New Habits: Today's Women Who Choose to Become Nuns

Debut author Losada interviews 10 novices in various British convents to discover ""what is in a convent that they will give their whole lives to experience."" Losada's ubiquitous personal reactions can be tedious (sometimes even rehearsing the contents of her convent lunches), and such self-absorption precludes more helpful information; the reader is at sea, for example, concerning the traditions and philosophy of each community. Losada also sometimes fails to bridge the language barrier for the non-Brit: Sister Margaret Anne speculates that when she first had a sense of a vocation, her vicar did not think to direct her to a convent because she was attending ""an evangelical church."" A brief footnote stating that ""evangelical"" refers to the ""low church"" tradition within the Church of England would help Americans who have an entirely different definition of the word. The book's strength lies in its exploration of the nuns' diverse backgrounds, especially Sister Rose, from the rough East End of London; Sister Margaret Anne, whose father had been a priest in the Church of Ireland; and Sister Esther, who came to her English convent after being a deaconess in the Lutheran Church in Germany. Each voice is unique, but concerns for discerning God's presence within the context of daily activities, including seeing God within and through others in the community, suggest a commonality to the monastic experience. Losada's roughly hewn book does not elucidate these similarities, leaving the reader with a feeling of disconnection. (Mar.)