Following World War II, a British widow joins a Benedictine monastery in this poignant New York Times bestseller from the author of Black Narcissus. For most of her adult life, Philippa Talbot has been a successful British professional. Now in her forties, the World War II-widow has made a startling decision: She’s giving up her civil service career and elite social standing to join a convent … social standing to join a convent as a postulant Roman Catholic nun.
In Sussex in the south of England, Philippa begins her new life inside Brede Abbey, a venerable, 130-year-old Benedictine monastery. Taking her place among a diverse group of extraordinary women, young and old, she is welcomed into the surprisingly rich and complex world of the devout, whom faith, fate, and circumstance have led there. From their personal stories, both uplifting and heartbreaking, Philippa draws great strength in the weeks, months, and years that follow, as the confidence, conflicts, and poignant humanity of her fellow sisters serve to validate her love and sacred purpose.
But a time of great upheaval in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church approaches as the winds of change blow at gale force. And for the financially troubled Brede and the acolytes within, it will take no less than a miracle to weather the storm.
Author Rumer Godden spent three years living in close proximity to Stanbrook Abbey in Worcestershire communing with the Benedictine nuns in preparation for the writing of this beloved bestseller. The result is an honest and unforgettable novel of love, sacrifice, and devotion, a major literary achievement from the acclaimed author of Black Narcissus and The River.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of the author including rare images from the Rumer Godden Literary Estate.
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I have always been fascinated by convent/monastic life, and I loved the picture of the Benedictine nuns.
If you’ve wondered what it would be like to live as a cloistered nun, this is the novel for you. If you’ve ever wondered why someone would join a monastery and live a life apart from the world, this is the novel for you. It is a quiet novel, it is gentle and yet, it is deeply moving. I loved every page of it.
I loved In This House of Brede. I was afraid the novel might be boring or dry but from the first pages it held my attention and I was drawn into the lives of these contemplative nuns. A beautiful story about hope, endurance, suffering, prayer and love.
Great book with lots of introspective aspects to the story. A group of women in a cloistered convent find themselves caught up in problems and solutions best left to God. An inspirational story!
I’ve read this book several times, and my paperback is shredding, so I recently added it to my Kindle.
The characters are living in a monastery becoming nuns. I know nothing about what it means to be catholic or becoming a nun, so I learned a lot while getting to know these remarkable women.
Everything in The Department is going on well, when on a Friday afternoon Mrs. Talbot, the second to the head of the department walks out the door never to return. This is a chronicle of the metamorphosis of Mrs. Talbot into the cloistered nun, Dame Philippa. A journey of self discovery and self change. Set in mid 20th century England, in a relatively isolated monastery, this story speaks of the inner journey we face as we struggle with modern day issues and how we face them. Philippa walks both out of and into the modern world. While she seeks peace, she finds that it is sometimes difficult to find even behind the high walls of the monastery. She sees her personal weaknesses the most difficult of struggles, but ultimately finds much more than what she sought
Beautiful, Rummer Godden is a gifted writer. I have read several of her books and loved them all.
I was delighted to find this book in a digital edition, so I can reread it whenever I am on a trip. It is one of my favorite books and well worth rereading. I have had a hardback copy for years and later bought a paperback copy to share with friends.
Well researched, learning what day to day life was like for these nun was interesting. I’m not catholic so it was a little too much detail about the different rites. Would recommend.
I’ve loved this book since i first read it many decades ago. Very clear, heart-centered story of a life of a deeply spiritual woman. Beautiful character portrayals.
This is my favorite book of all time. I have read it at least once a year since I was 11 and I find something new to love every time. The characters are wonderful and believable, the plot interesting and engaging, the insight and truths revealed timeless. Highly recommended.
Although slightly dated, still a lovely story of the very human and diverse women in an order of cloistered nuns.
I enjoy this author so much. She is creative, original. Every book is different. “In This House of Brede”, the reader wonders if the main character will stay in the path that she has chosen when there are human obstacles and hurting hearts. But she stays true to her vocation, goes out of her comfort zone and practices being the person of faith she is becoming and encourages those in her “house”. It was deeply moving.
I found the descriptions of monastic life fascinating. The characters were very real. Ms Godden researched well. She has a knack for making her characters seem like genuine people with real strengths and foibles
Difficult to get into at first but once characters are separated, story line is wonderful. Besides informative about cloistered life within the Abby the description of grounds and food is wonderful. You feel as if you can actually see what the author is seeing. Always favorite characters and the “villain” are included in this fictional 1950’s era.
This is one of my two all time favorite books. The characters are very realistic, I find great peace in reading this.
Easily Rumer Godden’s best work. While the story is about nuns, there is much more to read that is not of a religious matter. I have read it five times already
Although this is a novel, “In This House of Brede,” provides great insight into the monastic life of nuns in the pre-Vatican II era. The only drawback is its religious terminology. Rather than defining when a term is first used, the author provides a glossary of terms that the reader must refer if he does not know the term. I found this distracting.