'A profoundly moving memoir which gripped me' Mark HaddonDiscover 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
