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Obedience
Sister Bernard has lived in a gray-stone convent in rural France for more than 70 years. In that time, a once youthful and lively cloister has gradually emptied, until only Bernard and two other nuns remain, a knot of survivors facing the creeping challenges of old age—ailing bodies and worn-thin friendships, slips of mind, and, in their most secret moments, slips of faith. Now, the halls will fall silent as the three women pack away their few possessions into wooden boxes, preparing to leave the building that has been their home for decades. For the nuns, the closing of the convent means more than losing a home: the crumbling walls have shielded them from a changing modern world; for Sister Bernard, the quiet monotony of the religious life has protected her from memories of the past—the disgrace of when, as a young woman in wartime France, she became the unwitting prize of a cruel wager; when her devotion to God faded in the face of her need for a young Nazi soldier; and when she experienced the full horror and violence of war. Rich and complex, Obedience is a story of betrayal and divided loyalties; a powerful portrait of conflicted love, which goes beyond the veil to reveal a woman who feels adoration and fear, guilt and pride, and all too rarely, peace. Sister Bernard is a remarkable creation: a woman torn between her irreconcilable private passions—her love for Christ and her blistered memories of physical desire.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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July 15, 2025
EXCERPT: Mother Catherine knew the devil. He was twisted and dwarfish; his clawed hands were gnarled. His neck was short and his legs bowed. He had a hump on his back, heavy like a sack of walnuts. He was craft, she knew that; she had heard how cunning he could be. But surely he could never stretch over five shelves of jars, pickles and conserves to take down the coffee and tempt her nuns?
ABOUT 'OBEDIENCE': Sister Bernard has lived in a grey-stone convent in rural France for more than seventy years. In that time, a once youthful and lively cloister has gradually emptied, until only Bernard and two other nuns remain. Now, the halls will fall silent as the three women pack away their few possessions into wooden boxes, preparing to leave the building that has been their home for decades.
The closing of the convent means more than losing a home: the walls have shielded them from a changing world; for Sister Bernard, the quiet monotony of religion has protected her from the memories of the past - the disgrace of when she was a young woman in wartime France; when her devotion to God faded in the face of her need for a young Nazi soldier; and when she experienced the full horror and violence of war.
MY THOUGHTS: "Mother Catherine sighed. She would never shake off the idea that Bernard was miraculously stupid."
But no, Sister Bernard is not miraculously stupid. She is human. Flawed. She has feelings and desires. And God talks to her. She hears his voice constantly. He berates and chivvies her. He roars his displeasure. Never is He nice. Or silent. Until He is. Silent. And then she wants him back.
No one understands Sister Bernard. She lives a solitary life taking care of her duties within the convent and praying. Until she meets Schwanz, a young German soldier who drew the short straw. I wept at this. The cruelty, the barbarism of the act. Not just the seduction (if one could call it that) of Sister Barnard, but for all that came after as a result.
A short, heart wrenching and thought provoking read. Sad but enchanting.
⭐⭐⭐.8
#Obedience
MEET THE AUTHOR - JACQUELINE YALLLOP is an award-winning author of fiction and creative non-fiction, described as a ‘writer of rare fine judgement and delicacy’.
As Director of the Centre for Creativity and Wellbeing at Aberystwyth University, Jacqueline brings together people from many disciplines working in Wales to improve opportunities to wellbeing through creative practice. She is currently working with The Fathom Trust on a making and writing project with carers and NHS staff.
Jacqueline has always been fascinated by beautiful, historic and quirky things. Having trained as a curator, she worked with collections in Manchester and Sheffield, including Ruskin's Guild of St George Collection. Her PhD explored narrative in display, museum and the novel in the nineteenth century which included, among many other things, the eccentric lives of Victorian collectors.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'OBEDIENCE': Sister Bernard has lived in a grey-stone convent in rural France for more than seventy years. In that time, a once youthful and lively cloister has gradually emptied, until only Bernard and two other nuns remain. Now, the halls will fall silent as the three women pack away their few possessions into wooden boxes, preparing to leave the building that has been their home for decades.
The closing of the convent means more than losing a home: the walls have shielded them from a changing world; for Sister Bernard, the quiet monotony of religion has protected her from the memories of the past - the disgrace of when she was a young woman in wartime France; when her devotion to God faded in the face of her need for a young Nazi soldier; and when she experienced the full horror and violence of war.
MY THOUGHTS: "Mother Catherine sighed. She would never shake off the idea that Bernard was miraculously stupid."
But no, Sister Bernard is not miraculously stupid. She is human. Flawed. She has feelings and desires. And God talks to her. She hears his voice constantly. He berates and chivvies her. He roars his displeasure. Never is He nice. Or silent. Until He is. Silent. And then she wants him back.
No one understands Sister Bernard. She lives a solitary life taking care of her duties within the convent and praying. Until she meets Schwanz, a young German soldier who drew the short straw. I wept at this. The cruelty, the barbarism of the act. Not just the seduction (if one could call it that) of Sister Barnard, but for all that came after as a result.
