Review: Sister Rosa's Rebellion by Carolyn Hughes

Today, I'm delighted to welcome back historical fiction author, Carolyn Hughes, who writes realistic, thought-provoking books set in medieval England. I'm sharing my review of her latest release, Sister Rosa's Rebellion. It's well worth checking out. Read on!

Sister Rosa's Rebellion is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find other fascinating posts from this tour HERE! 

I can particularly recommend checking out the tour stops, where Carolyn shares fascinating details of medieval life within and outside a nunnery.

 

 

Sister Rosa’s Rebellion

Meonbridge Chronicles, Book 6

Carolyn Hughes

 

 

I was looking forward to reading Sister Rosa's Rebellion ever since I first heard about it. It is the latest instalment in Carolyn Hughes’ acclaimed, highly enjoyable Meonbridge Chronicles – featuring Johanna de Bohun of Meonbridge aka Sister Rosa.

 

The plot intrigued me straight away. A rebelling nun sounds like an oxymoron, something that surely never happens. After all, nuns take vows of duty and complete obedience towards their superiors. Or do even nuns reach their limits when that superior is neglecting their own duty of care towards the sisters? You'd be surprised!

 

When Mother Angelica – who'd been in charge of Northwick Priory as prioress for many decades – dies, the resident nuns face a conundrum: a new prioress must be elected. Many nuns think that Sister Rosa, who'd been acting like a sub-prioress to Mother Angelica for years, would get the position. But at Northwick, there have for generations been women of the Godeffroy family, which had been a long-standing benefactor of the priory, in charge. And there is one particular nun, Sister Evangelina, who is a Godeffroy. Though she is not a particularly devote nun...

The election is apparently decided, but several friends suggest Sister Rosa should stand. Evangelina knows of Rosa's popularity, but still considers the post of prioress hers by right. Having had to endure the hardship of life as a nun against her will, Evangelina sees her chance at finally being able to make her life a little more comfortable. When her brother, Edgar the priest in charge of the nun's souls, reveals that Rosa must have sinned gravely prior to entering the nunnery, Evangelina seizes her chance to blackmail Rosa into withdrawing, hinting that she knows all the details.

 

Rosa is concerned about her reputation. She has carried a guilty secret with her for decades, and she can't afford for it to be revealed, so she stands aside, and Evangelina wins the election. Immediately, she spends priory money for her personal comforts, ordering fine food and clothes, receiving visitors without supervision, and even hiring a personal maid and cook. Soon, the priory's funds begin to dwindle, and the other sisters see themselves on smaller, less nutritious rations. Rosa and her friends are incensed, but there's nothing they can do.

 

Meanwhile, her childhood friend John atte Wode, who used to advise her and Mother Angelica on husbandry matters, has been banished, just as he had begun to form a bond with lay sister, Anabella, who'd fled her late husband's rapacious family. Not keen on the life as a nun, Anabella is at a loss as to what to do. In the meantime, the priory – and Sister Evangelina – hold her generous dowry.

 

Will Sister Rosa find the courage to stop Evangelina from ruining Northwick? And will John find a way to rescue Anabella before she is forced to take the veil? Well, read the novel to find out!

 

 

Sister Rosa's Rebellion is an intriguing medieval tale mostly set within the walls of the priory. We follow the nuns and their daily routines in fascinating detail. Ms Hughes has researched convent life to the most minute detail, providing us with a realistic glimpse behind the scenes. 

In the priory, we witness how personal ambitions threaten to override established norms and duties; how intrigues and threats undermine the community; and how easy it was for one corrupt prioress can change the whole fabric of the convent. I'm sure it happened a lot through history.

 

I found this aspect particularly interesting, as it shows how quickly a well-established priory can lose its wealth, and with it, its status. Priories relied on benefactors, and once money stopped coming in, life could change dramatically very quickly.

