful story about a young woman who goes from living in a cloistered convent to joining a group of radical nuns who challenge the traditions of the church, we become part of a microcosm of womankind and what is possible when we disrupt the likes of misogyny and patriarchy. We are lovingly guided through the pasts of each of these women, the tragedies and the gifts that led them to Light of the Sea where together they build a life in hope and courage.
The pacing and tension of Quinn’s storytelling is absolutely brilliant with its powerful twists and turns, always anchored in each fully developed heroine.
Anna Quinn writes in stunning, poetic prose that takes your breath away, and in those lines of poetry you feel yourself discovering a new way to walk in faith, and in beauty.
October 19, 2022
Anna Quinn's Angeline is a marvelous, can't put down, story of a young woman coming to grips with who she is and who she wants to be years after suffering enormous loss. After entering monastic life in an attempt to atone as well as make sense of who she is, the narrator/protagonist Meg/Sr. Angeline finds herself forced to confront her past, her loves, and her mistakes as she strives to create a future that she believes and wants to live in. The story is believable, fast-paced, and the details and language are hauntingly, deliciously, and lyrically wonderful. Quinn is masterful at creating vivid settings as well as writing about the interior world of many different characters such that you feel you are in their heads with them, wrestling and rooting with the same complex issues. This is also an incredible story about faith and belief, love and forgiveness, and redemption and acceptance. I could not put this novel down--I wanted to know what choices Sr. Angeline would make and what world she would live in. It's a novel I highly recommend.
September 24, 2022
Anna Quinn’s novels dive deep into the human psyche, exploring our capacity to harm and heal. Angeline is a call to open arms, a clear-eyed view of our often-flawed humanity, and of the power of compassion. It is a novel of gorgeous sentences and beautiful messages. It left me feeling stronger, wiser, and in awe.
February 17, 2023
My thoughts:
After a accident leaves Meg with no family to escape her pain she enters a cloistered Convent. Her life now consists of daily prayeatchantcleancookread in silence. After living this way for 7 years due to Financial reason the convent has to close and Meg now Sister Angeline finds herself being sent to a convent that believes in a whole different way of living. Taken aback by this at first she learns to embrace this way of life and the other sisters. The Journey Sister Angeline find herself on is one of forgiveness, grief, loss, religion,understanding and helping others. The last chapter in the book is one page that left me happy, sad and thinking of life.
This book will leave you thinking of Sister Angeline and the other nuns for awhile after reading.
After a accident leaves Meg with no family to escape her pain she enters a cloistered Convent. Her life now consists of daily prayeatchantcleancookread in silence. After living this way for 7 years due to Financial reason the convent has to close and Meg now Sister Angeline finds herself being sent to a convent that believes in a whole different way of living. Taken aback by this at first she learns to embrace this way of life and the other sisters. The Journey Sister Angeline find herself on is one of forgiveness, grief, loss, religion,understanding and helping others. The last chapter in the book is one page that left me happy, sad and thinking of life.
This book will leave you thinking of Sister Angeline and the other nuns for awhile after reading.
July 30, 2025
Thanks to goodreads , I won this book a while ago and just stacked it on my bookshelf, so now I thought maybe I’ll finally read this book. Not knowing much about this book . I decided to give it a chance, much to my surprise it was very good and throughly enjoyed it. I don’t want to give any spoilers, you will have to just give it a chance and maybe you will like as much as I did .
April 2, 2023
First, thanks to Anna Quinn (the author) for sponsoring the giveaway that allowed me to have a copy of this incredible book.
This story enveloped me from the first page and made me want to read slowly and savor it while devouring it in one sitting at the same time. It is a beautiful story of being open to change, empathy and compassion and how these combined with past trauma can mold an individual’s personality.
The characters are well rounded and complex with each having their own reasons to live at the non-traditional convent. I admit the story made me want to visit the convent.
This story enveloped me from the first page and made me want to read slowly and savor it while devouring it in one sitting at the same time. It is a beautiful story of being open to change, empathy and compassion and how these combined with past trauma can mold an individual’s personality.
The characters are well rounded and complex with each having their own reasons to live at the non-traditional convent. I admit the story made me want to visit the convent.
February 5, 2023
This is such an original story - and I loved the bits of magical realism infused in this one.
Sister Angeline (Meg) finds out that she must leave the very controlled and traditional abbey she has been at for years when the funding is cut. She is told that she will be sent to the Pacific Northwest, to Light of the Sea, a progressive cloister of nuns. She is upset and worried to say the least. She finds extreme comfort in the routine, quiet and meager life she has been living, yet she has no choice but to go.
