Confessions of a Pagan Nun: A Novel

by Kate Horsley

Overview

A druid-turned-nun writes of faith, love, and loss in this “beautifully written and thought-provoking book” set at the dawn of Ireland’s Christian era (Library Journal)

Cloistered in a stone cell at the monastery of Saint Brigit, a sixth-century Irish nun secretly records the memories of her Pagan youth, interrupting her assigned task of transcribing Augustine and Patrick. She revisits her past, piece by piece—her fiercely independent mother, whose skill with healing plants and inner strength she inherited; her druid teacher, the brusque and magnetic Giannon, who introduced her to the mysteries of the written language.
 
But disturbing events at the cloister keep intervening. As the monastery is rent by vague and fantastic accusations, Gwynneve's words become the one force that can save her from annihilation.


“As a slant of sunlight illuminates jewels long buried, Kate Horsley's novel brings words to an ancient silence and a living, vivid presence to people who lived in that time of great changes and estrangements we call the Dark Ages.” —Ursula K. Le Guin

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570629136
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	09/10/2002
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	954,429
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.25(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Kate Horsley lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and teaches creative writing at Central New Mexico Community College. A poet as well as a novelist, Horsley has a PhD in American Studies and has published five novels. Her book A Killing in a New Town was the winner of the 1996 Western States Book Award for Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

"Cool, clear, gem-like precision . . . a beautifully written and thought-provoking book."—Library Journal



"The depth and subtlety of this document casts a spell upon the reader, bringing words to an ancient silence. Kate Horsley's moving tale both embodies and confirms the power of language."—Branches of Light



"The story reads so convincingly as a personal journal that one may forget that it is, in fact, a work of fiction."—NAPRA Review



"This powerful little book is not for lightweight, fainthearted, or doctrinaire readers, but it will be deeply satisfying for many. It can be read simply as a compelling piece of historical fiction or as an insightful meditation on the nature and roots of sectarian conflict."—School Library Journal





"As a slant of sunlight illuminates jewels long buried, Kate Horsley's novel brings words to an ancient silence and a living, vivid presence to people who lived in that time of great changes and estrangements we call the Dark Ages."—Ursula K. Le Guin

"An exquisite historial novel. The poetry of the language is stunning."—Margot Adler, author of Drawing Down the Moon

From the Publisher

When we think of the Dark Ages, we often think of a dim, primitive society where people struggled just to stay alive, with no room for spirituality or philosophy. The cool, clear, gemlike precision of Horsley's (Crazy Woman) new novel tells another tale. Gwynneve is born into a world suspended between paganism and Christianity: Ireland circa 500 C.E. While the rest of Europe was well on its way toward Christianity, at this time Ireland remained much closer to its pagan traditions. After losing her mother, Gwynneve trains as a druid and practices as one for many years. By the time she sets her story down, though, she has converted to Christianity and become a nun. The book is written as a memoir detailing her journey from her birth into a pagan tribe to her end as a Christian with near-saintly status. Her story is not just that of a strong woman making her way in a hostile world. It is also the story of what happens to a country when a new religion takes the place of the old. A beautifully written and thought-provoking book; recommended for all fiction collections.Wendy Bethel, Southwest P.L., Grove City, OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Adult/High School-The fictional memoir of a nun of St. Bridget's Convent during Ireland's Dark Ages. Gwynneve's story is one of adventure, joy, and loss. Born into poverty in pre-Christian Ireland, she learns herbal medicine-and inherits strength of character, talent, and intelligence-from her mother. Escaping the brutish life of her village, Gwynneve joins a troupe of traveling entertainers and later apprentices herself for many years to one of the last surviving Druids. Late in life, though secretly remaining unbaptized, she enters the convent, where her literacy earns her a place as a translator of Christian theologians. Her private memoir betrays a dry wit and iconoclastic attitude, so her eventual martyrdom at the hands of zealots does not come as a surprise. (A frame tale reveals that her legacy did survive her.) Horsley portrays Gwynneve's time as a battleground of profound, complex, and bloody cultural conflict, when a recognizably modern form of Christianity first gained ascendancy over rival sects and over the country's older Celtic traditions. This powerful little book is not for lightweight, fainthearted, or doctrinaire readers, but it will be deeply satisfying for many. It can be read simply as a compelling piece of historical fiction or as an insightful meditation on the nature and roots of sectarian conflict. It should also appeal to fans of popular works such as Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon (Del Rey, 1987), who might seek to explore this period in more depth.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal