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The Secret Scripture: Spoiler Thread
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I hated the ending too. I think sleeping with 2 men was enough to be a nympho. It's been awhile but the ending was frustrating and too little too late if I remember correctly. It rapped up all at once and had a bittersweet feeling. The prose is nice though.
Actually, any sex outside of marriage was condemned. Women were sluts and men were studs. The old double standard.
Sherry wrote: "Actually, any sex outside of marriage was condemned. Women were sluts and men were studs. The old double standard."I think even within marriage it was a sin if you enjoyed it ;-p
I agree....... women in those days were not valued very much at all and if a woman got pregnant outside of marriage it was the woman's fault for tempting the man in the first place. As Sherry said there was a double standard.I really liked the history in this book as well, it was interesting and very sad I thought.
But Rosanne was named a nympo on the basis the eshe was seen waking with a man who was not her husdand. This was observed by a group of clerics, including fr Gaunt. It was on that basis that the Ma pulled the plug on the marriage.We may as well ask what they were op to on the lonly mountain. It was some time later the ronanne did the deed with Eanis and got pregrnant.
Marsia, Sherry, you are right. The story was deparatly sad. To think that one woman could force such misery on another.
I really hated that priest. I didn't know The Secret Scripture was a movie.www.scannain.com/irish/preview-the-se...
Actually it looks like it won't be released until the very end of 2017.
Sherry wrote: "Actually it looks like it won't be released until the very end of 2017."It might make a good movie ;-)
I bet it will. Maybe they'll change the ending. It's rare to see a movie that's 100% true to the book.
Sherry wrote: "I bet it will. Maybe they'll change the ending. It's rare to see a movie that's 100% true to the book."Nah, it's a real hollywood ending LOL
Yes you're right. The music will add to it all. It'll be a Kleenex moment lol
A movie of this book would definitely be a kleenex moment :-)
Just finished this. I was disappointed with this book as I've heard such great things about the author. While there were some beautifully poetic lines about life, history and honesty I never connected with the characters. It felt like both characters at times were unreliable storytellers. Choosing which parts to tell. The twist at the end was quite a shock but didn't make up for the rest of the story which at times to me felt a bit drawn out.
I liked this novel but didn't love it. I wasn't surprised by the big revels but it made me mad on so many levels .How Roseanne was treated .The priest ,the mother-in -law Tom and Jack they all made me angry.How women could be treated that way... I think it would make a very good movie. I will have to read The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty
Colleen wrote: "I liked this novel but didn't love it. I wasn't surprised by the big revels but it made me mad on so many levels .How Roseanne was treated .The priest ,the mother-in -law Tom and Jack they all made..."I agree Colleen. I think for me the mother-in-law and the husband togather were most guilty. I felt more betrayed by the mother-in-law though. The thought that one woman could do that to another.
His writing is good, but the book leaves you sad and frustrated. Sadly, I'm sure women were probably treated exactly that way. I don't know if we'll ever be treated 100% equally. Luckily it's much better now than it was.
Mod
In general I liked the sections of novel that were told in the past from Roseanne's perspective, but heavily disliked the parts told from Dr. Greene's perspective.
I agree that the writing was good, but having heard so many people gush about this novel, I was just expecting more.
I liked the book but thought the end was a bit predictable. But I really liked the way it was written. The way the two characters sort of counseled each other with out knowing they were doing it. The way women were treated during that time in Ireland was really awful. The book suggested that people were judged for what they believed in and if they truly didn't want to take sides they were seen as too different.
I didn't like the priest either. He was so judgmental.
Women were treated badly everywhere. I agree about the priest. If you add religion to an overall judgmental attitude towards women then it creates a kind of hatred. Religion should bring love but sometimes that judgmental attitude is hateful. The dipshits miss the point. Mary Magdeline was spared a stoning. I suppose some religious people had that cut out of their bibles.
Sherry wrote: "Women were treated badly everywhere. I agree about the priest. If you add religion to an overall judgmental attitude towards women then it creates a kind of hatred. Religion should bring love but s..."It has been sugested that some gospels claim she was not a protitute, and even that she was Christs wife. We have to remember that the bible was written, and translated from Hebrew, by priests.
Yes I've heard that. I think that the basic message was that we all sin and in this particular book, sex was the sin that the priest judged. I think some hyper religious think it's worse than murder.
I couldn't believe Roseanne waited on the hill 7 years on her own before Fr Gaunt told her about the annulment. It was unbelievable the power and detrimenral influence of one cleric on her life. I liked the book, sad and all as it was. I found Dr. Greens narrative less interesting than Roseannes. Overall a good read. I'd be interested in the other book 'The whereabouts of Eneas McNulty' after reading this.
I have to say I found this story hard to get into but very touching once I did. Its heartbreaking to think Tom took the word of a priest who saw Roseann speaking to someone and made up lies to go with his story. I also though he was very cruel to her and also her husband a coward for not talking to her. Its scares me how much power the church had back then
Glad to see you stuck it out Karen. The churches power was far reaching in Ireland back then. Thankfully we've moved on. I think I was most disappointed with her husbands behaviour as he seemed to love her from the story she tells, however her reliability as narrator is questionable and you'd wonder if the relationship was as stable as she made it out to be or had he been using her all along.
I am glad I did too :-), I would agree with you on the realionship with her husband and herself and the fact she slept with his brother and had his child all in one evening would make me wonder was there something going on before then or am i just looking for something thats not there.I am surprise that her son never tells her who he is I know he said about her heart but still if she passed away she could go happy knowing he was ok and well
You could always speculate that maybe she knew all along and that's why she painted such a rose tinted version of events, blaming parents and the church. But that might be pushing it :)
True I do think the priest has alot to answer for in her story. But like you say how much is his doing and the other her own making.I would like to think it was a good married life but for him to walk away so fast would be one thing to question I know back then you didnt go against the church or the mother so it could be possible that he did as he was told.
Apart from that it was an interesting read that made me wonder about the nature of truth. It is often said that history is written by the victor, but so many smaller histories are written by the observers, and are they any less true?
What stuck out most in this story, for me, was what a cruel woman Mrs McNulty was, and how weak and easy to control were her menfolk. How Tom Jr got up the courage to marry against his mothers wishes was very much glossed over. Certainly, in the light of his subsequent actions, it wouldn seem he had that much back bone. Certain other key questions are unanswered also such as who filled in the fathers name on the baby's birth cert? I'm also unclear as to how Roseanne came to meet Lavelle.
I wonder was it really that easy for a woman to be labelled a nympho in those days? Given the misogyny of the church, that is the part of this sorry tale that I can believe.
Rosannes own description of her decline into madness culminating with the birth, and loss, of her child, was well written and poignant.
Did I mention that I HATE THE END?