Once she gets to her new station, she is overwhelmed by the sounds of chatter and laughter, and the lackadaisical rules - which are opposite of what she is used to. She feels undone. She has been hiding from her thoughts and feelings through the very strict convent she lived in for so long. Now that she has moved on physically, she finds it much more difficult to move on emotionally. She begins to find her footing, and is able to interact with the outside world and find enjoyment in simple pleasures again. A specialness to her that she worried had left her, resurfaces in a magical way.
There is much more to this story, but I think the less you expect, the better. This story is not shoving religion down your throat - in fact, it examines the different ways that people experience and express their faith. I loved the woman who made up Light of the Sea and I think you will too. Each character was individual and I loved the way the author told each of their stories and journeys to this cloister little by little.
This is a story about loss, grief, faith, guilt, love, redemption and acceptance. A thoughtful story - heavy subjects underneath it all, but well dispersed with levity and happiness. A story with heart and soul. My only disappointment with this one was the ending. I felt like it tried too hard to make everything wrap up in a neat little bow.
Definitely still recommend. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 2.07.23
Sister Angeline (Meg) finds out that she must leave the very controlled and traditional abbey she has been at for years when the funding is cut. She is told that she will be sent to the Pacific Northwest, to Light of the Sea, a progressive cloister of nuns. She is upset and worried to say the least. She finds extreme comfort in the routine, quiet and meager life she has been living, yet she has no choice but to go.
Once she gets to her new station, she is overwhelmed by the sounds of chatter and laughter, and the lackadaisical rules - which are opposite of what she is used to. She feels undone. She has been hiding from her thoughts and feelings through the very strict convent she lived in for so long. Now that she has moved on physically, she finds it much more difficult to move on emotionally. She begins to find her footing, and is able to interact with the outside world and find enjoyment in simple pleasures again. A specialness to her that she worried had left her, resurfaces in a magical way.
There is much more to this story, but I think the less you expect, the better. This story is not shoving religion down your throat - in fact, it examines the different ways that people experience and express their faith. I loved the woman who made up Light of the Sea and I think you will too. Each character was individual and I loved the way the author told each of their stories and journeys to this cloister little by little.
This is a story about loss, grief, faith, guilt, love, redemption and acceptance. A thoughtful story - heavy subjects underneath it all, but well dispersed with levity and happiness. A story with heart and soul. My only disappointment with this one was the ending. I felt like it tried too hard to make everything wrap up in a neat little bow.
Definitely still recommend. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 2.07.23
December 3, 2022
ANGELINE is unlike anything I've ever read. The beautiful, sparse language pulls you instantly into a gripping story that is laced with the traditions and mysticism of the Catholic Church, but is very much a contemporary read about difference and tolerance.
Meg, the sole survivor of a horrendous accident that kills her family, retreats into a silent life of guilt, grief, and prayer as Sister Angeline. But when her convent is closed after seven years, she is sent to a small, progressive convent on an island in the Pacific Northwest.
As she attempts to adapt, Angeline is gradually pulled into a vibrant community of broken, but compassionate people. Although someone on the island, who is not accepting of the anti-establishment approach of the feminist sisters, is determined to spread fear.
Stunning descriptions of the natural world contrast sharply with sinister tension that builds through the ever-present shadow of violence and cruelty.
But as Sister Angeline begins to help those around her, she discovers the power of self-forgiveness and asks the all-important question: Is it suffering if you choose to suffer?
Despite dark subject matter, this is a unique and hopeful story about the power of love and the ways that we heal.
Meg, the sole survivor of a horrendous accident that kills her family, retreats into a silent life of guilt, grief, and prayer as Sister Angeline. But when her convent is closed after seven years, she is sent to a small, progressive convent on an island in the Pacific Northwest.
As she attempts to adapt, Angeline is gradually pulled into a vibrant community of broken, but compassionate people. Although someone on the island, who is not accepting of the anti-establishment approach of the feminist sisters, is determined to spread fear.
Stunning descriptions of the natural world contrast sharply with sinister tension that builds through the ever-present shadow of violence and cruelty.
But as Sister Angeline begins to help those around her, she discovers the power of self-forgiveness and asks the all-important question: Is it suffering if you choose to suffer?
Despite dark subject matter, this is a unique and hopeful story about the power of love and the ways that we heal.
