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The Girls of Belvedere
The sudden death of Kitty Murphy’s mother sends Kitty and her younger sisters, Hannah and Ruth, to an orphanage in St. John’s. Their brother is allowed to stay home because “boys earn and girls cost.” The next seven years are a test of endurance as they cope with brutality from a cruel, self-righteous nun and the bullies who curry the Sister’s favour. Kitty tries her best to protect her younger sisters in this unpredictable environment.
The 1940s in Newfoundland offered very little to a woman. Life in a fishing outport meant unrelenting poverty and an exhausting cycle of pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. Too many mothers died, and their children were turned over to the Sisters to raise in St. John’s. Mothers without husbands entered sudden and desperate relationships with men or fell into prostitution. Some women became nuns to escape motherhood with all its perils. They wanted a chance for peace and predictability. However, those young women discovered life in a cloister meant a different foot was on the back of your neck.
All these lives intersected at the doors of Belvedere Orphanage.
The 1940s in Newfoundland offered very little to a woman. Life in a fishing outport meant unrelenting poverty and an exhausting cycle of pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. Too many mothers died, and their children were turned over to the Sisters to raise in St. John’s. Mothers without husbands entered sudden and desperate relationships with men or fell into prostitution. Some women became nuns to escape motherhood with all its perils. They wanted a chance for peace and predictability. However, those young women discovered life in a cloister meant a different foot was on the back of your neck.
All these lives intersected at the doors of Belvedere Orphanage.
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Published May 9, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 14, 2025
Here at the shuff-off, I ask you to think about Nemo.
Yes, Nemo, the young clownfish famously lost in the Disney movie. (A movie I watched a thousand times when our first granddaughter was a tot.)
Remember what happens in the movie’s opening moments?
Right, a shaggin’ barracuda attacks and kills — gobbles up, I suppose — Mommy clownfish and all her unhatched eggs except the one destined to become Nemo.
For frig sake, even before birth, Nemo is motherless.
Hold the thought.
In the first chapter of The Girls of Belvedere [Flanker Press] we learn Kitty Murphy’s mother has died, leaving Kitty nearly as bad off as Nemo. But she has siblings.
Both Kitty and Nemo have fathers. However, Nemo’s father, Marlin, is the better dad. Marlin commits himself one hundred per cent to finding his lost son. Ryan Murphy, on the other hand, ships Kitty and her sister Hannah off to Belvedere orphanage, boards his schooner and ships (!) off to Boston or Barbados or some such foreign place.
Pretty miserable of him, eh b’ys?
At Belvedere, Kitty meets Sister Mary, the nastiest nun on the planet, a nun who “listened to the sound of her own shoes on the hard, polished floor and decided that it was good.”
Flip back a few pages.
Even before she is placed in Sister Mary’s strict care, Kitty has suffered the wrath of the Old Woman, her wicked — not stepmother — grandmother.
Early on, when Kitty suggests she live with an aunt rather than enter Belvedere, the Old Woman gives Kitty “a slap across her face for her audacity.”
Not a nice nanny, eh b’ys?
Back to Belvedere.
The sun hasn’t set on Kitty’s first day at the orphanage before she encounters a prefect named Gertrude, the leader of a clique of mean girls.
And guess what.
In no time at all, Dirty Gertie gives Kitty a smack in the mouth.
Enough of this brutality. Let’s lighten things up and step into Belvedere’s cemetery.
My Missus, my Dearest Duck, (who read this novel before me and pronounced it gem-dandy) and her best friend, the cemetery caretaker’s daughter, played among the Belvedere tombstones when they were children.
Truly.
Said pair of Rabbit Town urchins peered over the orphanage’s wrought iron fence and sometimes watched — with biblical enviousness, mind you — orphan girls playing with brand new dolls.
Brand new, three-foot-tall walking dolls, which, unbeknownst to the jealous urchins, were charitable gifts from the American servicemen stationed in St. John’s, not gifts from Santa Claus or kindly nuns.
Sometimes this book is as bleak as a Charles Dickens tome. Harder knocks are hammered atop hard knocks, if that makes a grain of sense. Readers will brandish fists and rail at the Fates — “For the love of God, b’ys, give ‘er a break.”
But there are no breaks for Kitty, unless you count the broken nose and loosened teeth Sister Mary gives her because of … well, you’ll have to read and see.
Don’t get me wrong. Girls of Belvedere is a top-shelf book. Despite its darkness, there is ultimately triumph over evil. Time after time, Kitty rebounds, a feat not easily done in a world where “Women must plan far ahead because life is full of twists and turns.”
Fortunately, just when you’re nearly mad enough to spit, there’s a bit that generates a chuckle.
For instance…
While back home for a summer visit among dozens of cousins, Kitty discovers no topics are off limits. This crowd, she learns, “would ask you the colour of your drawers.”
Big smile.
Thank you for reading.
Yes, Nemo, the young clownfish famously lost in the Disney movie. (A movie I watched a thousand times when our first granddaughter was a tot.)
Remember what happens in the movie’s opening moments?
Right, a shaggin’ barracuda attacks and kills — gobbles up, I suppose — Mommy clownfish and all her unhatched eggs except the one destined to become Nemo.
