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In this House of Brede
In this House of Brede: A Virago Modern Classic | Rumer Godden
12 posts | 20 read | 20 to read
'The motto was Pax but the word was set in a circle of thorns. Peace, but what a strange peace, made of unremitting toil and effort.' Bruised by tragedy, Philippa Talbot leaves behind a successful career with the civil service for a new calling: to join an enclosed order of Benedictine nuns. In this small community of fewer than one hundred women, she soon discovers all the human frailties: jealousy, love, despair. But each crisis of heart and conscience is guided by the compassion and intelligence of the Abbess and by the Sisters' shared bond of faith and ritual. Away from the world, and yet at one with it, Philippa must learn to forgive and forget her past . . .
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review
jlhammar
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Pickpick

Wonderful. I didn‘t want it to end.

#NunLit

Tamra I have this one TBR …… someday. 🤞🏾 11mo
rubyslippersreads ❤️ this book! 11mo
batsy I need to add this to the list! 11mo
Centique I loved this one too 💕 11mo
60 likes4 comments
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Chrissyreadit
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Today is my litsyversary and to celebrate 7 years in my favorite community I‘m posting books I Loved so much when I read them I had a book hangover- I‘m not sure why this group of books- there are many more- but these are the ones I chose. What are some books that live in your heart years after you read them?

JamieArc Happy Litsyversary 🎉. So glad you are here! 11mo
BookLineNSinker Congratulations! 👏🎉 I aspire to be just like you! So blessed to have this community of like-minded bookworms! Happy Litsyversary!! 11mo
IndoorDame Happy Litsyversary!!! What a cool way to celebrate!!! 11mo
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Librarybelle Happy Litsyversary!! I love your way of celebrating! 11mo
TrishB Great post 👍🏻 happy litsyversary. The Stand will forever be in my book heart! 11mo
Prairiegirl_reading Happy Litsyversary!! 11mo
Soubhiville Happy Litsyversary! Watership Down is one of my very favorite books! I also loved The Stand and Moon of the Crusted Snow. 🙂 other hangover inducing books for me?… Kushiel‘s Dart by Jacqueline Carey and 11mo
squirrelbrain Happy Litsyversary! 🎉🎉🎉 11mo
psalva Happy Litsyversary! 📚🎉 11mo
marleed Happy Litsyversary! 11mo
TheBookgeekFrau Happy Litsyversary!!! 🎉🎉 11mo
Chrissyreadit @Soubhiville I‘ve been told I would love Kushiels Dart so many times! 11mo
Cheryl_Russell_BookNotes Happy Litsyversary! Some of my book hangovers are The Midnight Circus and A Man Called Ove. 11mo
AmyG Happy Litsyversary! I am so happy you joined. 🎉 11mo
mrp27 Happy Litsyversary!! 🎉📚🎉📚 11mo
Deblovestoread Happy Litsyversary 🎉📚❤️ 11mo
LeahBergen Happy Litsyversary! 📚📚 11mo
JessClark78 Happy Litsyversary! 🎊📚🎉 11mo
MaureenMc 🎉🎉🎉 11mo
Gissy Happy Litsyversary! 📚📚📚🥳🎉🎉🎉🥰 11mo
Hooked_on_books Happy Litsyversary! For me, the book that immediately comes to mind is Bryan Washington‘s Just Mercy. I‘ll never forget it. 11mo
Reggie Happy Litsyversary!!! Circe, I love that book and every time Greek mythology gets brought up at work I have to talk about Circe. 11mo
Bookzombie Happy Litsyversary! I love that you have Moon of the Crusted Snow on here. So good! There is a sequel coming out next year. 🙂 11mo
Chrissyreadit @Bookzombie Ohhh! I‘m still grateful you gifted it to me 😘😘😘 Did you read it? 11mo
Bookzombie @Chrissyreadit I‘m so embarrassed as I forgot I gifted it to you. 😊 Yes, I loved it. 11mo
Chrissyreadit @Bookzombie you‘re sweet- it‘s only a sign of how much i loved it that i remembered- and that it meant a lot to me 💗 11mo
Chelsea.Poole Happy Litsyversary!! 📚 I really want to read Moon of the Crusted Snow after seeing so much love for it here! 11mo
Chrissyreadit @Chelsea.Poole Yes! read it!!! 11mo
74 likes29 comments
review
Beatlefan129
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Pickpick

