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58th out of 104 books
—
153 voters
Lambs of God
by
Marele Day
Carla, Margarita, and Iphigenia are three nuns living in a crumbling monastery on a remote island, forgotten by time, the world, and the church. Their liturgical calendar is governed by the changing of the seasons, and by the rising and setting of the sun. Their days are spent performing a ritual of prayer and storytelling, as they knit the wool of the sheep who inhabit th...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
April 1st 1999
by Riverhead Trade
(first published 1998)
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"Lambs of God" is story about three old sisters minding a flock of sheep in their abandoned convent on an remote island near Greece.
Carla, Margarita, and Iphigenia live in a crumbling monastery, forgotten by time, the world, and the church. All the other sisters have die of old age, and the three have taken on to name the sheep after their own departed. They knit their wool, tend the vegetable garden, and have adopted strange rituals.
A very modern priest is sent there to kick out the sisters....more
Carla, Margarita, and Iphigenia live in a crumbling monastery, forgotten by time, the world, and the church. All the other sisters have die of old age, and the three have taken on to name the sheep after their own departed. They knit their wool, tend the vegetable garden, and have adopted strange rituals.
A very modern priest is sent there to kick out the sisters....more
Concept & Themes: 4/5
I was at first iffy about picking up this book because I am not a religious person. However, the way religion is depicted here is captivating. Lambs Of God is not about stuffy ceremonies and preachy, narrow-minded sermons. It focuses on a simple kind of faith, one that is earthy and extremely human; a religion not of crosses and robes, but of land and blood. I was intrigued by the long, slow look at enclosed monastic life, how it is intertwined with magic and fairy tales...more
I was at first iffy about picking up this book because I am not a religious person. However, the way religion is depicted here is captivating. Lambs Of God is not about stuffy ceremonies and preachy, narrow-minded sermons. It focuses on a simple kind of faith, one that is earthy and extremely human; a religion not of crosses and robes, but of land and blood. I was intrigued by the long, slow look at enclosed monastic life, how it is intertwined with magic and fairy tales...more
This is a rather strange book that I had a hard time getting into but ended up really liking a lot. Three nuns between the ages of late forties to seventies have been living for a very long time on a remote island without any contact with the outside world. Their version of Catholicism blends in nature worship and mythology. Their daily lives consist of, in addition to praying, tending their flock of sheep who they believe are the souls of other nuns who have since passed away, shearing the shee...more
This is a rather strange book about three nuns who live in a crumbling, forgotten monastery in the English countryside. Forgotten by the church establishment & by the world around them, their belief system has evolved into a vaguely Christian/neo-Pagan amalgam with a side of human to animal reincarnation & some rather odd rituals involving knitting, hair & blood. Phew! Church establishment, in search of money, discovers old monastery on map, thinks they can sell property by turning i...more
A sweet book - sort of "chick lit" I guess. Came highly recommended by members of my sewing group and I think I didn't like it as much as they did.
Nonetheless, a fun and fast read. Three nuns, all that remain from a nameless order, are living out their lives with a flock of sheep at the very run-down monastery on an unnamed island which is separated from the mainland at high tide. A priest arrives, not for a pastoral visit: he's there to assess the "uninhabited" (to his knowledge) island for sal...more
Nonetheless, a fun and fast read. Three nuns, all that remain from a nameless order, are living out their lives with a flock of sheep at the very run-down monastery on an unnamed island which is separated from the mainland at high tide. A priest arrives, not for a pastoral visit: he's there to assess the "uninhabited" (to his knowledge) island for sal...more
Three nuns cloistered on a forgotten island live a life totally unto themselves and God......until a priest happens upon them with plans to turn the island into a vacation resort. Both parties are extremely surprised to find each other with very interesting results....
Two of the nuns have lived in the outside world in their girlhood, but the youngest nun was born on the island and has no experience whatsoever with 'civilization'. The three have fallen into very slovenly personal habits, as they...more
Two of the nuns have lived in the outside world in their girlhood, but the youngest nun was born on the island and has no experience whatsoever with 'civilization'. The three have fallen into very slovenly personal habits, as they...more
Another delightful novel by an Australian author that I just stumbled across at the library--it wasn't on my list. It's reminiscent of Michael Golding's delightful Simple Prayers. Two elderly nuns & one younger one in an isolated monastery are visited for the first time in 20 or so years by a priest who wants to turn the monastery into a luxurious spiritual retreat center. The encounter is deeply troubling but ultimately redemptive for all four wonderfully drawn characters.
My mom really liked this book and kept telling me how glad she was that she had read it. So then I was concerned that I would not find it at all worth reading.
Should not have worried. My mom and I don't agree on all books, but this one was a delight. This story of Carla, Margarita, Iphigenia, nuns who continue to serve God long after the church have forgotten them is a well told tale of good triumphing over everything.
I really enjoyed the nuns, the sheep and the priest who means so well, but l...more
Should not have worried. My mom and I don't agree on all books, but this one was a delight. This story of Carla, Margarita, Iphigenia, nuns who continue to serve God long after the church have forgotten them is a well told tale of good triumphing over everything.
I really enjoyed the nuns, the sheep and the priest who means so well, but l...more
I had never heard of Marele Day before hearing of this novel on the knitting community Ravelry. It was mentioned in one discussion of novels with knitting as a theme. Many participants recommended this novel, so I got curious.
