Customer Reviews

A Nun in the Closet

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sister John and Sister Hyacinth are wonderful characters and they do triumph over evil as one would hope, but not without making one laugh out loud.

What a great little Gilman novel, even though its situation is a bit out-of-date, its humor is timeless. One has to imagine the Sister Ursula of the closet to look a bit like some old Broderick Crawford character role. Gruff and needy to the max, with unexpected aide from strong-willed out of the cloister nuns.

Wouldn't you know that the nuns would meet with other ways of seeing God, typical enrichment by Gilman?

This was another pick up and read title of a novel by an author I have recently come to admire. And I do highly recommend your enjoyment of a definite period piece. It feels like it should be put to film in black and white, or just in some quirky feel-good comedic fashion.

Wholesome and fun! Do give it a try!

While this story of the not-so-coincidental juxtaposition of cloistered nuns, hippies, migrant workers, and the Mafia -is- dated for the millenium, it's as classically humorous and quietly thought-provoking as Sayers or Christie at their very best. I adore this book, as did my aging mother, and I've read it aloud to her numerous times. It's a delight, and definitely a keeper.

Having grown up with nuns (I still remember the long veils and skirts!), I only wished I could have known one like Sister John. This story was great fun. Entertaining and a quick read, I am dissappointed they aren't around to solve another mystery. The story is dated; but endearing and a great example of how a group of very different characters weren't so different after all.

This is one of the funniest books I ever read -- and I never tire of rereading it. Two cloistered nuns encounter a wounded gangster and, in order to protect him, have to try to pass him off as a nun. It is very witty and hysterically funny. VERY highly recommended.

A number of reviewers have referred to this book as `dated.' Of course it's dated. It was written more than three decades ago. The story is set in the seventies. To my way of thinking, calling this book dated makes about as much sense as watching a World War II movie and then complaining because the cars, fashions, and music all went out in the nineteen-forties. (End rant.)

Aside from the obvious fact that it doesn't read like it was written this morning, this is a wonderful book. Not really a mystery, not quite a suspense novel, and not exactly a comedy, `A Nun in the Closet' has elements of all three.

Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe are quite a hoot on their own, but the real fun doesn't start until Sister Ursula puts in an appearance. If you pass this one up, you'll have to answer to the Mother Superior.

- Jeff Edwards, award-winning author of Torpedo

Dorothy Gilman's books are what I choose to read when I am tired or stressed and need a lift. A Nun in the Closet remains one of my favorites. It's impossible to stay blue while reading of Sister John's innocent exploits with drugs, the mob, and migrant workers- she's just so funny. I love the way Gilman humanizes the mature woman in her books- no stereotypical doddering at all. I recommend highly any of her writings.

Are you stressed out from the holidays? Is life too much for you to face? Then read this book! It is a complete delight. When two cloistered nuns get out to explore their abbey's inheritance, all "you know what" breaks loose! This book is so much fun to read, that I was truly sorry when I finished it. I sure hope there's a sequel!

Dorothy Gilman has certainly created two memorable characters in Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe in this amusing 1975 mystery. Oh and Sister Ursula is pretty memorable as well, although for entirely different reasons. You'll have to read the book to see what I mean.

The sisters are members of a cloistered convent and are give the task of taking inventory of a property mysteriously willed to their order. Having been cloistered for many years the two nuns are often bewildered at various changes in society, particularly when they meet a group of Sixties-influenced "dropouts." The sisters find the terms mugger, Watergate, and yippies to be completely foreign, but make up for it by learning quickly from their new friends.

The property comes with a lot of unexpected assets that bring no end of trouble to Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe. There's also a parade of visitors who show up at the most inconvenient times, including a sheriff who wins no awards for personality. In fact so much happens in the space of a week that it's a wonder the sisters don't pack up their van and return to the convent.

Fortunately for the reader, the sisters dig in and persevere. The book runs the risk of collapsing from several clichéd characters and plot elements, but the dry humor and genuine respect for each other shared by Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe keeps the story firmly centered. Add to the mix several charming supporting characters and you've got a perfectly good read for the beach or a rainy Saturday.

It's been many years since I read this book and yet I still remember laughing. It's a very enjoyable story. You won't be disappointed if you are a Dorothy Gilman fan. And if you've never read any of her books, this is a great start!

An absolutely encahting story about nuns thrust into the "modern" world and the mystery which they find themselves with. Funny,engaging and with a sense of social responsibilites, these two nuns set out to claim some property left to them by a mysterious benefactor. Not a Mrs. Pollifax book, but for lovers of Dorothy Giman, a must read!!