A short, heart wrenching and thought provoking read. Sad but enchanting.
⭐⭐⭐.8
#Obedience
MEET THE AUTHOR - JACQUELINE YALLLOP is an award-winning author of fiction and creative non-fiction, described as a ‘writer of rare fine judgement and delicacy’.
As Director of the Centre for Creativity and Wellbeing at Aberystwyth University, Jacqueline brings together people from many disciplines working in Wales to improve opportunities to wellbeing through creative practice. She is currently working with The Fathom Trust on a making and writing project with carers and NHS staff.
Jacqueline has always been fascinated by beautiful, historic and quirky things. Having trained as a curator, she worked with collections in Manchester and Sheffield, including Ruskin's Guild of St George Collection. Her PhD explored narrative in display, museum and the novel in the nineteenth century which included, among many other things, the eccentric lives of Victorian collectors.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 14, 2012
"Obedience" is a heartbreaking tragedy that will leave you scratching your head throughout with frustration at it's main character, Sister Bernard. Part of you will be filled with empathy for her, the other part dying to reach in and smack her.
One line in the book about summed it up perfectly for me; "Mother Catherine sighed. She would never shake off the idea that Bernard was miraculously stupid."
This story is told with sparse inner dialogue, so you don't get to know any of the characters intimately. Instead you are piecing together a story set at a convent in occupied France during WWII and ending in the present day. Sister Bernard and a German soldier begin a relationship that had lasting effects on everyone around her. Even 65 years later.
This is not a romantic tale in any way. If you're looking for the forbidden love triumphing over all, you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you are looking for a thought provoking tale of innocence, betrayal, cruelty, and redemption sought, this will be an engrossing read.
One line in the book about summed it up perfectly for me; "Mother Catherine sighed. She would never shake off the idea that Bernard was miraculously stupid."
This story is told with sparse inner dialogue, so you don't get to know any of the characters intimately. Instead you are piecing together a story set at a convent in occupied France during WWII and ending in the present day. Sister Bernard and a German soldier begin a relationship that had lasting effects on everyone around her. Even 65 years later.
This is not a romantic tale in any way. If you're looking for the forbidden love triumphing over all, you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you are looking for a thought provoking tale of innocence, betrayal, cruelty, and redemption sought, this will be an engrossing read.
April 10, 2013
Sister Bernard, a young nun in a French convent during WWII, falls for a German soldier who is billeted nearby. It is difficult to know if Sister Bernard is capable of rational thinking; however, in the hope of keeping the German soldier interested, she betrays not only her vows, but the secrets of the Resistance movement. This novel moves between her past memories and the present day reality of having to leave the convent when she is in her 90s. There is a poignancy to this novel when the reader is allowed to see the consequences of Sister Bernard's long-ago decisions and heartbreak. I found it thought provoking and an interesting view of convent life.
February 25, 2012
I'm not sure how to begin reviewing this book. It's very good, so I suppose I should start there. The story of Sister Bernard is difficult to put down once it's begun and impossible to leave at the mere closing of a cover. The journey was not always pleasant, but it was very worthwhile.
The timeline meanders between Bernard's old age and her younger years during World War II and the German Occupation of France. The story hinges on a young German soldier who propositions Sister Bernard as a joke at the behest of his peers. Bernard, naive and unsuspecting, becomes smitten with the German and yields everything to him. What follows is a poignant story told deftly, the author's remarkable simplicity of words belying a depth and complexity that is surprising. It is beautiful and terrible. I finished the last page with as much longing as relief and felt as though I'd read something much larger than the small, unassuming book in my hands. This is what I hope for in combing the bookstore shelves. This is the sort of book I want to read again, immediately.
It is not told linearly but is easy to follow and very accessible in both language and theme, despite its somewhat unorthodox nature. It can even serve as a sharp allegory, many of its points mirroring those of larger-scale experience and uncertainty with a quiet facade hiding powerful undercurrents. But to put it shortly, I recommend this highly, to everyone.
The timeline meanders between Bernard's old age and her younger years during World War II and the German Occupation of France. The story hinges on a young German soldier who propositions Sister Bernard as a joke at the behest of his peers. Bernard, naive and unsuspecting, becomes smitten with the German and yields everything to him. What follows is a poignant story told deftly, the author's remarkable simplicity of words belying a depth and complexity that is surprising. It is beautiful and terrible. I finished the last page with as much longing as relief and felt as though I'd read something much larger than the small, unassuming book in my hands. This is what I hope for in combing the bookstore shelves. This is the sort of book I want to read again, immediately.
It is not told linearly but is easy to follow and very accessible in both language and theme, despite its somewhat unorthodox nature. It can even serve as a sharp allegory, many of its points mirroring those of larger-scale experience and uncertainty with a quiet facade hiding powerful undercurrents. But to put it shortly, I recommend this highly, to everyone.
