This book describes the adventures of a 50-something lady (twice divorced, mother of three and at the time engaged soon to be married) who, following a sudden calling, decided to enter the religious orders. I chose the book because I was interested to see how an outsider would cope with the doctrine and constraints of the different religious institutes (Anglican and Roman Catholic).

Predictably, obedience would prove to be a tough one as well as monotony, conformity and humility. Along her spiritual journey of self-discovery, the author faced unresolved issues spawn from a traumatic past episode and experienced some bizarre events (no spoilers).

The book provides interesting inside information and some surprising facts (who knew that Gregorian chants had proven beneficial health effects?), however throughout the book, from her superficial comments, I had the impression that Ms Christmas did not have a genuine vocation but rather she was driven by mere curiosity. I hope that her ultimate goal was a genuine spiritual journey and not an excuse to write a book (she is a professional journalist) because otherwise it would mean she took advantage of the nuns and monks who warmly welcomed her in their midst.

While I acknowledge that the book provides some glimpses into the religious life that is largely unknown to the secular world, I didn’t like this book. The author irreverent statements rubbed me the wrong way, they seemed forced and aimed at ridiculing the people around her. Sadly, I think Ms Christmas missed an opportunity to explore the values that the cloistered life can offer and instead chose to use cheap humour to disguise her criticism.
Definitely a “different” read, but one I would not recommend. 1.5 stars