Mere Marie-Helene once turned her back on life, sealing up her heart in order to devote herself to God. Now the formidable Mother Superior of an Irish convent, she has, for some time, been experiencing grave doubts about her vocation. But when she meets Anna Murphy, the youngest-ever boarder, the little girl's solemn, poetic nature captivates her and she feels 'a storm break in her hollow heart'. Between them an unspoken allegiance is formed that will sustain each through the years as the Reverend Mother seeks to combat her growing spiritual aridity and as Anna develops the strength to resist the conventional demands of her background.

*Exquisite, luminous prose from one of the twentieth century's greatest novelists

About the Author
Kate O'Brien (1897-1974) lived in London and also in Spain, where she developed a passionate and enduring love of Spanish literature and culture. One of the twentieth century's greatest novelists, her fiction broke new ground in Irish writing by focusing on the prosperous Catholic bourgeoisie and by giving central importance to women's struggle for selfhood in a rigidly sex-stereotyped society.

Reviews
This subtle and beautifully constructed novel deals with the conflict between human and divine love * Sunday Times *
If novels can be music, this is a novel with perfect pitch -- Clare Boylan
A fuller appreciation of modern literature and a greater understanding of twentieth century Ireland * Irish Times *
O'Brien exquisitely evokes the harem atmosphere of convent life, the beauty and the silence, the bickering and the cruelties . . . If novels can be music, this is a novel with perfect pitch * Clare Boylan *
A wonderful book, a land to be revisited * Irish Times *
This subtle and beautifully constructed novel deals with the conflict between human and divine love * Sunday Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9781844083169
Author Kate O'Brien
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 259g
Dimensions(mm) 204mm * 130mm * 24mm