February 26, 2023
Title: Angeline
Author: Anna Quinn
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: Feb 7, 2023 Now Available
Raised as a Catholic and one that has attended parochial schools throughout my informative years, I was always surrounded by nuns and priests who taught our classes. I was very intrigued by this story as I have always seen my religious leaders through a rose colored lens. Sister Angeline is one unique character unlike any I have read and one that will stay with me for a while.
I found the writing intriguing and thought provoking, that examines how much a person can endure grief, loss, and self sacrifice, while also giving the readers a hopeful stance that provides a moving and poignant story set in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with some incredibly bad ass excommunicated nuns.
I loved Angeline and the intriguing story line.
Author: Anna Quinn
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: Feb 7, 2023 Now Available
Raised as a Catholic and one that has attended parochial schools throughout my informative years, I was always surrounded by nuns and priests who taught our classes. I was very intrigued by this story as I have always seen my religious leaders through a rose colored lens. Sister Angeline is one unique character unlike any I have read and one that will stay with me for a while.
I found the writing intriguing and thought provoking, that examines how much a person can endure grief, loss, and self sacrifice, while also giving the readers a hopeful stance that provides a moving and poignant story set in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with some incredibly bad ass excommunicated nuns.
I loved Angeline and the intriguing story line.
September 7, 2023
Before the closure of Daughters of Mercy, Sister Angeline was a cloistered nun who wore the long-sleeved, long-tuniced, and long-veiled all-black habit of her inner-city Chicago order. She had insulated and hid herself from the external realities of life; comfortable living behind the high walls of the convent where the “predictable rhythms” of perpetual prayer, chanting, reading, cleaning, and cooking repeat daily ad nauseam. What broke up the monotony were the sounds of traffic, sirens, and voices of passing pedestrians that wafted over the protective outer walls of the convent: distractions from introspection which caused her to pray even more. Did she choose this religious vocation to serve God or herself?
After seven years of complete silence and perpetual prayer, she is relocated to Light of the Sea: a self-sufficient cabal of women, located in the Pacific Northwest. This order has been excommunicated by the Catholic Church for their disregard for canonical dogma which flies in the face of all that Sister Angeline believes. The five women of this order live in yurts, and describe themselves as, “an intentional spiritual community inclusive of all.” They are a family that rely on each other and serve an ambivalent community. Sister Angeline is the literal fish out of water when she first arrives. How will she react to this drastic change that also causes her to question who she is, and how she has lived and believed for seven years?
This is a story of shame, forgiveness, worthiness, community, and love. If you enjoy books that deal with the conflicts between our perceptions, and the ability to learn to trust, I think you will enjoy this novel.
I would like to thank Goodreads Giveaways and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
After seven years of complete silence and perpetual prayer, she is relocated to Light of the Sea: a self-sufficient cabal of women, located in the Pacific Northwest. This order has been excommunicated by the Catholic Church for their disregard for canonical dogma which flies in the face of all that Sister Angeline believes. The five women of this order live in yurts, and describe themselves as, “an intentional spiritual community inclusive of all.” They are a family that rely on each other and serve an ambivalent community. Sister Angeline is the literal fish out of water when she first arrives. How will she react to this drastic change that also causes her to question who she is, and how she has lived and believed for seven years?
This is a story of shame, forgiveness, worthiness, community, and love. If you enjoy books that deal with the conflicts between our perceptions, and the ability to learn to trust, I think you will enjoy this novel.
I would like to thank Goodreads Giveaways and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 3, 2022
Angeline, Anna Quinn’s second novel, expertly evokes the complexity of our world’s situation in her well-drawn microcosm of life on Beckett Island where Sister Angeline is sent when the Chicago nunnery she has lived in must close. Even there, authoritarian power and misogyny past and present intrude on the peaceful and stirring natural Northwest environment. Sister Angeline’s adaptation to the free-spirited convent will keep you reading to learn what lies at the bottom of acts of violence, against nature, against others, even against one’s own life. Five stars for this novel that speaks compellingly through the heart of a way forward to a better future for us all. -- Sheila Bender, Since Then: Poems and Short Prose
April 3, 2024
*Thank you to author Anna Quinn for this signed giveaway win!
5.0
Atone, anger, yurt…
Being the only family member to survive a tragic accident, 16yo Meg joins a cloistered Chicago convent.
When the Diocese closes the convent due to a lack of money, Meg / Sister Angeline is sent to the Light of the Sea Convent on Beckett Island in the PNW.
