Mariette in Ecstasy Review

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Mariette in Ecstasy ReviewRon Hansen's MARIETTE IN ECTASY is yet another work that I have stumbled across (is there really such a thing as an accident...?) that will go onto my mental shelf of the finest books I've read. It's a testament to Hansen's imaginationg and writing skills that a story set in a convent in upstate New York in 1906 could be so compelling, so deeply moving, so filled with achingly crafted images that reveal everyday things in such a new light. The cloistered sisters, seen by outsiders as drab and similar in appearances, blossom in Hansen's hands as distinct individuals, their characters as varied and deeply developed as any in fiction. Their devotion, their hopes and fears, their humor, their emotions are all brought to life vividly -- and with the arrival of seventeen year-old Mariette into their midst as as aspiring postulant, everything about their lives changes.
Mariette -- blood sister of the current prioress -- is a very devout girl, given to episodes of ecstacy. Her father, a physician, decribes her as being perhaps 'too highly strung' for a religious calling. She is a naturally beautiful young woman -- and this fact alone arouses a bit of jealousy and suspicion among her sisters-to-be. As her ecstatic experiences increase in both frequency and occurrance, some of these suspicions deepen -- and we can see a veritable wall rise up dividing those in the order who love and adore her, taking her experiences as fact, and those who are certain that she is a charlatan, taking them all for a ride.
Which group is correct? The reader must come to this conclusion in his or her own way -- Hansen tells this story so wonderfully, leaving us to decide. He draws no firm, easy answers for us. This is not a Hollywood film story, all tied up nicely with a bow -- this is a story intended to make us think, to consider its events for ourselves, filtering it as we must, each through the beliefs, imaginations and intellects which we have developed over the courses of our lives. This is that rare level of writing that is honoring to its readers -- it tells a beautiful, meaningful story without hammering home a preconceived point. It respects our intelligence, at the same time being enormously entertaining.Mariette in Ecstasy Overview

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An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life Review

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An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life Review"An Unquenchable Thirst" is a memoir of the twenty years that Mary Johnson, a young woman from Texas, spent in the Missionaries of Charity, the order begun by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Entering the convent at age 19, Mary found herself in a community steeped in pre-Vatican II spirituality. Spiritual practices one associates more with the Middle Ages, such as wearing chains and whipping oneself nightly, were commonplace. One was expected to give oneself over totally to the will of one's superiors, and novices were taught that to question the superior or the Church was to question God. As the author tells it, mind control was practiced by those in authority, all in the name of fidelity to God. Inevitably, shame, guilt, and even mental illness followed. Most of the young women in Mary's class could not live under such conditions and left the order, but Mary and one other in her class remained.
An intelligent and compassionate person, Mary was sent to study in Rome, where she excelled. At the conclusion of her studies, she was put in charge of a group of novices, a job she handled well despite her own growing doubts and awakening sexuality. Pursued by an aggressive younger nun to whom she was attracted, Mary experienced sexual feelings for the first time. Knowing that she has violated her vow of chastity, Mary turns to her confessor, a sympathetic young priest with whom she eventually falls in love. Because the sisters are discouraged from having human friendships, it is difficult for Mary to tell the difference between the simple need for human connection and more complicated sexual attraction.
At the same time, a political coup was underway in the community. The ultra-conservative and anti-intellectual first and second councillors managed to have all the sisters who were studying at Rome's Regina Mundi university removed under the pretext that a priest there was teaching doctrine contrary to Church law on abortion. This is the last straw for Mary, and she requests a leave of absence, to the shock of everyone in the community, including Mother Teresa, who herself urges Mary to stay.
This memoir is amazingly detailed, and although the author admits that conversations are not verbatim, they have the ring of truth. I kept wondering if Mary had kept a journal or diary during her time in the community. I was also struck by the fact that Mary never excuses herself when she makes a mistake or does the "wrong" thing; indeed, I think she is far too hard on herself. That said, at 539 pages, the book is overlong and could have used a good editor. Still, it kept me interested. I was happy that Mary eventually found joy in marriage and career outside the community. I was also interested in the fuller portrait of Mother Teresa, who emerges as a more complex human being with great sanctity but also human flaws and blind spots.
Readers who are interested in a look into Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity will enjoy this book, though some may be dismayed if they view Mother Teresa and her order as perfect. Likewise, very conservative readers may be put off by some of the content. I recommend "An Unquenchable Thirst" to open-minded readers who see the world in all its complexity rather than in black and white.An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life Overview

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