It´s a very weird novel and difficult to describe. Three nuns live peacefully on a remote and deserted island together with their sheep. They breed sheep for food, wool and company. They live in a closed community dependent only of themselves, the sheep and God.
Something ha...more
It´s a very weird novel and difficult to describe. Three nuns live peacefully on a remote and deserted island together with their sheep. They breed sheep for food, wool and company. They live in a closed community dependent only of themselves, the sheep and God.
Something ha...more
Very quirky, funny, touching and different, about 3 totally self-sufficient sheep-raising elderly nuns in a remote and almost-forgotten monastery (in Ireland?), on an island (in high tide) and what happens when a young priest comes to advise them that the large property they've lived on (in seclusion) for almost their entire lives is to be sold. I really liked it.
I agree with this review from the Atlantic Journal Constitution: "A great story...the book walks a fine line between magic and religion, the pagan and the Christian...Part of the novel's charm lies in its fairy-tale flavor, the dash of magic Day has added." It provoked a lively and long discussion at my book group.
Feb 13, 2008
Danielle
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommended to Danielle by:
Joyce Harlow
Shelves:
novels,
friends-of-the-library-selection
This is a strange little book. However, it did prompt one of the best discussions my book group has had.
Three nuns live a life of enclosure in a crumbling and forgotten convent. They've been cut off from the world for so long that the outside world has forgotten them and their everyday rituals have become a mix of religion/mythology/paganism. They believe, for example, that the souls of their departed sisters now inhabit the sheep that are given free reign throughout the property.
Then one day,...more
Three nuns live a life of enclosure in a crumbling and forgotten convent. They've been cut off from the world for so long that the outside world has forgotten them and their everyday rituals have become a mix of religion/mythology/paganism. They believe, for example, that the souls of their departed sisters now inhabit the sheep that are given free reign throughout the property.
Then one day,...more
I'm not a habitual re-reader, but this one goes on the short list of books I'm likely to revisit. In the absence of patriarchs (and the rest of civilization, for that matter), a convent organically departs from orthodoxy over time and returns to the earth, becoming more and more like a coven.....
This seemed to b a love it or hate it book for our book clubs, but for Wendi (co-worker/bookseller) and me it was a big LOVE IT! Fresh, funny, bittersweet, not like any other books I;ve read. I wanted to yell, "leave these nuns alone!"
Exceedingly quirky and weird. Frequently hilarious, often squirm-inducing, but it had depth that surprised me. It features three forgotten nuns in a crumbling ruin of a monastery, lots of sheep, and a priest who stumbles across them in his quest to turn the property into a holiday resort. Oh, and knitting. Lots of knitting.
Also: I seem to be continuing my recent recurring theme of books about monks & nuns. It's unintentional, I swear.
Also: I seem to be continuing my recent recurring theme of books about monks & nuns. It's unintentional, I swear.
This was a slow starter, but as the characters developed and all sorts of parallels emerged, I became more and more entwined in it. Really nice story, fresh sort of plot. I enjoyed it quite a bit!
I was captivated by this book. The entwining of fairy tale, suspense and fantastical reality in a visually compelling storytelling made this novel hard to put down. The clever structure of the book does seem to relate to Marele Day's experience as a crime novel writer and mentor to other writers. Because I knit and like textiles I enjoyed the strange occupation of the nuns (although warp and weft belong to weaving, not knitting). The way that people can change use of language and rituals accordi...more
Shirley - this is the one Celia and I were talking about. Read at your own risk - it sticks with you!
Seriously, Stephen King's Misery meets William Barrett's Lilies of the Field...enough said!
I read this book when it was first released and this is my re-reading after 10 + years and I've been disappointed! Gosh my memory is bad.
Three nuns who look like sheep in an abbey on an island .... Enough said.
I have always liked the name of the author - Marelle - reminds me of someone.
Three nuns who look like sheep in an abbey on an island .... Enough said.
I have always liked the name of the author - Marelle - reminds me of someone.
Great in a twisted kind of way. i plan to reread this.
Sep 23, 2011
Laura Hontz
added it
I love this book - so funny, so different, so unique!
Interesting and odd, but I liked it.
Unusual quirky light read
A very funny and odd story of a three nuns left behind in an ancient monastary on an isolated island. They live quiet and quirky lives until a young priest stumbles into their midst. Their reaction to him is what makes the story so funny. Their odd mix of Catholic rituals and pagan mysticism weaves a very strange and intriging story. You have to read this one with an open mind to how mankind so easily mixes religion with all sorts of worldly dreamed up notions. Parts of it had me laughing to tea...more
Apr 10, 2013
Reed Bilz
added it
nuns in Australia
Loved this.
Great story build fails at ending. BOOM.
Really unusual story about 3 nuns who live totally isolated from the world. Their lives revolve around daily prayers and their own rituals mostly involving sheep shearing, spinning, and knitting. When a priest enters their cloistered world, all hell breaks loose. Loved the wooliness of ths story. Also the fairy tale tellings. Liked it a lot, but it didn't move well. The author is an Australian crime series writer.
Funny and refreshing. One to read and reread.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambs of God | 2 | 8 | Oct 04, 2012 01:32pm | |
| Endicott Mythic F...: Lambs of God - Discussion | 3 | 10 | Dec 31, 2009 10:06am |