October 5, 2012
Its one of a few books that has stayed with me since finishing. It’s not only complex, in spite of its easy read and relatively simple story line but devastatingly brutal in its stark realities.
The anti-heroine, Sister Bernard’s life in a convent in rural France during the Second World War twists when the local Nazi soldiers (occupiers) bet on who’s going to seduce her, as a joke. She’s not particularly smart (actually the other nuns think she’s stupid) but her whole life she believes she hears God speaking to her so falling in love with the soldier causes not just a flux in her relationship with God (he stops talking to her) but relentless disaster falls upon her, the convent and the village.
Interestingly, my opinion of her ran the full gamut of disgust to pity. Despite the pain she causes she ends up being about the only character in the whole book that has a redeemable personality. She has, however, spent 70 years paying penance!
It’s a tragedy – the vows of chastity, obedience and poverty are all violated and replaced with unrequited love, desire, guilt, loneliness and penance. It depicts the worst of human nature and peoples’ indifference to brutality.
On one level I could say that faith failed every character, right up to the end!
The anti-heroine, Sister Bernard’s life in a convent in rural France during the Second World War twists when the local Nazi soldiers (occupiers) bet on who’s going to seduce her, as a joke. She’s not particularly smart (actually the other nuns think she’s stupid) but her whole life she believes she hears God speaking to her so falling in love with the soldier causes not just a flux in her relationship with God (he stops talking to her) but relentless disaster falls upon her, the convent and the village.
Interestingly, my opinion of her ran the full gamut of disgust to pity. Despite the pain she causes she ends up being about the only character in the whole book that has a redeemable personality. She has, however, spent 70 years paying penance!
It’s a tragedy – the vows of chastity, obedience and poverty are all violated and replaced with unrequited love, desire, guilt, loneliness and penance. It depicts the worst of human nature and peoples’ indifference to brutality.
On one level I could say that faith failed every character, right up to the end!
January 18, 2015
I received this book as a digital ARC from the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
This is the story of Sister Bernard and her love affair with a German soldier during World War II.
Sister Bernard was obliged to face war's endurances since the convent where she used to live was abandoned and she was left behind with three elderly nuns.
When she meets the passion oh her life, her beliefs are shaken.
In the meantime she has to face the challenge of surviving in a rural village in the South of France during the German occupation and being a French citizen.
Even if the author makes use of writing in the past and in the future, the reader is avid to know what will happen with poor Sister Bernard whose only sin was to seek their happiness.
A very say but touching story, which deserves to be read.
February 4, 2012
How do you solve a problem like Sister Bernard? Now 90, she fell from grace 60 years ago taking others with her and has lived her life like a penance ever since.
In Obedience, by Jacqueline Yallop, Sister Bernard’s story unfolds in a tantalizingly measured manner. Going back and forth between World War 2 and the present day we see the Sister’s downfall and the effect it had on the rest of her life and on those around her. At the start of Obedience Sister Bernard is one of the three nuns left in the once busy convent where they have spent most of their lives. The convent is no longer needed and will be closed so the elderly nuns are heading for retirement.
At age 30 Sister Bernard unknowingly became the target of a cruel wager between several occupying German soldiers. Their bet involved her seduction and it ended with her infidelity to her vows and a member of the resistance and the loss of God’s presence in her daily life. Ever since she was a young girl Sister Bernard had heard the voice of God in her head but when she betrayed her vows and her community that voice was lost to her. She has spent the intervening years longing for the return of her lover and her God.
In Sister Bernard Yallop has developed a very interesting and not always likeable character. She is an anti-hero. She is a participant in her downfall and a victim of it. She is a simple, uneducated woman who is often viewed as stupid by her fellow sisters. This leads one of her fellow retirees, Therese, to feel duty bound to stay with Sister Bernard in retirement until Therese is made aware of Bernard’s past.
Obedience is a powerful, seductive read that touches on among other things: aging, dishonesty, love, loneliness and duty. Jacqueline Yallop has used her gifts for good. Her Obedience is a well constructed, polished, intensely discussion worthy novel.
In Obedience, by Jacqueline Yallop, Sister Bernard’s story unfolds in a tantalizingly measured manner. Going back and forth between World War 2 and the present day we see the Sister’s downfall and the effect it had on the rest of her life and on those around her. At the start of Obedience Sister Bernard is one of the three nuns left in the once busy convent where they have spent most of their lives. The convent is no longer needed and will be closed so the elderly nuns are heading for retirement.
At age 30 Sister Bernard unknowingly became the target of a cruel wager between several occupying German soldiers. Their bet involved her seduction and it ended with her infidelity to her vows and a member of the resistance and the loss of God’s presence in her daily life. Ever since she was a young girl Sister Bernard had heard the voice of God in her head but when she betrayed her vows and her community that voice was lost to her. She has spent the intervening years longing for the return of her lover and her God.