 

I liked Sister Rosa. She is conscientious, kind, devoted, with a no-nonsense approach. Everything Evangelina is not. Rosa prevaricates between her outrage at the changes Evangelina makes and her guilt over a past obsession. To understand her reasoning, we must remember how important it was in the Middle Ages (and possibly still is) to have an unblemished record, free from sin, when entering a religious order. Especially as a woman! Any hint of past sins may be used against you, and you'll never be able to free yourself from that guilt. With that in mind, Rosa's hesitation at rebelling makes sense, until she realises Northwick's whole existence is in danger.

 

The narrative contains several points of view, and details overlap, slowing the pace in a few places. But it all makes sense as those characters’ actions then have an impact on the overall plot. There are several plot threads in this novel, within the priory and at Meonbridge, weaving their way through the story. They all find their resolution, though, in the end. At times, I found there was too much narrative and internalisation, and not enough dialogue, but in the confines of a nunnery, one wouldn't have too much chance for chatting. Everything had its purpose.

 

And whilst I could fully understand Rosa's hesitation, I felt a bit impatient at times for her to get on with it. But with the threat of exposure hanging over her, her dithering is quite understandable. 

I must admit I did feel a little sorry for Evangelina. Ditched in a nunnery against her will, deprived of the more luxurious life of a noblewoman, and with little religious vocation, her resentment grows over the years. And whilst she did not have to turn nasty, you feel a little sympathy for her when she enjoys the comforts her role as prioress gives her. A woman's life wasted behind walls, unable to escape. It must have felt like prison.

 

Sister Rosa's Rebellion is the latest instalment in Ms Hughes’ excellent and well-researched Meonbridge Chronicles series. The writing is engaging, the plot intriguing, and the characters realistic. The author knows the era incredibly well, and shows us medieval life as it would have been. It makes for compelling reading in every sense.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sister Rosa's Rebellion, and I'm already looking forward to the next adventure in Meonbridge. 

 

Highly recommended!

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Blurb:

1363. When Mother Angelica, the old prioress at Northwick Priory, dies, many of the nuns think Sister Rosa – formerly Johanna de Bohun, of Meonbridge – should take her place. But Sister Evangelina, Angelica’s niece, believes the position is hers by right, and one way or another she will ensure it is. Rosa stands aside to let Evangelina win, but is devastated when she sees how the new prioress is changing Northwick: from a place of humility and peace to one of extravagance and entertainment, if only for the prioress and her favoured few.

Rosa is horrified to see such sacrilegious changes, but dreads too that Northwick will go to wrack and ruin under Evangelina’s profligate and greedy rule. Yet Rosa’s vows of obedience mean she cannot rebel.

In Meonbridge, John atte Wode, the bailiff, is also distraught by what is happening at Northwick. For years, he visited the priory to advise prioress Angelica, and Sister Rosa, on the management of their estates. But Evangelina dismissed him, declaring his advice no longer necessary. Worse, she barred him from visiting Northwick again.

Yet, only months ago, he had met Anabella, a widow who fled to Northwick to escape her in-laws’ demands and threats, but is a somewhat reluctant novice nun. The attraction between John and Anabella was immediate and he had hoped to persuade her to give up the priory and become his wife. But how can he possibly do that now?

Can John rescue his beloved Anabella from a future he is certain she no longer wants? And can Rosa overcome her misgivings and rebel against Evangelina’s hateful regime, and return Northwick to the haven it once was?

Buy Link: Universal Buy Link

This series is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

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About the Author:

 

Carolyn Hughes

Carolyn Hughes has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, word-smithing for many different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.

Although she wrote creatively on and off for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest that writing historical fiction took centre stage. But why historical fiction? Serendipity!

 

Seeking inspiration for what to write for her Creative Writing Masters, she discovered the handwritten draft, begun in her twenties, of a novel, set in 14th century rural England… Intrigued by the period and setting, she realised that, by writing a novel set in the period, she could learn more about the medieval past and interpret it, which seemed like a thrilling thing to do. A few days later, the first Meonbridge Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, was under way.

Seven published books later (with more to come), Carolyn does now think of herself as an Historical Novelist. And she wouldn’t have it any other way…

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