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  <title><![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]>
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    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Mon Apr 13 14:51:49 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[     &quot;The Abbess of Crewe&quot; is Muriel Spark's insanely arch, inventive take on Watergate, a satirical highwire act as stylized and delicious as &quot;The Rape of the Lock.&quot;  The eponymous Abbess is a dark, formidable hierarch, at once galvanizing and maddening, essentially a fairytale ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52503244">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52503244]]></url>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]>
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  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
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  <published>1974</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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    <body><![CDATA[Short and cold-blooded.  Could have used a little more meat. I have always enjoyed Muriel Spark, though her short stories are terrible. R.I.P., Dame Spark.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81103162]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]>
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  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
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  <read_at>Fri Jan 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 30 12:38:09 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 02 08:37:02 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I just don't get this one -- wacky nuns, electronics, media frenzy, all somehow lifeless... maybe it was more titillating in the 1970s, when it was published.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41312899]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Abbess Of Crewe]]>
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  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
  </description>
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  <date_added>Thu Sep 17 14:59:23 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Sep 17 15:00:10 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Saw it on Kathleen's to-read list and it looks interesting!  ☺]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71590890]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]>
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  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1974</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <date_updated>Thu Mar 12 15:15:41 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A year is not a year without rereading this book.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49074744]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]>
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  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>60</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
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  <published>1974</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Mon Jul 27 14:17:28 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Not as much fun as Aiding &amp; Abetting or A Far Cry From Kensington, but still fun and quirky.  I was disappointed that it didn't have more of a destination, plot-wise, but enjoyed it nonetheless. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62942706]]></url>
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    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Apparently, this is a Watergate allegory. I probably wouldn't have figured that out without reading other reviews of this book, and it bothered me the whole time trying to figure out what the hell it was supposed to be an allegory for, with the naughty wiretapping nuns and the thimble-stealing and t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34217975">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Abbess of Crewe]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[So excellent. Every line was divine. Please read it right now.]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's <em>Abbess of Crewe</em> is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic &quot;devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary.&quot; After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that &quot;electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox.&quot;]]>
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