In Sister Bernard Yallop has developed a very interesting and not always likeable character. She is an anti-hero. She is a participant in her downfall and a victim of it. She is a simple, uneducated woman who is often viewed as stupid by her fellow sisters. This leads one of her fellow retirees, Therese, to feel duty bound to stay with Sister Bernard in retirement until Therese is made aware of Bernard’s past.
Obedience is a powerful, seductive read that touches on among other things: aging, dishonesty, love, loneliness and duty. Jacqueline Yallop has used her gifts for good. Her Obedience is a well constructed, polished, intensely discussion worthy novel.
February 1, 2012
Obedience was short book, but still contained an intense, gripping story.
The story switches back and forth between Nazi occupied France during WWII and France in the present day. The story is also told from a few different perspectives, but the story is mostly about Sister Bernard. The book is about Bernard's short affair with a Nazi solider during the war, and the consequences it caused.
The present day story is of a 93 year old Bernard who, along with two other nuns, are being evacuated from an old rundown convent. We see she still struggles with what happened over sixty years ago.
Even with all the flashbacks to the war, I still felt like we didn't see everything, and this was on purpose, I suspect. After I finished the book, I didn't feel like I had a good grip on that part of the story. And with the present day story, some of the story lines almost felt unfinished, but not in a frustrating way. We are left to fill in the blanks.
A lot of the religious stuff flew over my head, but one of the things I got is that Sister Bernard felt god had been speaking to her, and then he stopped. She spent many a year trying to figure out why he stopped, what she had done, etc. I felt bad for her, but I'm not sure why I felt bad for her – because she thought god had been speaking to her or because she felt abandoned by him. Most of the people she came across in the story seemed to be doing the former.
A well told story, definitely. It was a fast read, but did not lack in quality.
The story switches back and forth between Nazi occupied France during WWII and France in the present day. The story is also told from a few different perspectives, but the story is mostly about Sister Bernard. The book is about Bernard's short affair with a Nazi solider during the war, and the consequences it caused.
The present day story is of a 93 year old Bernard who, along with two other nuns, are being evacuated from an old rundown convent. We see she still struggles with what happened over sixty years ago.
Even with all the flashbacks to the war, I still felt like we didn't see everything, and this was on purpose, I suspect. After I finished the book, I didn't feel like I had a good grip on that part of the story. And with the present day story, some of the story lines almost felt unfinished, but not in a frustrating way. We are left to fill in the blanks.
A lot of the religious stuff flew over my head, but one of the things I got is that Sister Bernard felt god had been speaking to her, and then he stopped. She spent many a year trying to figure out why he stopped, what she had done, etc. I felt bad for her, but I'm not sure why I felt bad for her – because she thought god had been speaking to her or because she felt abandoned by him. Most of the people she came across in the story seemed to be doing the former.
A well told story, definitely. It was a fast read, but did not lack in quality.
August 1, 2013
I like me a nice hot cup of scandal, guilt & obsession in the morning, so surely a novel that begins with German soldiers drawing straws over who will seduce the homely and naive Sister Bernard should push all my buttons, right? Well, yes...and no.
Yes, there's scandal, guilt, etc., but these aren't quite enough, it turns out, to float this story. The characters all remain cold, distant, and not a bit likable. The central Sister Bernard remains an enigma throughout the story. Gradually, snippets of her "shameful" past are revealed through bits of flashback, but never are her motives. She abandons her vows without much thought, pines for her lover despite the fact that he treats her like dirt, and barely registers the tragedy she causes when she tattles on an acquaintance. She behaved in ways that made me suspect she was, in fact, mentally deficient, a hunch backed by Mother Catherine who pronounces Bernard "miraculously stupid". Poor woman. I despised and pitied her, but she felt more like a cartoon nun than a real person.
The back-and-forth time structure of the novel reminded me a lot of Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, bouncing back and forth between the war years and the protagonist as bitter old woman trying to make sense of her past. Both are ultimately haunting and morally convoluted, but I think I prefer Oranges better. It spends more time in the war-time story, while Obedience mopes about in the contemporary nursing home and abandoned convent for longer than seemed necessary.
But there are still things to like here. I appreciated the realistic and very UNsexy portrayal of wartime trysts. I also liked the moral complexity and the asking of unanswerable questions. And I did enjoy the beautiful descriptions of the churches, countryside and village life, of the particulars of convent chores and drudgery and odd, archaic rules. Nuns have always intrigued me (as have Nazis, heh) and the premise of this story seemed too interesting to pass up.
Yes, there's scandal, guilt, etc., but these aren't quite enough, it turns out, to float this story. The characters all remain cold, distant, and not a bit likable. The central Sister Bernard remains an enigma throughout the story. Gradually, snippets of her "shameful" past are revealed through bits of flashback, but never are her motives. She abandons her vows without much thought, pines for her lover despite the fact that he treats her like dirt, and barely registers the tragedy she causes when she tattles on an acquaintance. She behaved in ways that made me suspect she was, in fact, mentally deficient, a hunch backed by Mother Catherine who pronounces Bernard "miraculously stupid". Poor woman. I despised and pitied her, but she felt more like a cartoon nun than a real person.
