≫ [PDF] Gratis The Scent of God A Memoir Beryl Singleton Bissell 9781582433486 Books

The Scent of God A Memoir Beryl Singleton Bissell 9781582433486 Books

Download As PDF : The Scent of God A Memoir Beryl Singleton Bissell 9781582433486 Books

The Scent of God A Memoir Beryl Singleton Bissell 9781582433486 Books

In the 1950s, young Beryl Singleton decides to enter a convent of one of the most strict Roman Catholic orders right out of high school. This memoir details the reasons for this commitment at such an early age, and the trials of learning to live the cloistered life of a contemplative nun. The changes that occurred in convent life due to Vatican II reforms, dissatisfaction with the changes, and the causes for her eventual exit from the order are discussed in detail. The story continues into remembrances of the author's marriages and children and the direction her life took after her convent life ended.

I found the portions of the book dealing with the routine of convent life of a contemplative nun to be interesting and insightful, especially from a historical perspective. The explanations of why the author made the decision to become a nun and specifically with the order she chose, one of the most restrictive and strict were also thought provoking. As a non-Catholic I find it difficult to imagine the strong beliefs that would cause a teenager to make such a commitment before experiencing more of what life outside the convent has to offer and the other alternatives that are available.

Where the book and the author lost me was when the focus shifted from the order and convent into her travels back to help out her parents when her father became ill. Once out of the restrictive rules of the order, she did what she probably should have done before her vows, which was to experience non-convent life before her commitment to become a nun. From that point, the book seemed to become a recounting of justifications of her actions and explanations of her final decision to leave the order. That she had already become pregnant by her future husband, who also was breaking his own vows as an ordained priest, makes her justifications as a whole seem too convenient and self-indulgent. It was not quite an apology, but more of a plea for understanding of why she broke her vows.

Perhaps this memoir was meant as an explanation of her actions and decisions to her children and family. It would go far to explain why she felt the need to unburden herself in this memoir.

Recommended only for the portions of the book dealing with convent life and routine.


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The Scent of God A Memoir Beryl Singleton Bissell 9781582433486 Books Reviews

The deep love expressed for another person and for God was moving. I enjoyed getting an inside look into the thoughts and feelings of one going into religious life and how they struggle with thoughts and feelings just like everyone else. I especially love that you never lost your faith and love of God throughout the rough surface of the cross that you bear in your life.
I was very fascinated by the subject of this book and the reviews convinced me to buy it. It moved quickly, gave me a little more insight into the life as a nun. For all of us, our intentions are good but life sometimes throws us a curve ball.
Love comes in many forms . Wanting it is a basic need. How and if we get it is another conundrum. Sometimes we do what we think is the only way to be enclosed in that secure web of " LOVE", only to find out we have taken the wrong path for the wrong reason.
A very interesting lesson in psychology.
The story was most compelling.

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I would rate this as the best memoir I have ever read. I have read it twice already and will read it again in the future. One of the things that made it so good is that you can read it on many levels As simply a memoir of someone life; as a story that reads almost like fiction; as a story of faith, love, perseverance, grace, forgiveness; as a mirror into ones' own life and a challenge to be bold, follow your heart, experience forgiveness, offer grace, and live without regret.
I have had the opportunity to meet Beryl through her sharing with my book club. She is as genuine in life as she is in the book. She is an inspiration to me and I will continue to recommend this book to all my friends - knowing they will be inspired and encouraged by her writing.
The Scent of God by Beryl Singleton Bissell is a work of fine art, reminiscent of a painting by Rubens or a haunting Saint-Saëns melody. The beautifully crafted memoir offers words that glisten like gems on each page. Lush imagery, redolent with heady scents and vibrant color, transports the reader to locales ranging from the sanctified to the exotic. Readers will savor every chapter of this alluring tale.

The story begins in 1947 in Saddle River, New Jersey. Beryl, one of four siblings in a Catholic family, catalogs her mortal sins at an early age and is riddled with guilt when her mother serves meat on Friday or the family misses Mass. Her father's binges and the rage and panic his drinking elicits in her mother, cause Beryl to seek comfort in nature. With her siblings, she happily tramps through the lakeside woods - swimming, fishing, tobogganing, and exploring abandoned farmhouses. In sixth grade, Beryl begins attending a private boarding school run by Catholic nuns who teach her about a God of unconditional love. This knowledge calms and thrills the young girl, who longs for stability and acceptance.

