Review of ANOTHER Nun's Story

[Saint Bruno]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "ANOTHER Nun's Story" by Beth Warren.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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ANOTHER Nun's Story by Beth Warren is a memoir of the author's experiences as a nun from the 1940s to the 1980s. Beth Warren admired the spirituality and humanness of the nuns she saw and wanted to be like them. So she decided to discard her earlier intentions of becoming a nurse to take a vow of celibacy, poverty, and service.

As a nun, Beth discovered that she had to conform to blind obedience like other nuns. Some of the rules didn't make sense to her, and one had to follow the given instructions to perform a task even when there was a better way to do it. After her vows, she was constantly transferred from one school to another as a teacher without any solid reasons. In the 1960s, Pope John XXIII directed religious Communities to become more involved with helping people outside their convents, and Beth was eager to do just that. However, she never expected the resistance and troubles that awaited her. She had to decide to either leave or remain in the Religious Community. Making that decision wasn't easy, and Beth soon turned to alcohol to be able to sleep. One day, she nearly drank herself to death and was found unconscious in her apartment. Fortunately, the author has now stayed sober for 40 years.

What I liked most about this book is the author's engaging and intriguing writing style. From the first page, I became hooked and eager to know what happened next due to her captivating narrating skills. Considering that I have been wondering how nuns coped with life in the convent, this book provided satisfying answers. The chapters in the book are short and titled according to each stage or noteworthy event in the author's life. The author's narrations also followed a linear timeline most of the time, which made her story easy to follow and understand.

I must also commend the author for the courage to share her story with us. She did it without sugarcoating anything or trying to hide her shortcomings. More so, not everyone will be this courageous to point out some of the issues within the religious Community of the Catholic Church. Even though times have since changed, I believe religious Communities can still learn a thing or two from the author's story.

Furthermore, I appreciate the author's message of diligence and the need to learn and improve on our endeavors. For example, the author didn't have any experience in teaching, but she put herself into it and became an outstanding teacher. Also, I love how the book promotes the need to seek professional help for addictions like alcoholism.

Nevertheless, there were things that I didn't enjoy about the book. The introduction of some of the people in the book seemed rushed. There were times that I felt I missed a person's first introduction. I would go back and find that that wasn't the case. Additionally, I got confused at one point in the narration where the author told us that she wanted to visit her mother. That is because she also told us about her mother's death before the planned visit. However, that was the only time I didn't understand the timeline and sequence of events.

In conclusion, I had a good time reading this book, and I am grateful for the lessons I learned from it. In my opinion, the issues I noted above are negligible, and I don't think the book deserves to lose a star for them. Perhaps 3.5 stars would have been more appropriate, considering I also found some errors in the book. But since I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, I am rating it four out of four stars, regardless. I recommend Another Nun's Story to readers interested in memoirs about nuns and their intriguing experiences.

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ANOTHER Nun's Story
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[Raluca_Mihaila]

Thank you for this wonderful review! I find the book very appealing because I resonate with Beth' approach of religion. She seems like an admirable person.

[Rayah Raouf]

This sounds lovely. I wouldn't have thought that a book about a Nun would sound so interesting. I didn't expect them to go through any difficulties at all. Thank you for the great review

[Derick Bulasio]

This book is a good one since it is concerned with religious faith

[Kavita Shah]

It sounds really interesting. The writing style sounds engaging and the story being true in telling without sugar coating anything is really commendable.

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

I know for a fact that I wouldn't cut it as a nun. I am extremely devoted but I'm also too strong-willed. I would most likely bend and break rules and disregard instructions. I have new-found respect for nuns that's for sure! Awesome review!

[MsH2k]

It is sometimes easy to think of nuns as being so different from us because of their vocation. But like us, they are human beings with lives and problems too. I appreciate the author’s transparency around her alcoholism, and I’m so glad she found the support she needed to get and remain sober. Thank you for a wonderful review!

[cd20]

I think this book sounds very interesting. We don't often think of nuns or their stories, except maybe with Mother Teresa. So, I love that the author has written her story, not leaving out her struggles, it makes nuns seem more relatable if you will. Thank you for an engaging review!