YOUNG NUNS bbc1 flipping nora!

[Eyelasher]

thank GOd spoiler alert

that clara got OUT and also that the nuns saw past Blondies fetish about lace hats

really interesting books which explain the whole shutting yourself off to pray all day stuff are The Called and the Chosen and I Leap Over the Wall by Monica Baldwin who entered a closed convent in around 1920-30 - the first one is a broadly autobiographical novel, the second one is her real story of realising her mistake after 20 odd years. Absolutely fascinating.

Dh and I watched this. Blondie seemed a bit of a non-entity tbh. She did not know what she wanted and luckily the nuns saw this too.

Clara was wonderful, a real credit to her family. I am so so pleased she came out of the enclosed convent. I hope she finds a less-isolating route in life which brings her happiness and fulfillment.

The American nuns in Leeds were a scream!! If ever I want to become a nun that is the type of nun I want to be. Fabulous happy bunch, which is surely what God would want, no?

I've just looked her up on wikipedia (easier than trawling the bookshelves to actually find the books ) and she entered the convent at age 21, realised she didn't want to be there by 27 and didn't leave till she was 48. It was incredibly difficult to leave an enclosed convent at that time (she needed a dispensation from the Pope), but basically she felt that she had to try to stick it out ad make it work because she genuinely believed that God wanted her to do that, and that she was just being tested - it hard to be hard to make it worthwhile.

Tbh I don't think anyone had time to be bored as the day was jam packed with prayers, services and manual labour (hand washing all those habits and starching the wimples!)

ISWM - I might just have to read her book now.

wonder how clara broke it to mother superior if she was meant to be silent
hands signals??
a little note??
or did she bellow it out at prayer one evening and shock the lot of them??

I was joking
sarcasm doesn't come across on internet at all well

just looked at that website tmmj - one of them is on a swing

I wonder what they are up to now?

Probably praying - boom boom.
I watched it and agree with the rest of you. Catherine blonde girl was really wet. She didn't seem to have any strong opionions about anything. Just strange.
Clair OTOH, was so full of life and joy it would have been a waste to put her somewhere her personality couldn't shine out.
I'd like to see an update.

There's a brilliant autobiography of an ex-nun from the '60s - Through the Narrow Gate by Karen Armstrong that I highly recommend. It's very readable. There are a couple of sequels to it too on how she came to terms with returning to outside life.
Re Catherine, surely she was too "well-covered" to be a model?

I think they showed a very quick clip of her modelling, looking a lot skinnier

I've just got round to watching this and the ending didn't record!! Why did Clara leave the Convent? It's not even on iPlayer anymore.

The end of mine didn't record either!!! Did Clara give any reasons for leaving, did they interview her family afterwards?

I think they said she was taking indefinite leave but 'the door was still open'. Not sure there was an explanation, although I think she said being apart from her family was the hardest part. Someone else might remember a bit more.

Thanks clangermum. So infuriating!

I'm really glad she didn't stay. I just can't imagine shutting yourself away from everything like that and I was really upset for her family dropping her off and saying goodbye. Her Mum was obviously finding it so difficult and trying to find comfort in Clara's letters (and then the recording stopped!)
The other girl was clearly not going to become a nun though I thought.