The back-and-forth time structure of the novel reminded me a lot of Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, bouncing back and forth between the war years and the protagonist as bitter old woman trying to make sense of her past. Both are ultimately haunting and morally convoluted, but I think I prefer Oranges better. It spends more time in the war-time story, while Obedience mopes about in the contemporary nursing home and abandoned convent for longer than seemed necessary.
But there are still things to like here. I appreciated the realistic and very UNsexy portrayal of wartime trysts. I also liked the moral complexity and the asking of unanswerable questions. And I did enjoy the beautiful descriptions of the churches, countryside and village life, of the particulars of convent chores and drudgery and odd, archaic rules. Nuns have always intrigued me (as have Nazis, heh) and the premise of this story seemed too interesting to pass up.
April 3, 2012
Not sure what to say about the book. I love historical fiction. The book didn't bring the past to life in a way that was believable. It felt like the author didn't know enough about the time to include the details that would have brought insight to the location or time. I appreciate books that deal with faith and religion. The main character didn't seem faithful, more fearful. I also didn't know what to make of the main character - is she simple or someone with mental disabilities? In the end, the book left me with a sense of what it truly means to be lonely.
June 3, 2012
"Mother Catherine sighed. She would never shake off the idea that Bernard was miraculously stupid."
Sister Bernard was one of the most frustrating characters I have ever had to read and Mother Catherine's sentiments were the most enjoyable line in the book. I realized then that Yallop must have been completely aware that she was creating an exasperating character.
Sister Bernard was one of the most frustrating characters I have ever had to read and Mother Catherine's sentiments were the most enjoyable line in the book. I realized then that Yallop must have been completely aware that she was creating an exasperating character.
April 9, 2012
"Obedience" finds us at a convent in the South of France. It was once a bustling place. Now there are three nuns left: Sister Bernard, Sister Therese` and Sister Marie. The convent will be closing and the three will be going to other facilities: Sister Marie will be going to a nursing home, where she eventually dies; Sister Therese` goes to live with a friend, Corrinne; and Sister Barnard is off to Les Cedres, home for the elderly. Sister Bernard, now in preparations to leave the convent, is reliving her past.
At the age of 30, Sister Bernard hears the voice of God upclose and personal. Then a day comes when she meets a young Nazi soldier and he beckons her to meet him in the church. Oh why does she go. Nothing good will come of their meeting. So begins a passionate love affair that deafens Bernard from hearing the voice of God again. What has she done? She is so tempted by this young soldier and keeps meeting him in other places. Why? She is not obedient to God at these times.
Miss Yallop's writes a novel of love, guilt, desire, loneliness and betrayal. It is in this story you will find that Sister Bernard is also destroyed by her faith. I thought it was heartwrenching at times and a powerful tale.
At the age of 30, Sister Bernard hears the voice of God upclose and personal. Then a day comes when she meets a young Nazi soldier and he beckons her to meet him in the church. Oh why does she go. Nothing good will come of their meeting. So begins a passionate love affair that deafens Bernard from hearing the voice of God again. What has she done? She is so tempted by this young soldier and keeps meeting him in other places. Why? She is not obedient to God at these times.
Miss Yallop's writes a novel of love, guilt, desire, loneliness and betrayal. It is in this story you will find that Sister Bernard is also destroyed by her faith. I thought it was heartwrenching at times and a powerful tale.
May 6, 2012
I came away from reading this novel thinking once more how as human beings, no matter what terrible incidents happen in this world, there is a story behind them and how as human beings we hear what we want to hear and as a rightoues mob will turn against someone in anger and disgust and attack them. In this story, wrong was done, that is a fact, but that in a whole is not the entire story. Many other things, feelings and thoughts and incidents happen also that bring the whole story together. I read this some where and find it more true as I get older...we all have our own versions of a story or incedent that happens and they are not all nessarily right or wrong, they are our own. It is a very human thing to judge and quite another to see something that we see as wrong, as maybe not, maybe we did not have the true meaning of something. Just maybe, in alot of times, we were just wrong or wronged a person in our judgement and it will probably happen again.
March 30, 2012
I was not able to develop an understanding of the characters' motivations and therefore did not feel a connection to the story. The unevenness of the jumps between eras made the plot difficult to follow. I often felt that the reader was expected to fill in the detail between broad hints at what has happened and why. Dr. Yallop's style of writing is more impressionistic and unfocused than it is a mode of story-telling. This was a challenging truth to tell and Dr. Yallop has attempted to humanize the tragedy and horrors of the effect of cruelty on both victims and offenders. It is an interesting book.
