The Magdalen Girls

This was a difficult book to read for me. So much teenage emotional pain struck a chord that was a bit too close I suppose. The author wrote a flowing story that was easy to follow with well developed characters, but it’s content is brutal. Hatred and the convoluted Catholic Church system of punishment vs protection of the chosen is distasteful at the very least. I made myself read the entire book. So in my opinion, although historic in nature, it was not edifying nor satisfying.

The Magdalen Girls...ah, where do I begin? Rating this book feels nearly impossible. In some ways I love it, and in others I hate it, so I'm going to put my rating right in the middle.The Magdalen Girls stands out as one of those books you can't put down until you know what happens. I first encountered it in the book section of a local price club and read a little, but didn't purchase it. Two weeks later, what I read was still stuck in my head; I had to know what happened to Teagan, Nora, and Lea. These girls go through hell, but they are an example of indomitable, unbreakable human spirit. The fact that they, especially Teagan, continue to hold out hope for a life outside the laundry keeps you turning pages as fast as your fingers or e-reader will allow. With each page, I rooted for the Magdalens and hoped for any sign of rescue, redemption, or triumph. When juxtaposed against their dark and abusive environment, the characters' hearts stand out even more.The truth of the novel pierces your brain and heart. I am of Irish ancestry and have loved Ireland for years, even though I've never gone there. Knowing such a beautiful country could hold such dark secrets reminds me of humankind's inhumanity to one another, and how we must do our part to bring it to light and stop it. The abuses chronicled in The Magdalen Girls are not as graphic as they could be, but are wrenching and uncalled for. The fact that the last laundry did not close until 1996, Ireland only recently made an apology, and some Catholics still defend these institutions, turns my stomach. Stories like these need to be told, and they deserve a proper response.My heart continually broke for Teagan, Nora, and Lea, especially knowing that even if they did get out, they could not function as anything other than Magdalens, and would be rejected out of hand because of imagined or exaggerated "sins." How any human being, especially one claiming to love God and man, could do this to anyone is beyond me. At times I had to close the book just to come up for air, but again, I do appreciate the deft, raw writing.Some parts of The Magdalen Girls seem a bit contrived, such as the twist with Sister Anne. Yes, it could happen and yes, it was surprising. But considering the setup and environment, this plot twist felt like a bit of an easy way out. I also would've liked to see more development and internal struggles for some of the characters. For example, I liked Sister Mary-Elizabeth because it was clear she wanted to be sympathetic but couldn't possibly do so. I'd have liked to see more of her struggle with that dichotomy, and perhaps less of Sister Anne's constant spiritualized hatred. I also thought the bit with the tarot cards and their symbolism was too contrived, although Lea's spiritual visions added interesting depth to the story.I also would have liked to see more hope in The Magdalen Girls. Yes, I know this is not a light or happy novel. Yes, I know many Magdalens died seemingly without hope. But I would have appreciated just a bit more light in the darkness. The back cover blurb speaks about the triumph of friendship and courage, but there is less of that than tragedy and spiritual abuse. Perhaps if there'd been more small "hope spots" like when Teagan receives gifts from her mother, or Nora holds her baby. Perhaps if we had seen Teagan coping with the trauma, yet making a life for herself in the epilogue (i.e., attending college, seeing whether she could interact safely with religion).I probably won't be reading this again; once through was enough. I think The Magdalen Girls will stick with me for a long time, though, and I would definitely recommend it.

Great read. Very engaging , helped me out of my reading slump, would love to see the rest of the story

I was lucky enough to win copies of this book for one of my book groups. It tells a fascinating story about Dublin’s convent of The Sisters of the Holy where “problem” girls were sent to live. Society was harsh, and sometimes the girls really hadn’t done anything wrong like one of the protagonists, Teagan Tiernan, whose only sin was being a beauty. Her beauty attracted the attention of a new priest who lusted after her. After his confession to the bishop, the bishop feared a scandal might follow. To prevent anything from advancing, he went to Teagan’s family and made arrangements for Teagan to be sent there. Teagan also forms a bond there with another girl, Nora Craven, whose poor family sent her there to get her away from her boyfriend. These girls had to work in the Magdalen laundry located on the convent grounds. This was not a warm and loving convent that the girls were sent to. They were basically held as prisoners, working long agonizing hours, kept from contact with the outside world, and suffered horrific and cruel and treatment and punishments.Although the book felt a little slow in the beginning, I enjoyed learning about something I did not previously know about. I actually had difficulty remembering that the book was taking place in 1962 because it was so hard to believe such things could be happening in such recent history. It was unbelievable how many people could overlook the atrocities and make justifications for what was happing. I did enjoy the friendship that developed, and although the subject was hard to read about, I’m glad that I learned about this terrible spot of history. The book does have a bit of mystery as well about a secret past of one of the sisters.You can read my reviews on my blog: marysreadallaboutit.wordpress.com

I enjoyed this book very much until the last few chapters. To me they didn't ring as believable as the rest of the book. A documentary I saw a few years ago confirmed that things like this were true and a little known part of the church's history.

Great story very hard to put down.

I liked the way the story unfolded, it wasn't great literature, but was an engrossing one.

For anyone who thinks they have or had a hard life you just have to read this book. She did nothing wrong but was treated as she did.

I'dheard about the Magdalen Girls, so many relatively innocent girls lives destroyed by cruel frustrated nuns. It could have been a lot shorter, a lit od repetition. Thank goodness this is in the past albeit it not all that lkng ago! Inhumane treatment.

Being from Ireland this book is quite obviously is written by someone who isn't. A very Americanised version of Ireland. I enjoyed the stories of these girls but knowing what we do now about what the Catholic church did in this country in particular in the magdalene laundries and mother and baby homes, this is a very tame telling of a horrible history. The stark reality is these girls would have been punished mentally and physically far worse than this book portrays, and it did anger me that we were shown a a side of the nuns that was almost compassionate.. least we never forget Ireland's holocaust, where woman and babies were worked to death and buried in mass graves.. therefore to show a compassionate side of the nuns to me is like portraying the Nazis as kittens.. unfortunately from what we now know there was very little compassion in these homes. If you are reading this book from the point that you know nothing of the magdalene laundries i am sure you enjoy it, but to me it was a tamed down version of what should be a horror story.