As I am not Catholic,I was hesitant to read this,but I quite enjoyed it.The story begins with Phillippa leaving her high-level job to enter the Benedictine order at Brede,which shocks her friends.As she learns her place & adjusts to the contemplative life the nuns lead in this order,we get to meet her sisters & explore the dramas that apparently accompany any group of women who live together.There was a lovely feeling of peace throughout this book

jlhammar I‘m planning to read this in December. Looking forward to it! 2y
69 likes3 stack adds1 comment
review
MaureenMc
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Pickpick

Do you want to read a novel about cloistered nuns in a monastery in 1960s Great Britain? Yes, you do! I see your skeptical gaze, but trust me - this book is not what you (probably) think it is. Loss, grief, love, jealousy, and duty are explored through a cast of exquisitely drawn characters. And most of the book certainly passes the Bechdel test. 😁

Chrissyreadit I completely AGREE!!! I could not believe how good this book was!!! I‘ve recommended it several times ❤️❤️ 6y
cathysaid Sold! 6y
RealLifeReading Stacked! 6y
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mabell Great review! 😂😄 6y
Tamra I do! 6y
25 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Beatlefan129
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Thank you so much! This is such a thoughtful surprise 😁#KindLitsy

rubyslippersreads You‘re very welcome! 😊 6y
59 likes1 comment
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Chrissyreadit
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I thought the joining of a cloister as a #freezeframe on life. But after reading In This House Of Brede I had a very different perspective. BTW this book was not anything I expected and is a great read! #winterwonderland

Cinfhen Sounds interesting 6y
Chrissyreadit @Cinfhen I read it based on a recommendation and am so glad I did! I still think about it years later. It was definitely not what I expected. 6y
AmyG It‘s an excellent read! 6y
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TrishB Stacked, sounds interesting. 6y
Chrissyreadit @TrishB I look forward to hearing your thoughts! It is not quite how it is described- in depth character studies, tragedy, human nature... 6y
Centique @Chrissyreadit I loved it too! @AmyG I‘m so glad to find others who have read it so i can fangirl about it. 😍What a beautifully slow immersive book it was - and who knew so much intrigue went on inside a cloistered nunnery! 6y
Chrissyreadit @Centique yes! It is a testament to Rumor Goddens talent- I‘m sure very few people could have turned this into the book it is. I love knowing others loved it too! 6y
74 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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brownekr
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Pickpick

Add to the list of things I read because Jo Walton mentioned them in a column once or twice.

It looks like I'm the first person to check out our library copy since 1984.

It's very much a book interested in white women of a certain class--the prologue with Penny & Philippa is drawn so precisely, for example, while Sister Thecla, the Japanese postulants, & the claustral sisters are never fully developed. Overall, though, I enjoyed it more than not

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BookHermit
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Me too, Dame 😂

27 likes1 stack add
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BookHermit
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This will do nicely, thank you ☺️

MrBook Nice! 8y
LeahBergen It's so pretty! 8y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Lovely! Although if this were a book cover, your shadow would denote sinister goings-on. 8y
BookHermit @TobeyTheScavengerMonk it does look kind of sinister, doesn't it? Just needs to be in high contrast black and white. 8y
39 likes4 comments
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mrsthilkey
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I've read lots of great children's books from this decade, but I can't come up with a single adult book. Here are two from my TBR, so I can rectify this soon.

Maybe a good reading challenge for me next year would be a reading through the decades challenge?!

#publishedinthe1960s #aprilbookshowers

review
Centique
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Pickpick

This 1960s novel tells the story of a 42 yr old woman who decides to join a closed community of Benedictine nuns. Ive no knowledge of Catholicism so this was an insight into something unimaginable. Godden was assisted by nuns from a closed order in getting details right. You follow the seasons of the community, the ups and downs of personalities and spiritual struggles. It is a quiet book but gave me a feeling of peace I hadn't felt for a while.

EvieBee I love Rumer but haven't read this! Sitting on my shelf, though. 😀 8y
Centique Oh good @EvieBee84 I hope you enjoy it. Possibly a good pick for when you want to retreat from the world a little bit. Took about a third of the book to get me hooked 😊👍 8y
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