Please see my complete review at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index.... (March 31, 2012)
Please see my complete review at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index.... (March 31, 2012)
July 22, 2011
"Obedience is a twisting but tightly written story, giving us blurred, fragmented glimpses of the past, which mirror the increasingly murky memory of 93-year-old Sister Bernard. Gut-wrenching but never melodramatic, Yallop’s simple prose gives subtle poignancy to what could otherwise be a well-worn tragic plot."(Excerpt from full review of Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop at For Books' Sake)
January 9, 2012
When i put this book in my 'to read' pile i was really looking forward to it. It took me a while to get into it though as it jumped between the two different time periods without warning. I also couldn't really 'like' the main character Sr Bernard. I was determined to read it all the way through though and it was an 'o.k.' book, hence the 2 stars. The storyline kept me interested enough to want to find out what happened.
August 19, 2021
From childhood Sister Bernard had always believed that she heard God speaking to her – in an angry, critical voice, rather than a caring and compassionate one. Now aged 30 she has been living in a convent in rural France since she was in her teens. During the German occupation of France in the 1940s, she is seduced by, and then falls in love with, a Nazi soldier. Their ongoing relationship has far-reaching, catastrophic consequences for her, the convent, and the village, and her God no longer feels like a constant companion. Sixty years later only she and two other, elderly nuns are left in the convent, which has now been sold, and so all are preparing to move to alternative accommodation.
Now aged 93, Sister Bernard hasn’t heard God’s voice for a long time; she struggles with her faith and the consequences of what followed the breaking of her vows of chastity and obedience. An unattractive, isolated young woman when she entered the convent (admitted finally when the convent “accepted her father’s meagre dowry”), she remained a solitary, marginalised figure throughout her life. Was she, as the Mother Superior (and others) believed, “spectacularly stupid”, or was she deluded, mentally ill, or saintly? The developing story provides no clear answer but invites the reader to explore all possibilities and then to reach a conclusion – or maybe not! What is painfully unavoidable throughout the novel is an all-pervasive sense of loss as themes of brutality, violation, betrayal, guilt, conformity, rebellion, blind devotion, duty, judgement (to mention just a few!) are explored from different perspectives: moral complexity is certainly an issue the reader cannot ignore.
The timeline alternated between past and present, creating a complex, multi-layered story. Initially I thought these time-shifts were rather too abrupt and that they interrupted not only the narrative flow, but also any emotional engagement with any of the characters. However, this fairly soon changed and I found it difficult to put the book down. The prose is elegant, and deceptively simple, creating a dark, moving, intense, and thought-provoking novel which continues to haunt my thoughts.
Now aged 93, Sister Bernard hasn’t heard God’s voice for a long time; she struggles with her faith and the consequences of what followed the breaking of her vows of chastity and obedience. An unattractive, isolated young woman when she entered the convent (admitted finally when the convent “accepted her father’s meagre dowry”), she remained a solitary, marginalised figure throughout her life. Was she, as the Mother Superior (and others) believed, “spectacularly stupid”, or was she deluded, mentally ill, or saintly? The developing story provides no clear answer but invites the reader to explore all possibilities and then to reach a conclusion – or maybe not! What is painfully unavoidable throughout the novel is an all-pervasive sense of loss as themes of brutality, violation, betrayal, guilt, conformity, rebellion, blind devotion, duty, judgement (to mention just a few!) are explored from different perspectives: moral complexity is certainly an issue the reader cannot ignore.
The timeline alternated between past and present, creating a complex, multi-layered story. Initially I thought these time-shifts were rather too abrupt and that they interrupted not only the narrative flow, but also any emotional engagement with any of the characters. However, this fairly soon changed and I found it difficult to put the book down. The prose is elegant, and deceptively simple, creating a dark, moving, intense, and thought-provoking novel which continues to haunt my thoughts.
June 14, 2017
Obedience, by Jacquline Yallop, is the story of a nun who fell in love with one of the German soldiers during the occupancy of France in WW II. The fear of being discovered by others of the convent about her affair, the fear of God, the doubtful future of her affair drives her into a state of confusion. The story winds beautifully through her life's incidents - being brutally raped and assaulted by the commander of the occupying force, giving birth to her love-child in the open, being punished by the villagers, a sort of unsaid banishment by chief of the convent, etc.
The narrative goes back and forth from the current scenario when she's more than ninety years old living in a deserted convent to her youthful days when the convent was buzzing with activities. The plethora of confused emotions of discovering her lost son, but never meeting him in person and meeting grand-daughter later in the end of her life is painfully portrayed.
It's a light read.
The narrative goes back and forth from the current scenario when she's more than ninety years old living in a deserted convent to her youthful days when the convent was buzzing with activities. The plethora of confused emotions of discovering her lost son, but never meeting him in person and meeting grand-daughter later in the end of her life is painfully portrayed.
It's a light read.
