Rating: 
Summary: A book to touch your heart and soul...
Review: A story of sisters...not just sisters of the heart, but Sisters of the Church. Three women enter religious life. Watching their journey, both in spirit and in life, makes for a tender story of faith, life...and love. Debbie Macomber is a talented author whose stories always touch me...this one even more than most.
Rating:
Summary: A book to touch your heart and soul...
Review: A story of sisters...not just sisters of the heart, but Sisters of the Church. Three women enter religious life. Watching their journey, both in spirit and in life, makes for a tender story of faith, life...and love. Debbie Macomber is a talented author whose stories always touch me...this one even more than most.
Rating:
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.
Rating:
Summary: A Habit Worth Keeping
Review: Changing Habits is an extraordinary book. It introduces us to three young women from different backgrounds, Kathleen, Angelina, and Joanna, and their journey through the convent and later life outside the convent. Told through their eyes, each chapter features one of the girls experiences and how it affects their life in the convent and eventually the women they become.
When I picked up the book, I didn't know how wrapped up in the story I would get. Each girl had their own story to tell and how their personal struggles affected themselves and their faith. I didn't know much about the Catholic Order, but with reading this book, I got information that was both interesting and not overwhelming. This book touched me in ways that most books can't even begin to match. It's a wonderful book that will make you think differently and look at your life in a whole new light.
A must read for anyone looking for a heartwarming and touching book!
Rating: 
Summary: Emerging Creation
Review: Debbie Macomber presents an honest look at the lives of three young women who discover that there are many ways to "serve God". Without resorting to the all too common Church bashing attitude, "Changing Habits" shows the complex interaction of individuals, family and the world in shaping institutions and the people working within them. Although a bit predictable, this book does an excellent job of portraying the evolution of the Catholic Church and the efforts of people to remain faithful to themselves and to the truth in an ever changing world.
Rating:
Summary: Emerging Creation
Review: Debbie Macomber presents an honest look at the lives of three young women who discover that there are many ways to "serve God". Without resorting to the all too common Church bashing attitude, "Changing Habits" shows the complex interaction of individuals, family and the world in shaping institutions and the people working within them. Although a bit predictable, this book does an excellent job of portraying the evolution of the Catholic Church and the efforts of people to remain faithful to themselves and to the truth in an ever changing world.
Rating: 
Summary: Ending falls short.
Review: Heard the taped version of CHANGING HABITS by Debbie Macomber . . . it is the story of two women who enter the convent, then both leave it for various reasons . . . their respective
tales were interesting, and I enjoyed reading about both of them--until the ending . . . Macomber seems to have gotten tired of writing at that point in time and fast forwards things
to a reunion of all the sisterhood members . . . I wanted to know more about what happened to the two women; instead, the last 30 years of their lives were condensed into a few minutes (pages, I imagine, if you're reading) at the end . . . Trini Alvarado--an actress I've admired but who just hasn't been in that many films to suit my taste--did an excellent job of narration.
Rating:
Summary: Same shortfalls as Cast Away
Review: I agree with the positive things that the other reviewers said about this book. However, this book left me feeling the same way as I did at the end of Cast Away. There just wasn't enough time spent describing how the sisters assimulated into secular life. 30 years were wrapped up in a chapter or two. I gave this book 3 stars because while it was good while it lasted at the end I felt down. I won't keep this one in my library to read over again.
Rating:
Summary: Same shortfalls as Cast Away
Review: I agree with the positive things that the other reviewers said about this book. However, this book left me feeling the same way as I did at the end of Cast Away. There just wasn't enough time spent describing how the sisters assimulated into secular life. 30 years were wrapped up in a chapter or two. I gave this book 3 stars because while it was good while it lasted at the end I felt down. I won't keep this one in my library to read over again.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: I loved this book, read it in one sitting. This book is honest and digs deep into some uncomfortable places without sacrificing heart or grace. This will go on my keeper shelf!
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