When Beryl is thirteen, her father's drinking causes him to lose his position as vice-president of a New York bank, but he is offered an alternate position in Puerto Rico. When the family relocates to the tropical island, Beryl draws inward, avoiding friends and life outside the home. Beryl's sister's popularity and her mother's critical harping about her weight increase her sense of displacement. Witnessing the drowning of a young boy, however, brings her face to face with her own mortality and the superficiality of earthly success. This new knowledge, in combination with a mystical experience of God's love and the breakup with her "first love" -- a handsome young Puerto Rican boy -- set her on a course toward a life of commitment to God whose love is eternal and unchanging.

At the age of eighteen, and in spite of her parent's initial disapproval, Beryl enters the Monastery of Saint Clare in Bordentown, New Jersey. With visions of becoming a saint, she thrives on the simple goodness of the daily processes in the cloistered nunnery, enjoying working in the bakery, her daily prayers, and the quiet camaraderie of her sister nuns. Her experiences in the monastery are lovingly and honestly recounted, providing a rare glimpse into this life.

Twelve years later, Beryl is deeply ensconced in the tranquility of the monastery when she receives the news that her father has taken ill, and that she needs to return home to assist her mother with his care. Returning to the island reawakens her senses.

"I woke that morning to the sound of waves crashing on the beach below, the pink and gold of the rising sun playing across my face. Despite my father's condition and my mother's frailty, I felt a wild surge of happiness. Eight floors below my window, a receding wave shimmered back toward an oncoming breaker, leaving a froth of bubbles to mark the edges of its ride. A solitary man jogged along the beach, the wet sand forming silvery halos around his footprints."

In the course of caring for her father, and in the most delectable and surprising twist of this true story, Beryl meets Padre Vittorio, a handsome Italian priest who preaches at the local church of Saint Jorge. At first irritated by the man, Beryl slowly finds herself falling in love as she gets to know him better, igniting the most painful yet wondrous struggle of her life.

It would spoil the story to reveal more. Suffice it to say that the segment of the book involving Vittorio is sensual and captivating, never offensive, and completely addictive. Be forewarned that The Scent of God will lodge in your heart and invade your dreams for years to come.

Thankfully, the author is working on a sequel to The Scent of God. This reader anxiously awaits the next chapter in Beryl's delightful true-life saga.
In the 1950s, young Beryl Singleton decides to enter a convent of one of the most strict Roman Catholic orders right out of high school. This memoir details the reasons for this commitment at such an early age, and the trials of learning to live the cloistered life of a contemplative nun. The changes that occurred in convent life due to Vatican II reforms, dissatisfaction with the changes, and the causes for her eventual exit from the order are discussed in detail. The story continues into remembrances of the author's marriages and children and the direction her life took after her convent life ended.

I found the portions of the book dealing with the routine of convent life of a contemplative nun to be interesting and insightful, especially from a historical perspective. The explanations of why the author made the decision to become a nun and specifically with the order she chose, one of the most restrictive and strict were also thought provoking. As a non-Catholic I find it difficult to imagine the strong beliefs that would cause a teenager to make such a commitment before experiencing more of what life outside the convent has to offer and the other alternatives that are available.

Where the book and the author lost me was when the focus shifted from the order and convent into her travels back to help out her parents when her father became ill. Once out of the restrictive rules of the order, she did what she probably should have done before her vows, which was to experience non-convent life before her commitment to become a nun. From that point, the book seemed to become a recounting of justifications of her actions and explanations of her final decision to leave the order. That she had already become pregnant by her future husband, who also was breaking his own vows as an ordained priest, makes her justifications as a whole seem too convenient and self-indulgent. It was not quite an apology, but more of a plea for understanding of why she broke her vows.

Perhaps this memoir was meant as an explanation of her actions and decisions to her children and family. It would go far to explain why she felt the need to unburden herself in this memoir.

Recommended only for the portions of the book dealing with convent life and routine.