November 12, 2016
This was not the torrid love affair kind of book I expected. It was much, much sadder. Sr. Bernard, a comely youngish nun, finds herself falling in love with a German soldier in WWII. They keep their love affair as secret as possible. For some reason (I must not have been paying attention) she decides to betray one of the other sisters in the convent and tells her soldier that the other nun is part of the resistance. This of course leads to the assassination of the members of the resistance, including Sr. Bernard's best friend, whom she did not know was part of the movement. In the same day she confesses to her treachery, she learns that her lover has also been killed. Sr. Bernard spends the next 60 years repenting at the convent. It's just so sad. I'm not sure that it was wonderfully written, but I did feel for Sr. Bernard throughout her memories and at the end.
July 8, 2020
The theme of the book really put into the light the problems of vocations and the fallacy this creates as this attempts to subdue the mundane tendency to fall in love. Yallop places this into light and shows the temptations of every Catholic priests and nuns especially in the problems and struggles of their vocation.
The only problem of this is book is that it seemed very hard to read. The book seemed all over the place and it did not seem to be arriving at the climax any time soon. Because of this, the reader would get lost and would wonder to himself constantly what each chapter talked about. I personally do not recommend this book if the reader is primarily focused on finding the struggles of vocations and its responsiblities.
The only problem of this is book is that it seemed very hard to read. The book seemed all over the place and it did not seem to be arriving at the climax any time soon. Because of this, the reader would get lost and would wonder to himself constantly what each chapter talked about. I personally do not recommend this book if the reader is primarily focused on finding the struggles of vocations and its responsiblities.
July 3, 2020
The story follows the life of Sister Bernard from age 30-90. She becomes involved with a Nazi soldier whom she meets in secret. The novel goes back and forth between the past and the present. With only three elderly nuns remaining in the convent it is being shut down and they are moving to other places for the remainder of their lives. Through the years Sister Bernard hears God talk to her, but there is a period in her life where she can no longer hear Him. The life of the nun can be lonely but filled with desire s and betrayals.
December 26, 2017
Listened to the audio version and enjoyed it. A bit of mystery mixed wth some religious principles and ideas.
July 27, 2018
I found this oddly compelling, but somehow I just kept looking for more and it never came. So in the end not satisfying. Perhaps this was in fact the author's intent.
November 9, 2021
The writing started strong. Then the story dragged
December 7, 2023
3.5 if I could give it.
November 15, 2025
Just okay.
March 4, 2017
I think I have already read this book - but it had a different cover. It was good to read it again though. Easy to read and a good book to read on a bus
Read
February 9, 2012Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop is really a tale of two stories – one is historical fiction, allowing the reader insight into occupied France during World War II, and the other is contemporary fiction, showcasing the end of an era. Throughout both stories flows Sister Bernard’s history, past and present combining to highlight the lasting impact one moment’s poor decision had on the rest of her life. While Sister Bernard is forced to confront her guilt, the unfolding of her story highlights the true victims and guilty party of those past deeds. A difficult book to describe, Obedience is a compelling read for its brutally honest depiction of convent life, the pressure to conform, and the steps people are willing to take to survive when the world is torn upside-down.
The words “poor decision” when describing Sister Bernard’s life-changing moment is something of a misnomer. Her need to find love overrides every instinct her upbringing and religious life has instilled in her. Indeed, this is the true tragedy, as this need induces her to act before thinking and to take chances when to be caught means almost certain death. What is worse is the fact that her sheltered existence within the convent fails to prepare her for the true circumstances behind the presence of the German soldiers and the cruelty of mankind. Sister Bernard is simply a nun in the wrong place at the wrong time, and her overwhelming need to belong to someone places her in some truly unfortunate, horrific experiences.
Obedience itself is rather jagged in its storytelling. The sections jump from one era to the next with little to no warning or explanation of the current time frame of the story in a given section. The reader is forced to determine whether it is past or present based on certain clues. This does become easier towards the end, when the two scenes are more familiar to the reader, but can be confusing in the beginning of the novel. Similarly, Obedience is one of those novels that does not willingly share its secrets and truths. Rather, the entire story is hazy, almost impressionistic, providing no clear picture of motive, personalities, physical descriptions, or anything else which would add clarity to the truth. Instead, the reader is forced to interpret the hidden secrets, much like someone interprets a painting, based on the sweeping strokes of Ms. Yallop’s pen.
While difficult to describe, Obedience is one novel that sneaks under a reader’s skin. Languid in its storytelling, the story unfolds slowly and yet surprisingly forcefully, compelling the reader to feel the full weight of Sister Bernard’s emotional turmoil. It is a novel that leaves the reader grasping under the weight of the full knowledge of lost opportunities and lost truths.
Acknowledgements: Thank you to NetGalley and to Elaine Broeder from Penguin Group for my e-galley!
