Changing Habits CD Low Price

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Summary: A great read from one of America's most beloved authors
Review: Addressing a subject not often found in women's fiction, Debbie Macomber has written a compelling book that is absolutely unputdownable.

It's the late sixties - a time of turmoil for many young Americans. But three young women decide to use their lives to serve God and become nuns.

Kathleen O'Shaughnessy, from a large Boston Irish family, has always known she'd become a nun. There was never any question from the time of her first communion on. And a more wonderful and devout nun you'd be hard pressed to find. But when Kathleen's naiveté allows her to get into a very sticky situation, her fellow nuns have no problem sending her away... .

Joanna and Greg became engaged before he left for Vietnam. They had become intimate before - conflicting with Joanna's morals. But she knows they are meant for each other and while he is gone she spends time planning the wedding. But Joanna is in for a shock when he returns, giving her all the impetus she needs to enter the convent. She becomes a caring nurse and in her caring ends up devoting herself to more than just her patients when a troubled young physician forces her to take stock of her life.

Angelina joined the convent despite her father's vehement protest. The young Italian girl has been primed to take over her father's restaurant business from an early age. Sister Angelina becomes a schoolteacher, caring deeply for her students. But when she is unable to help one of her favorites, leading to tragedy, Angelina is unable to forgive herself.

Debbie Macomber has given readers a glimpse into a world that has many a mystery to many. As a non-Catholic the depth of the isolation forced on the novices, especially in the late sixties, surprised me. But Macomber has chosen to set the bulk of CHANGING HABITS in a time that saw many changes in the Catholic Church and for the nuns in particular.

The poignant stories and choices made by these three women make for one of the most compelling books I've read in a very long time. In spite of the subject matter, there is romance as well, but the story really belongs to Kathleen, Joanna, and Angie.

This book is very highly recommended not only for its interesting subject matter but also for the compassion with which Macomber tackles controversial issues, as well as her trademark poignancy. It certainly proves why she is one of the most beloved authors writing today.

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Summary: insightful look at the modern day Catholic Church in the USA
Review: In the 1960s, three young women from diverse lifestyles enter St. Peter's Parrish in Minneapolis with the belief they are destined to become nuns. Angelina Marcello, Kathleen O'Shaunessy, and Joanna Baird had different reasons for becoming "Brides of Christ", but shared an idealism to serve God and help the community.

In 1972 the three nuns struggle with crisis of faith. For Sister Angelina, it was the simple failure of the Church to deal with the problems of a pregnant teen Corrine that sent her back to her father's restaurant. Temporarily taking over the accounting journal led Sister Kathleen to Father Brian Doyle with both wrestling between their vows and a very human love for one another. For Sister Joanna, the return of Viet Nam vet Dr. Tim Murray reminds her that she joined for the wrong reasons as she begins to fall in love with the still recovering medical practitioner. Will the church lose three more dedicated people or will the vows prove strong enough to keep these Sisters within the fold?

CHANGING HABITS is not the typical fare from Debbie Macomber, but is an insightful look at some of the problems the modern day Catholic Church is confronting in America. The story line is well written as the trio of nuns seems so genuine and human. The support cast enables the audience to understand their motives from entry into the Church until the individual crisis of faith occurs. Readers will feel strongly what each one of the Sisters contends with as Ms. Macomber powerfully focuses on the critical loss of nuns facing the Church today.

Harriet Klausner

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Summary: It had me sobbing on the beach!
Review: What a great beach book! I loved the way the author took 3 young ladies from different areas and time periods and weaved their stories together into a perfect tapestry. What a step back to the 1960s; it evoked many memories. It was fascinating to see how the church changed over the years and the impact it had on the women. From the first page to the last Ms. Macomber has written a compelling novel with no loose ends. Sometimes it seems like authors rush to finish a book, resulting in a weak ending. That is not the case with this one--it's quality through the last tissue in the box! It was my first Macomber book, and it won't be the last.