Cloistered : A gripping memoir of life as a nun, a Radio 4 Book of the Week EPUB

'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