Her new life will “set in motion” in this fairy tale of a place with a group of five radical nuns. She will come to grips with being a “new person in a new place.” Her life will be a dramatic opposite of her past in Chicago. She will struggle to adapt to her new environs.
A tale of blame, guilt, insight, forgiveness, self-worth, and self-forgiveness.
*Very unique & one-of-a-kind storyline!
*The lifestyle of the nuns of the Light of the Sea was unanticipated to me! I did NOT see this coming!
*Meg / Sister Angeline sure had a journey of self-exploration! She will learn self-forgiveness , among other things.
*Eloquent writing style. Very descriptive writing. Ex: her arrival on the island.
*Oh my! A startling ending/epilogue! It should astound you!
5.0
Atone, anger, yurt…
Being the only family member to survive a tragic accident, 16yo Meg joins a cloistered Chicago convent.
When the Diocese closes the convent due to a lack of money, Meg / Sister Angeline is sent to the Light of the Sea Convent on Beckett Island in the PNW.
Her new life will “set in motion” in this fairy tale of a place with a group of five radical nuns. She will come to grips with being a “new person in a new place.” Her life will be a dramatic opposite of her past in Chicago. She will struggle to adapt to her new environs.
A tale of blame, guilt, insight, forgiveness, self-worth, and self-forgiveness.
*Very unique & one-of-a-kind storyline!
*The lifestyle of the nuns of the Light of the Sea was unanticipated to me! I did NOT see this coming!
*Meg / Sister Angeline sure had a journey of self-exploration! She will learn self-forgiveness , among other things.
*Eloquent writing style. Very descriptive writing. Ex: her arrival on the island.
*Oh my! A startling ending/epilogue! It should astound you!
Read
November 25, 2022A feeling of suspense led me through Anna Quinn's second book, "Angeline." The novel is an evocative, smart, fast-paced, rewarding read, full of humanity and mysticism.
Caroline Seibert
Artist and Writer
Caroline Seibert
Artist and Writer
November 15, 2023
Five strong stars! I would give this book 10 stars if I could. Angeline is a story of love, courage, sorrow, strength, women’s rights, animal rights, planet earth, spirituality & acceptance. Beautifully written like probably nothing you’ve ever read. I didn’t want to deface the book, or I would’ve taken a yellow highlighter to several paragraphs. Anna Quinn is an amazingly talented author. This book will remain in my library, and re-read from time to time. Such a good experience, immersing myself in these pages the last couple weeks.
May 24, 2025
I really enjoyed this beautiful story.
February 28, 2023
Anna Quinn has created a fable for the ages with Angeline. Like a classic ancient tale and yet so intimately familiar with modern culture and landscape, it was so beautifully painted with her words. This haunting tale will stay with me for a long time! I was transported!
How strikingly daring, ambitious and bold is this work! It takes some real chutzpa to blend the supernatural with poignant political commentary, but she totally made it work! Tell a great enough story and you can lead your audience anywhere! Compassion triumphs over violence. Bullying and misogyny cause real harm. Desperately needed messages for our troubled times!
It’s a gorgeous and very sensuous read. I loved the poetry of her prose with delicious combinations of words that I’ve never seen together in the same sentence before! I had to re-read a lot of lines, savoring the unique writing style. Her words engaged all my senses with descriptions of sounds, sights, and smells. I could taste the salt… the cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup… the blood. It all holds together beautifully. I never wanted to skim ahead to see what happened next because every word mattered and was thoughtfully placed. But not too thoughtfully either—never rigid. The stream of consciousness aspect carried me right on down the stream.
For a while through early chapters, I had no idea which direction things were going. And then complex layers of mystery unfolded with surprise after surprise. Once I got halfway through, I couldn’t put it down. The tension built masterfully—all the way to the thrilling climax. I felt as if I really got to know these characters—and wanted to find out more and more about them as their troubled pasts were revealed at just the right pace. I didn’t want the book to end and was delighted to find the epilogue (written in documentary style) about how the characters lived out the rest of their lives—in future years, no less. Just ingenious and very amusing!
This book would make a great movie! The way Quinn paints pictures in every scene with cascades of poetic words, weaving descriptions and secondary activities into all the dialogues is masterfully visual. From the cult-like cloister in Chicago to the richness of the island landscape and the depth of the characters, this story truly lends itself to cinema.
