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Obedience Audiobook
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(3.05) - 164 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The thought of him was irresistible, a mystery. It made her feel beautiful. And, while it lasted, it gave her a glimpse of paradise.
A once bustling convent in the south of France is closing, leaving behind three elderly nuns. Forced for the first time to confront the community that she betrayed decades ago, one of those nuns, Sister Bernard, struggles to reconcile her uncertain faith with the passionate, impulsive actions of her youth.
The young Sister Bernard is slow-witted, dreamy, and tormented by the voice of a judgemental God. Only when one of the young Nazi soldiers starts showing her attention is she given a reprieve from God’s voice. Soon she is meeting him in secret and breaking her vow of chastity with disturbing ease. Illicit love leads her into a far worse betrayal, one she fully understands only when it is too late, and a horror that endures in the memories of the villagers in the decades that follow.
With an elegant, devastatingly effective style, this story of one woman’s forbidden love, uncertain faith, and guilt-ridden past is told in alternating vignettes, bridging her imminent, present-day reckoning with the complex emotions behind her misdeeds of the past.
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"Terrific tale of a fallen nun. These are the nuns I once knew - a coven of women who can be devout, earnest, cruel and simple. We are with sister Bernard through her temptation to sex and the horrid consequences of her infatuation with a soldier. This story stayed with me. Highly recommended."
— Yvonne (5 out of 5 stars)
Obedience Listener Reviews
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" Hard to put into words how I feel about this book. It wasn't entirely believable to me, and it jumped around a lot. However, I am glad to have read it and actually still thinking about a lot of what I read "
— Dorothy, 1/25/2014 -
" Nice to read something different, good for a change. The last 1/4 was a little fragmented and not as strong as the rest of the book. "
— Lynette, 12/4/2013 -
" A book that makes you think. Beautifully written and, yes, sad on many levels. "
— Luann, 11/19/2013 -
" I got a third of the way through this book and gave up. I seriously wanted to smack Sister Bernard. Interesting premise, but when you loathe the main character, it's hard to keep going. I didn't have a problem with the morality of it all, but she was such a nimwit. "
— Amy, 11/17/2013 -
" Good book, mysteriously told. Goes back and forth from WW II occupied France to present day following the life of a nun who is seduced by a German soldier. Puts you in mind of a 40s black and white movie. I would recommend it. "
— Peggy, 9/1/2013 -
" A tragedy - beautiful and heartbreaking. "
— Linda, 4/5/2013 -
" Absolutely excellent. Would not hesitate to recommend it to my friends. An interesting story, beautifully told. "
— Christine, 11/18/2012 -
" I enjoyed this book so much that I didn't want it to end. "
— Judith, 4/12/2012 -
" This is a very sad and beautiful novel. More later. "
— Nancy, 2/1/2012
About Christine Williams
Christine Williams is a singer and actor based in Ashland, Oregon. Her performance credits include productions at regional theaters and on concert stages across the country and around the world, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Barbican Centre in London to the Aspen Music Festival and the Grotowski Institute in Poland.