For frig sake, even before birth, Nemo is motherless.
Hold the thought.
In the first chapter of The Girls of Belvedere [Flanker Press] we learn Kitty Murphy’s mother has died, leaving Kitty nearly as bad off as Nemo. But she has siblings.
Both Kitty and Nemo have fathers. However, Nemo’s father, Marlin, is the better dad. Marlin commits himself one hundred per cent to finding his lost son. Ryan Murphy, on the other hand, ships Kitty and her sister Hannah off to Belvedere orphanage, boards his schooner and ships (!) off to Boston or Barbados or some such foreign place.
Pretty miserable of him, eh b’ys?
At Belvedere, Kitty meets Sister Mary, the nastiest nun on the planet, a nun who “listened to the sound of her own shoes on the hard, polished floor and decided that it was good.”
Flip back a few pages.
Even before she is placed in Sister Mary’s strict care, Kitty has suffered the wrath of the Old Woman, her wicked — not stepmother — grandmother.
Early on, when Kitty suggests she live with an aunt rather than enter Belvedere, the Old Woman gives Kitty “a slap across her face for her audacity.”
Not a nice nanny, eh b’ys?
Back to Belvedere.
The sun hasn’t set on Kitty’s first day at the orphanage before she encounters a prefect named Gertrude, the leader of a clique of mean girls.
And guess what.
In no time at all, Dirty Gertie gives Kitty a smack in the mouth.
Enough of this brutality. Let’s lighten things up and step into Belvedere’s cemetery.
My Missus, my Dearest Duck, (who read this novel before me and pronounced it gem-dandy) and her best friend, the cemetery caretaker’s daughter, played among the Belvedere tombstones when they were children.
Truly.
Said pair of Rabbit Town urchins peered over the orphanage’s wrought iron fence and sometimes watched — with biblical enviousness, mind you — orphan girls playing with brand new dolls.
Brand new, three-foot-tall walking dolls, which, unbeknownst to the jealous urchins, were charitable gifts from the American servicemen stationed in St. John’s, not gifts from Santa Claus or kindly nuns.
Sometimes this book is as bleak as a Charles Dickens tome. Harder knocks are hammered atop hard knocks, if that makes a grain of sense. Readers will brandish fists and rail at the Fates — “For the love of God, b’ys, give ‘er a break.”
But there are no breaks for Kitty, unless you count the broken nose and loosened teeth Sister Mary gives her because of … well, you’ll have to read and see.
Don’t get me wrong. Girls of Belvedere is a top-shelf book. Despite its darkness, there is ultimately triumph over evil. Time after time, Kitty rebounds, a feat not easily done in a world where “Women must plan far ahead because life is full of twists and turns.”
Fortunately, just when you’re nearly mad enough to spit, there’s a bit that generates a chuckle.
For instance…
While back home for a summer visit among dozens of cousins, Kitty discovers no topics are off limits. This crowd, she learns, “would ask you the colour of your drawers.”
Big smile.
Thank you for reading.
May 30, 2025
This was intense. the story i heard growing in the 70s of what happened to families when a parent died leaving behind the kids and the surviving spouse was accurate. The catholic church did the damage by not only quilting the widowers or widows but shredding children's mental health who ended up in these institutions where they were abused in every way. the three sisters were written in such way that borderline stereotypes the eldest, middle, and youngest siblings. Girls were often told that they were how Sister Mary thought of them. the separation from their families often did so much damage will little no mental health help to help deal with the lose of one parent who died but to taken from the rest of their relatives was a potential making of permanent damage.
The author delved into the difference in the ways the different Christian faith raised families and how they dealt with the serving spouse and children. One version riped the whole family apart while the other not only took care of the mothers funeral but the relatives got to get her to take care of the children and explaining to the surviving spouse that while one church dismantle the whole family , the other church acknowledges it take family and almost the whole community to raise the children.
The author wrote the fathers in two different wat.. one as a predator and the other consumed with the loss of a wife who was his whole world. I think it shines a light on how little the men were given the proper mental health help in grieving and being a present patent to the kids who participated in the bringing into the world. men were told they had to earn a good living and discipline the kids but not how to nurture. they were told not to show emotional weakness while criticizing their drinking and violence. when anyone has to suppress their emotions, it does sooner or later show in mostly destructive ways. and the author wrote that in the book really well. I don't much about what men were like in other parts of the world back then but I do remember even in the 70s, Newfoundland society put that recipe for self destruction in the minds of the men. and in some of the older women, it was their only way of having any control over the large families who were almost completely dependent on the father. by the 50s and 60s here women were in more variations of jobs, thus taking some of the income pressure off the men. I would have liked to have read if the sisters had reunited or had a visit with their dad to let him know they did well despite the nuns, the orphanage, and their grandmother.