Reading Angeline carried me through a range of feelings and emotions, from states of wonder to abject rage at the profound injustices of our modern age. This is the kind of story with the power to change lives. I hope Angeline is a bestseller. It deserves to be. And it really should be made into a blockbuster film!
How strikingly daring, ambitious and bold is this work! It takes some real chutzpa to blend the supernatural with poignant political commentary, but she totally made it work! Tell a great enough story and you can lead your audience anywhere! Compassion triumphs over violence. Bullying and misogyny cause real harm. Desperately needed messages for our troubled times!
It’s a gorgeous and very sensuous read. I loved the poetry of her prose with delicious combinations of words that I’ve never seen together in the same sentence before! I had to re-read a lot of lines, savoring the unique writing style. Her words engaged all my senses with descriptions of sounds, sights, and smells. I could taste the salt… the cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup… the blood. It all holds together beautifully. I never wanted to skim ahead to see what happened next because every word mattered and was thoughtfully placed. But not too thoughtfully either—never rigid. The stream of consciousness aspect carried me right on down the stream.
For a while through early chapters, I had no idea which direction things were going. And then complex layers of mystery unfolded with surprise after surprise. Once I got halfway through, I couldn’t put it down. The tension built masterfully—all the way to the thrilling climax. I felt as if I really got to know these characters—and wanted to find out more and more about them as their troubled pasts were revealed at just the right pace. I didn’t want the book to end and was delighted to find the epilogue (written in documentary style) about how the characters lived out the rest of their lives—in future years, no less. Just ingenious and very amusing!
This book would make a great movie! The way Quinn paints pictures in every scene with cascades of poetic words, weaving descriptions and secondary activities into all the dialogues is masterfully visual. From the cult-like cloister in Chicago to the richness of the island landscape and the depth of the characters, this story truly lends itself to cinema.
Reading Angeline carried me through a range of feelings and emotions, from states of wonder to abject rage at the profound injustices of our modern age. This is the kind of story with the power to change lives. I hope Angeline is a bestseller. It deserves to be. And it really should be made into a blockbuster film!
February 22, 2023
Meg was only sixteen years old when she joined a cloistered convent. She believes she is responsible for the car accident that killed her entire family and unborn child. Her way of repenting is to join the convent and take a vow of silence, praying for other people’s suffering. Meg (or Sister Angeline) is transferred to an unconventional convent in the Pacific Northwest when her convent is closed due to a lack of funds. The nuns at that convent are quirky. They believe in the power to use their voices, aren’t cloistered, and do not follow the Catholic Church’s laws. Angeline touches lives with several people during her first months there: an abused child who is being failed by the system, an angry teenager, the teenager’s EMT father who has survivor’s guilt, and a priest who is losing his congregation to the nuns Sunday masses. Angeline also discovers a power for healing that she thought was lost. Will Angeline stay at the convent? Will she be able to heal and help everyone whose life she has touched? Will she be able to forgive herself?
Meg (or Sister Angeline) was the main character in Angeline. I wasn’t sure of her at the beginning of the book, but that was because I didn’t know her entire story. But as I read the book and got a good look at who she was, I was heartbroken for everything she had endured. I also felt that her being transferred to the convent in the Pacific Northwest was suitable for her. Being around those eccentric nuns helped her accept what happened to her. They also made her see that the world wasn’t to be shut away but to be enjoyed.
Speaking of the nuns, I loved them. They were sassy and weren’t afraid to tell people like it was. Of course, they each had their backstory, and how the author introduced those backstories was terrific. One nun had a son who was murdered by gun violence. Another was under political asylum. Another was a raging feminist who was vocal about LGBTQ/abortion rights. And two were mysteries, and I didn’t expect their backstories. It was those backstories that framed Angeline’s story.
As I detailed in the plot summary, Angeline suffered an immense loss. Her loss is an essential part of the main storyline. As was Angeline’s horror of being transferred to a convent with rebel nuns. But, like her Mother Superior, I thought it best for her. And it was. Angeline was able to connect with so many people on the island. She even tried to help a few of them. I loved how the author wove a paranormal element into the book about halfway through and made it an essential part of the storyline. It was almost believable because of the way the author wrote it.
There are some scarier elements to Angeline. They crop up around the middle of the book and aren’t resolved until the end. Be warned, some of these elements can get a little intense (mainly with the priest).
The end of Angeline felt rushed and tacked on. While the author wrapped up all the storylines, I was left with a bad feeling. Mainly because I didn’t like how the ending was.
I recommend Angeline to anyone over 21. There is violence, some mild language, and nongraphic sexual situations.
Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley, and Anna Quinn for allowing me to read and review Angeline. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Meg (or Sister Angeline) was the main character in Angeline. I wasn’t sure of her at the beginning of the book, but that was because I didn’t know her entire story. But as I read the book and got a good look at who she was, I was heartbroken for everything she had endured. I also felt that her being transferred to the convent in the Pacific Northwest was suitable for her. Being around those eccentric nuns helped her accept what happened to her. They also made her see that the world wasn’t to be shut away but to be enjoyed.
Speaking of the nuns, I loved them. They were sassy and weren’t afraid to tell people like it was. Of course, they each had their backstory, and how the author introduced those backstories was terrific. One nun had a son who was murdered by gun violence. Another was under political asylum. Another was a raging feminist who was vocal about LGBTQ/abortion rights. And two were mysteries, and I didn’t expect their backstories. It was those backstories that framed Angeline’s story.
As I detailed in the plot summary, Angeline suffered an immense loss. Her loss is an essential part of the main storyline. As was Angeline’s horror of being transferred to a convent with rebel nuns. But, like her Mother Superior, I thought it best for her. And it was. Angeline was able to connect with so many people on the island. She even tried to help a few of them. I loved how the author wove a paranormal element into the book about halfway through and made it an essential part of the storyline. It was almost believable because of the way the author wrote it.
There are some scarier elements to Angeline. They crop up around the middle of the book and aren’t resolved until the end. Be warned, some of these elements can get a little intense (mainly with the priest).
The end of Angeline felt rushed and tacked on. While the author wrapped up all the storylines, I was left with a bad feeling. Mainly because I didn’t like how the ending was.
I recommend Angeline to anyone over 21. There is violence, some mild language, and nongraphic sexual situations.
Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley, and Anna Quinn for allowing me to read and review Angeline. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
February 22, 2023
When she took a life of prayer, I felt that this was an easy way out for Angeline. Entering the convent, she would have very few choices in her life. Living a life as a nun, her life would be structured, safe, and she’d be closely watched. Angeline saw this as a safe option and as she prayed for those who were sick, troubled, or suffering, Angeline’s own horrible loss of her own family was still sitting in the back of her mind.
Her comfort zone came to end when the convent she had grown to love had to close. Angeline was moved to another facility which was more tolerant and liberal of the world around them. The strict convent rules of the past, in which Angeline had become comfortable with are now cast aside and she now must learn how to adapt. Dressed in jeans, the other nuns spent less time in prayer and more time in fellowship and other activities. Were greater things in store for her here or was this a new challenge that God placed before her, to strengthen her? Moving into a yurt, I had to smile thinking about Angeline adjusting to this more relaxed atmosphere.
An item inside her yurt brings back childhood memories and I saw a side of Angeline that she had been hiding. What brought this on? I had to know. The book picks up speed as someone begins threatening the Sisters in this convent but who would do that and why now? As we dig deeper into Angeline’s past, we find that she’s been hiding something special from everyone. Are these items related?
I enjoyed the character of Angeline, she felt childlike and innocent until her world took a turn. The storyline was not what I expected when I started reading this book, I enjoyed all the twists that the author added. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Anna Quinn, and NetGalley for my copy of this book. This review is my own opinion of this book. 4.5 stars
Her comfort zone came to end when the convent she had grown to love had to close. Angeline was moved to another facility which was more tolerant and liberal of the world around them. The strict convent rules of the past, in which Angeline had become comfortable with are now cast aside and she now must learn how to adapt. Dressed in jeans, the other nuns spent less time in prayer and more time in fellowship and other activities. Were greater things in store for her here or was this a new challenge that God placed before her, to strengthen her? Moving into a yurt, I had to smile thinking about Angeline adjusting to this more relaxed atmosphere.
An item inside her yurt brings back childhood memories and I saw a side of Angeline that she had been hiding. What brought this on? I had to know. The book picks up speed as someone begins threatening the Sisters in this convent but who would do that and why now? As we dig deeper into Angeline’s past, we find that she’s been hiding something special from everyone. Are these items related?
I enjoyed the character of Angeline, she felt childlike and innocent until her world took a turn. The storyline was not what I expected when I started reading this book, I enjoyed all the twists that the author added. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Anna Quinn, and NetGalley for my copy of this book. This review is my own opinion of this book. 4.5 stars
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