By Luanne Rice
I have been reading a lot of books
lately that I have gotten free on my Kindle. I can say that very few
are worth the read but I have read at least two recently that are
worth reviewing. I am reading much more than that each week but have
decided only to review those books that are worth the time.
Although What Matters Most: A Novel
(Star of the Sea Academy) is not a book I enjoyed, it really
resonated with me personally in matters of both faith and my own
story. The premise of the book is a love story between a nun and her
gardener and their search for the son they were forced to give up for
adoption. The setting is this school called Star of the Sea Academy
which is governed by a rule of nuns, the main character being the
Mother Superior and Principal. There are various other stories
intertwined in the plot – the Star of the Sea Academy is apparently
an ongoing series – but the most important is the additional love
story between the boy, Seamus, and a young woman named Kathleen.
Now before you get excited about
another love story, I have to tell you that this is not a happy
ending kind of novel. Even with a sort of “alls well that ends
well” kind of epilogue, I just remained disturbed by the whole
thing. I wish I could say more but I will give away all kinds of
spoilers if I did.
There are two issues that I can talk
about without spoiling the whole thing. The first issue has to do
with the adoption. The first couple, Tom and Bernie, got pregnant
outside of marriage. In fact, they got pregnant after Bernie had a
vision from the Virgin Mary and was in the process of becoming a nun.
When their son is born, Tom thinks she will give up her path to her
vows and marry him. In fact, when she sees her son, she decides to do
just that. However, due to the machinations of an evil nun, her baby
is taken away to live in an orphanage where the same nun makes sure
the boy, James or Seamus, never is adopted. Bernie goes ahead and
follows her calling. Tom is not only broken hearted over her decision
but is also devastated that his son has been taken away. He was never
really consulted about this. Years later, after a family tragedy, the
two decide to make a serious search for their son.
The whole adoption process was just
awful, in my opinion. Yes, they were in Ireland but they were also
both American. Why wasn't his name on the birth certificate? Why was
the baby taken away from her if she really had changed her mind? What
prevented him from protesting the whole thing? And why did they wait
so long before searching for the child? I just wanted to groan and at
the same time cry. As someone who was put up for adoption, I found
the whole dilemma of the parents to be upsetting. I also could get a
glimpse into how my own blood mother may have been “persuaded” by
her own mother to give me up. I know it was all good in the end, but
reading this was not a happy place for me.
The second issue that disturbs me is
around Bernie's calling and her love for Tom (and his love for her).
If she wasn't Roman Catholic, she would have been in the ministry and
could still have married Tom. She did have a vision. Why would God
want her to be a nun and still have a baby? This question was one
that she and Tom constantly asked. I also have a problem with this. I
suppose it has less to do with God's calling than it has to do with
the system of the church. We have become so ingrained in whatever
type of Christianity that we are a part of that we cannot see beyond
what human beings have created. I am glad she followed her call but
at the same time I am so disappointed that she never seemed to even
acknowledge Tom and his love for her. It was almost as if they were
married but without the benefits. Why did he continue to hang around
her as much as possible after her vows? Could she not see how broken
hearted Tom was when she did take her vows? Bernie seemed incredibly
selfish even while seeming to be selfless.
The big faith question is this: can a
person follow their calling and still have a life? I would say yes.
Certainly, my own calling is not easy as my husband is also called to
be a pastor. Bishops have a hard time sending us to churches. We are
often overlooked for “good” assignments because of our clergy
couple status. Yet, I would not have refused to marry my husband in
order to follow God's call. For one thing, my call and our
relationship are very much intertwined. I think the same was for
Bernie and Tom. I guess it makes a good novel with all this angst,
but from a faith perspective it is simply upsetting. Certainly, this
book doesn't make following a call from God very attractive!
I do not recommend this book.
Happier reading!
Amelia
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