The words “poor decision” when describing Sister Bernard’s life-changing moment is something of a misnomer. Her need to find love overrides every instinct her upbringing and religious life has instilled in her. Indeed, this is the true tragedy, as this need induces her to act before thinking and to take chances when to be caught means almost certain death. What is worse is the fact that her sheltered existence within the convent fails to prepare her for the true circumstances behind the presence of the German soldiers and the cruelty of mankind. Sister Bernard is simply a nun in the wrong place at the wrong time, and her overwhelming need to belong to someone places her in some truly unfortunate, horrific experiences.
Obedience itself is rather jagged in its storytelling. The sections jump from one era to the next with little to no warning or explanation of the current time frame of the story in a given section. The reader is forced to determine whether it is past or present based on certain clues. This does become easier towards the end, when the two scenes are more familiar to the reader, but can be confusing in the beginning of the novel. Similarly, Obedience is one of those novels that does not willingly share its secrets and truths. Rather, the entire story is hazy, almost impressionistic, providing no clear picture of motive, personalities, physical descriptions, or anything else which would add clarity to the truth. Instead, the reader is forced to interpret the hidden secrets, much like someone interprets a painting, based on the sweeping strokes of Ms. Yallop’s pen.
While difficult to describe, Obedience is one novel that sneaks under a reader’s skin. Languid in its storytelling, the story unfolds slowly and yet surprisingly forcefully, compelling the reader to feel the full weight of Sister Bernard’s emotional turmoil. It is a novel that leaves the reader grasping under the weight of the full knowledge of lost opportunities and lost truths.
Acknowledgements: Thank you to NetGalley and to Elaine Broeder from Penguin Group for my e-galley!
February 20, 2012
Putting this here for you, Nancypants.
My reading rarely is displined. It's difficult even to commit to the book-group selection. So it is with an exquisite sense of propinquity that I now am reading Caroline Moorhead's . The subtitle tries to tell all but, of course, must fail. Although many stories are told (and I am only 100 pages in), the focus is on the brave and important sacrifices made by communist women whose lives have not been much celebrated. Thus, this exceptionally well-written (and footnoted!) tome is a special treat and, sad, too, yet inspiring. Outstanding and deeply moving
Here's the propinquity: just a few weeks ago I read Jacqueline Yallop's which covers the same period but is fiction not history (not that the two need be counterposed). The story involves, yet again, French women during WWII and their interactions with German invaders. But, nuns, in the main, not communists. It, too, is a exceptionally well-written, a special treat, and sad. Outstanding and deeply moving. Not as inspiring but bitterly beautiful.
My reading rarely is displined. It's difficult even to commit to the book-group selection. So it is with an exquisite sense of propinquity that I now am reading Caroline Moorhead's . The subtitle tries to tell all but, of course, must fail. Although many stories are told (and I am only 100 pages in), the focus is on the brave and important sacrifices made by communist women whose lives have not been much celebrated. Thus, this exceptionally well-written (and footnoted!) tome is a special treat and, sad, too, yet inspiring. Outstanding and deeply moving
Here's the propinquity: just a few weeks ago I read Jacqueline Yallop's which covers the same period but is fiction not history (not that the two need be counterposed). The story involves, yet again, French women during WWII and their interactions with German invaders. But, nuns, in the main, not communists. It, too, is a exceptionally well-written, a special treat, and sad. Outstanding and deeply moving. Not as inspiring but bitterly beautiful.
October 18, 2012
I found this to be an intriguing story, though an odd one. I couldn't escape the conclusion that the protagonist, Sister Bernard, was more than a bit of an idiot.
The story alternates between the past- Sister Bernard as a young woman in WWII, having an affair with a German soldier and subsequently dealing with her betrayel of the community- and the present- Sister Bernard as an old woman, forced to relocate when the convent is closed from lack of residents. Worryingly, she seems to be able to hear the voice of God in her head- and not a gentle, benevalent God, but a God who rages at her and finds frequent fault with her. It made me wonder if she actually had a mental illness. I felt very sorry for her, but she really seemed to get herself into trouble. For instance, she leapt into her affair with the soldier just a little too easily, apparently lacking any internal conflict over the violation of her vows. Really?! I found her an interesting character, but not a complicated one.
Overall, decent story, but I didn't like the way that the author developed it, and I disliked most of the characters.
The story alternates between the past- Sister Bernard as a young woman in WWII, having an affair with a German soldier and subsequently dealing with her betrayel of the community- and the present- Sister Bernard as an old woman, forced to relocate when the convent is closed from lack of residents. Worryingly, she seems to be able to hear the voice of God in her head- and not a gentle, benevalent God, but a God who rages at her and finds frequent fault with her. It made me wonder if she actually had a mental illness. I felt very sorry for her, but she really seemed to get herself into trouble. For instance, she leapt into her affair with the soldier just a little too easily, apparently lacking any internal conflict over the violation of her vows. Really?! I found her an interesting character, but not a complicated one.
Overall, decent story, but I didn't like the way that the author developed it, and I disliked most of the characters.
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