It's not easy growing up in Newfoundland. The churches often took advantage of the isolation and financial hardships of families to inflict unnecessary damage that has been described as generational. teachers often told me it was in Newfoundlanders dna to go through hardship. Toughened you up.. but at what cost to the whole family?
you want to learn a bit about growing up in Newfoundland.. this is one of those books that doesn't just touch on the surface of its history. It tightens around your heart, makes you angry, cry, laugh, and breathe a sigh of relief and feel exhausted for the families involved and knowing now that the churches were eventually held accountable. also that with a bit of hope that each generation made better choices to break the cycles of abuse and acknowledge how much damage our parents and elders were put in unnecessary paths of hardship.
I hope the author writes more in the future. Well done, misses. 🫖☕️❤️🩹
The author delved into the difference in the ways the different Christian faith raised families and how they dealt with the serving spouse and children. One version riped the whole family apart while the other not only took care of the mothers funeral but the relatives got to get her to take care of the children and explaining to the surviving spouse that while one church dismantle the whole family , the other church acknowledges it take family and almost the whole community to raise the children.
The author wrote the fathers in two different wat.. one as a predator and the other consumed with the loss of a wife who was his whole world. I think it shines a light on how little the men were given the proper mental health help in grieving and being a present patent to the kids who participated in the bringing into the world. men were told they had to earn a good living and discipline the kids but not how to nurture. they were told not to show emotional weakness while criticizing their drinking and violence. when anyone has to suppress their emotions, it does sooner or later show in mostly destructive ways. and the author wrote that in the book really well. I don't much about what men were like in other parts of the world back then but I do remember even in the 70s, Newfoundland society put that recipe for self destruction in the minds of the men. and in some of the older women, it was their only way of having any control over the large families who were almost completely dependent on the father. by the 50s and 60s here women were in more variations of jobs, thus taking some of the income pressure off the men. I would have liked to have read if the sisters had reunited or had a visit with their dad to let him know they did well despite the nuns, the orphanage, and their grandmother.
It's not easy growing up in Newfoundland. The churches often took advantage of the isolation and financial hardships of families to inflict unnecessary damage that has been described as generational. teachers often told me it was in Newfoundlanders dna to go through hardship. Toughened you up.. but at what cost to the whole family?
you want to learn a bit about growing up in Newfoundland.. this is one of those books that doesn't just touch on the surface of its history. It tightens around your heart, makes you angry, cry, laugh, and breathe a sigh of relief and feel exhausted for the families involved and knowing now that the churches were eventually held accountable. also that with a bit of hope that each generation made better choices to break the cycles of abuse and acknowledge how much damage our parents and elders were put in unnecessary paths of hardship.
I hope the author writes more in the future. Well done, misses. 🫖☕️❤️🩹
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
This book was an incredible and eye-opening look into the lives and hardships faced by women in 1940s Newfoundland.
Kitty stood out to me the most. Her resilience, defiance, and unwavering protectiveness, especially toward her sisters, really struck a chord. As someone very close to my own sister, I felt deeply connected to their bond and the powerful ways they held each other up. The theme of women supporting women is woven throughout the story in such an honest and moving way. It’s one of the things that will stay with me long after reading.
On top of that all, knowing that this novel was inspired by Michelle’s own mother’s experiences made it all the more powerful.
An important, beautifully written book. Thank you, Michelle.♡
PS. I wish I could’ve saw Sister Mary get what she deserved
Kitty stood out to me the most. Her resilience, defiance, and unwavering protectiveness, especially toward her sisters, really struck a chord. As someone very close to my own sister, I felt deeply connected to their bond and the powerful ways they held each other up. The theme of women supporting women is woven throughout the story in such an honest and moving way. It’s one of the things that will stay with me long after reading.
On top of that all, knowing that this novel was inspired by Michelle’s own mother’s experiences made it all the more powerful.
An important, beautifully written book. Thank you, Michelle.♡
PS. I wish I could’ve saw Sister Mary get what she deserved
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2026
Although fictional it tells the story of most Newfoundland girls that lost their mothers at an early age. The harsh, cruel reality that was the Orphanage and the lives that were ruled and sometimes ruined by the religious leaders. A heartbreaking read that gives a good look into the lives of the children and their determination to try and come out of the orphanage a better person for being in there.
January 10, 2026
Kudos, Michelle Clemens, on writing this awesome book. It’s a story full of well developed characters, like the mean Sister Mary, Kitty , Hannah, The Old Woman, etc but most if all it’s a heartwarming hopeful story of sisterly love and overcoming hardship , and a fabulous fabulous ending to top it off .
December 10, 2025
This book felt like a slow read and sometimes felt a little boring. But overall it was an interesting story, not one you hear many about. Being from Newfoundland, I loved the book’s setting. I would recommend this read.
June 11, 2025
Couldn’t put it down
August 27, 2025
Excellent book by my friend and colleague.
May 9, 2025
I was fortunate to get an early copy of this debut novel by this author. We meet Kitty and her siblings under the most unfortunate circumstance. The author paints a realistic picture of what faced motherless girls in a society where they were neither seen nor heard. Though the sisters were exposed to things they would have never dreamed possible in a small outport where women grew up to be mothers, die young after multiple births, in an optionless endless cycle of poverty, the institutions had their own pitfalls as well as church and state. Michelle weaves a terrific story that bares these flaws in what could as easily be a memoir as it is a novel. Great writing, great story, wonderful first novel. Well done, Michelle.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews