Cloistered My Years as a Nun
Cloistered: My Years as a Nun by Catherine Coldstream, published by Chatto & Windus in 2024, offers an evocative account of her life as a nun during the 1990s. This memoir details her journey following the death of her father, which led her to seek solace within the Roman Catholic community at Akenside Priory. Coldstream’s narrative explores the complexities of monastic life, revealing both the peace she found and the hidden struggles that challenged her commitment to the Order.
In this 352-page memoir, readers will encounter themes of grief, faith, and the intricate dynamics of community life. Coldstream candidly reflects on her experiences, including the power struggles that emerged within the monastery and the personal dilemmas she faced regarding her vows. Cloistered serves as both a tribute to a lost community and a cautionary tale about the consequences of isolation from the outside world, making it a significant contribution to the genres of biography and personal memoir.
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‘A profoundly moving memoir which gripped me’ Mark Haddon
Discover Catherine Coldstream’s evocative account of life as a nun in the 1990s, and the dramatic events which led to her flight from the monastery.
**A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK**
After the shock of her father’s death, twenty-four-year-old Catherine was left grieving and alone. A search for meaning led her to Roman Catholicism and the nuns of Akenside Priory.
Here she found a tight-knit community of dedicated women and peace in an ancient way of life. But as she surrenders to her final vows, all is not as it seems behind the Priory’s closed doors. Power struggles erupt – with far-reaching consequences for those within.
Catherine comes to realise that divine authority is mediated through flawed and all-too-human channels. She is faced with a dilemma: should she protect the serenity she has found, or speak out?
A love song to a lost community and an honest account of her twelve years in the Order, Cloistered is also a cautionary tale about what can happen when good people cut themselves off from the wider world.
‘Immersive, beautifully observed’ Katherine May
‘I admired [Cloistered] enormously’ Sarah Perry
‘An intense and often theatrical read’ Financial Times
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