Rating: 
Summary: Achingly beautiful prose; poetic imagery
Review: Hanson's prose is achingly beautiful. His images are as objectively poetic as a Japanese landscape painting on a silk screen. His sense of the "thinginess" of things, and for evocative but not cloying factual detail, is wonderful. His depiction of the passage of time is so fine-grained that it is shocking to recollect that the novel encompasses only six months. If you have a taste for fine writing, drink deeply! If you want a sympathetic but grittily real portrayal of the work of spirituality, drink again. Ten stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful and haunting, but.....
Review: I agree with those who say the prose is wonderfully sparse and the novel gripping and seductive. However, I find much of the writing too studied -- to the point of pretentiousness. Sometimes,the descriptions seem so carefully, almost painfully crafted that one is more aware of the struggle of the writer than of the imagery itself. That awareness actually comes between the reader and the story at times, jarring one awake with a great desire to tell the novelist, "Oh, puh-leeze. Just say what you mean and stop trying so hard to be clever." Unlike some reviewers, however, I am not troubled by the enigmatic ending, because it reflects the very nature of such events and the human response to them. I like the fact that the author did not insult the reader by attempting to neatly wrap up the story by coming to a firm conclusion about Mariette's stigmata at the end.
Rating:
Summary: You'll want to read it twice.
Review: I don't remember who recommended this book to me, but thank you. Ron Hansen's story about a shy, devout 17-year old girl who willingly, in fact obsessively, gives herself to God and enters a convent entranced me. Mariette is in her own mind not devout enough, not pure enough yet is described by some of the order's sisters as being almost a saint and absolute in her devotion to God. But when she exhibits the signs of being a postulant, our logical minds think she must be faking it, because how could God give her such a power? Ironically some of the same people who unquestioningly love and accept Christ as the son of God can't believe that a girl would have some similar or inexplicable connection as well. In a short period of time her devotion and motives are questioned. Some say she is a liar or nutcase seeking attention and others think she is a saint. When a person presents herself honestly and with integrity and is challenged on every front, whom do you believe? The person or her detractors.
Rating: 
Summary: Rather somber atmosphere
Review: I listened to the taped version of Mariette in Ecstasy, read by Barbara Caruso. Caruso's mellow, British-accented voice is easy to listen to, and in this book she reads with pretty much the same intonation throughout the story, rather somber, and an unvaried rhythm. This gives the story a subdued, somber tone. I never sense a smile in her voice, nor can I ever remember a smile or humor mentioned in the plot. Yes, as other reviewers have mentioned, the story is well written, but I found it boring at times, as the new nun, Mariette was droningly instructed on the rules of religion and of the convent by the elder sisters. The story became more interesting when her stigmata appeared, and as the reactions of the other nuns became stronger, their emotions ranging from belief and adoration of her, to jealousy, disgust, and rejection. The inspection of her body as she stood naked before the priest and nuns was compelling, but just when it seems you should be sympathizing with this injustice, the results of the inspection suddenly force you to doubt Mariette's entire experience. At the end of the book, as Mariette is contemplating her days as a nun, there is still no indication if the experience was real or not, and this is probably as it should be, since the author wasn't there himself to inspect her "wounds". So the question of whether stigmata is a real phenomena or not is never answered. Rather, more valuable in this story is the exploration of the varied reactions of the nuns and priests... some believers in Mariette's experience, and some not; some kind to her, and some bitter, and not displaying a very "Christian" disposition. This short book could be a good introduction into the phenomena of stigmata, and the life of a convent, but if I really wanted to know more about these subjects, it'd probably be more profitable to go to a non-fiction source, or a longer novel that explores these subjects in more depth. I enjoyed "Atticus" by this same author much more.
Rating:
Summary: Rather somber atmosphere
Review: I listened to the taped version of Mariette in Ecstasy, read by Barbara Caruso. Caruso's mellow, British-accented voice is easy to listen to, and in this book she reads with pretty much the same intonation throughout the story, rather somber, and an unvaried rhythm. This gives the story a subdued, somber tone. I never sense a smile in her voice, nor can I ever remember a smile or humor mentioned in the plot. Yes, as other reviewers have mentioned, the story is well written, but I found it boring at times, as the new nun, Mariette was droningly instructed on the rules of religion and of the convent by the elder sisters. The story became more interesting when her stigmata appeared, and as the reactions of the other nuns became stronger, their emotions ranging from belief and adoration of her, to jealousy, disgust, and rejection. The inspection of her body as she stood naked before the priest and nuns was compelling, but just when it seems you should be sympathizing with this injustice, the results of the inspection suddenly force you to doubt Mariette's entire experience. At the end of the book, as Mariette is contemplating her days as a nun, there is still no indication if the experience was real or not, and this is probably as it should be, since the author wasn't there himself to inspect her "wounds". So the question of whether stigmata is a real phenomena or not is never answered. Rather, more valuable in this story is the exploration of the varied reactions of the nuns and priests... some believers in Mariette's experience, and some not; some kind to her, and some bitter, and not displaying a very "Christian" disposition. This short book could be a good introduction into the phenomena of stigmata, and the life of a convent, but if I really wanted to know more about these subjects, it'd probably be more profitable to go to a non-fiction source, or a longer novel that explores these subjects in more depth. I enjoyed "Atticus" by this same author much more.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating story of obsession and unanswered faith
Review: I read this for class, and nearly wanted to get into fistfights with my peers over what Hansen wanted us to believe. A novel that keeps you guessing
Rating: 
Summary: A Nun in 1906 Upstate New York...
Review: I was quite surprised at this book after reading it in a single day. It's not a long book (only 179 pages) but it wasn't what I expected. I wanted a more intricate story with sub-plots and more controversy. It's clear that Catholic convents had strict rules in the early 20th Century. It took me into a loop when Mariette has a stigmatic experience that no one took seriously; whereby, she was dismissed from becoming a nun. The story really lacked a good plot and there were too many SISTERS in the story. One is better off finding the excellent film, THE MAGDALENE SISTERS (which is based on a true story). The writing by author Ron Hansen cannot be overlooked as he does have a special style. This was a National Bestseller in 1991. I think a lot of readers were intriged and 'let down' by the title alone. Oh well...it added a completely new subject as a follow-up to my last book (HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN--Haha).
Rating:
Summary: A Nun in 1906 Upstate New York...
Review: I was quite surprised at this book after reading it in a single day. It's not a long book (only 179 pages) but it wasn't what I expected. I wanted a more intricate story with sub-plots and more controversy. It's clear that Catholic convents had strict rules in the early 20th Century. It took me into a loop when Mariette has a stigmatic experience that no one took seriously; whereby, she was dismissed from becoming a nun. The story really lacked a good plot and there were too many SISTERS in the story. One is better off finding the excellent film, THE MAGDALENE SISTERS (which is based on a true story). The writing by author Ron Hansen cannot be overlooked as he does have a special style. This was a National Bestseller in 1991. I think a lot of readers were intriged and 'let down' by the title alone. Oh well...it added a completely new subject as a follow-up to my last book (HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN--Haha).
Rating:
Summary: Can't I give it 6 stars? One of favs of All Time
Review: Magical. Ignore the amazon.com reviewer's comment, "Since the reader never doubts..." That's not true. This is one of my favorites of All Time, on my lifelong top ten. Up there with "The Discovery of Light," by J.P. Smith, and "Was," by Geoff Ryman.
Rating:
Summary: Poetic and engrossing, yet lacking in action.
Review: Mariette in Ecstasy is a wonderful piece of long poetry; though it is refered to as a 'novel' on the cover.Each scene is finely and exquisitely detailed from the weather down to the little noises within the silence of prayer. Ron Hansen has written a feast for the senses, the imagination and even the soul in it's vague, yet insigtful descriptions of devotional religious ectasy. -That's what I really liked about this novel What bothered me was the lack of action. pages and pages would go by without anything really significant occuring, the story seemed to be going stagnate near the middle.. In my opinion, the novel does little to keep the reader interested, to keep them turning pages and reading. There are no mystery's to be unraveled and very little fresh blood to keep the narrative interesting and moving. But the above, of course, is partly due to my own biases. I love stories with intense emotion and unique characters and while the authors super-sensual poetic style of writing theroghly engaged my imaginatioin and put me right there into each scene, the lack of action and intense emotion failed to keep me there. However, despite all of this, I think any religious person with a relationship with God would really appreciate the the spiritual aspect of the book. Sometimes after readind it, I felt a little closer to God myself. If you're in to stories that get your blood pumping and engage your intellect while firering your emotions, Mariette in Ecstasy probably isn't for you. But if you want to relax and read some most beautiful and poetic prose, to fully live in each scene of this story; then by all means get this book, it should give you hours upon hours of enjoyment.
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