Lambs of God

I loved this quirky novel because it kept surprising me. Like the mysterious convent buried in brambles, the secret lives of these nuns kept unfolding in ways that astonished me and made me laugh out loud. Magical-realism is a tricky genre, but Day certainly managed to dance along quite nicely within its bounds. I couldn't believe the relationship that developed between the nuns & the sheep or between the nuns and the priest. It was wonderfully bizarre and yet somehow very touching. The way Day explores the motif of being exiled from the world, and the way she contrasts this a natural lust to explore, deftly provides much to think about. It's a far-out book that people might not pull in people who want an ordinary plot, but for those readers who enjoy having their minds stretched and their funny bones tickled, this is a memorable book!

A delight, smiply put an adult fairytale of the best kind. Rich in folklore and fairytales, but each with a tweak to fit the abby life. The plot was well hidden amongst the tales told. Each character was a gem to be loved for all the grossness they projected. Nuns turned into the images of hags and witches goes against the grain, yet opens a portal that lets us see how a fairytale grows. Ovine life has been captured with briars and nettles and a big dose of humor. Loved it!

The story takes twists and turns that boggle the imagination and upset one's inner compass. Marele Day has a wonderfully vivd way of telling a story--in the tradition of the old storytellers who held their audience spellbound!

What happens when the "real church" (with its emphasis on materialism and its patriarchal ideologies), invades the very spiritual world of Iphegenia, Margarita and Carla, nuns of an enclosed order, long forgotten by society. This interesting tale will keep you enthralled for hours, and you'll find yourself returning to its rich language again and again. The Christian metaphors in this text, blend well with the recounted fairytales and powerful female mythological Goddesses who inform every part of the nuns secluded lifestyle. This is a beautifully written book which recounts an excellent tale of the spiritual versus the material, patriarchal society versus alternative society. The ending is deliciously satisfying, and if I could, I'd give this novel six stars from five...READ THIS BOOK.

Marele Day is a young Australian writer. This book has come out here in Australia in a trade paperback format and so I have read it before it's published there. I finished the book in one day. It was indeed a lucky day for her readers when Marele Day decided to write not about crime and not featuring Claudia Valentine, P.I., Australian present day female private investigator. Mind you these books featuring Claudia are themselves pleasures to read especially if you are one interested in a city's atmosphere, topography, its citizens, how and where they live their lives and not just the intellectual challenge of the crimes. Lambs of God is completely different. Take three nuns living in isolation. They have developed their own rituals, an intertwining of the religious, the mysterious and the downright hilarious. There are very effective descriptions which give the reader a sense of place- a very old monastery, vegetation sprouting out of a statue of the virgin Mary's head, an island at high tide from which one can walk to the mainland at low tide. The name of this place is never divulged. Into this small triangle walks a priest with modern worldly motives. He has plans for the monastery which will change the nuns' strange world. So we are drawn in. The women with their strong spirituality and resourcefulness in the face of threat, the man bustling with businesslike scheming. One anticipates violence- it does not fall into that although tension is maintained. At times it is erotic in an innocent funny way. There are rituals of harvest, cooking, weaving, story telling - I felt like I had entered a different world altogether. Stories open on to other stories as the reader is let into each nun's mind then into the priest's. Who would think of breathing life into a mobile phone? It is done here and provides a twist the working of which will have you finishing the book in one day. The lambs of god of the title is another original feature of the community of three through which they have fashioned their version of a genealogy. This is a richly textured and original story, vastly satisfying in the reading. I couldn't classify it into any genre but it comes close to a psychological thriller in dreamily beautiful writing. There is talk of the book being made into a movie. I can only wish the movie will be as richly textured and satisfying as the book. That will be a complex task for all involved in its making!