The Land of Spices (Paperback)

from KymmAC

Started of excruciatingly slow, but about halfway through I fell in love with it. Loved the character interplay between Anna and Mother Superior. Surprisingly modern thinking and feminist. Sorprised to learn afterwards (duh) that Kate O'Brien was a lesbian. Does it even matter?

from japaul22

This was a pleasant surprise. I started collecting books from a publisher called Virago Modern Classics who publish underappreciated books written by women. I bought this book not knowing anything about it except that it was a Virago with the classic green cover. When I read the book description,...

from lahochstetler

In a convent school in the Ireland of the 1930s, O'Brien weaves the parallel tales of a sensitive young pupil and the lonely mother superior who sees promise in her. Anna Murphey, daughter of an alcoholic father, weak mother, and dictatorial grandmother, finds solace only in the companionship of ...

from Kasthu

Set in an Irish convent school in the early years of the 20th century, The Land of Spices is a novel that covers the school career of Anna Murphy, who comes to Compagnie de la Sainte Famille at the ago of six. She attracts the attention of the Reverend Mother, an Englishwoman who watches Anna fro...

from rainpebble

I read this one for our All Virago/All August month and absolutely fell in love with Kate O'Brien. I am sure that I will read simply everything by her that I can possibly get my hands on so I hope she wrote a lot of books. This is another book of young girls coming of age in convent school. The c...