Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review

I basically requested this book because there was a nun on the cover. I really love nuns…I don’t know why. I’m not a Catholic and the only nuns I’ve ever even talked to are the nuns who worked in the gift shop at the top of St Peter’s Basilica. Anyway, I digress.

This is a short novella about a teenage girl called Dolores who takes refuge in a convent upon finding herself pregnant. The story has a strange kind of otherworldly quality to it and feels rather aimless and unfocused, much like Dolores herself. I couldn’t work out where the story was set, at times I thought it was somewhere in South America, at other times somewhere in Spain.

Dolores makes bad decisions and puts her trust in the wrong people. She is abused and taken advantage of by those who know her and has little support from her family. The little glimpses we get into the characters of the nuns themselves are pique our interest but ultimately leave us a little unsatisfied as we don’t get any deeper insight into who they are.

Overall, it’s an interesting enough short read. It didn’t set my world on fire but I enjoyed it for all the time it took to read.

Dolores a young girl who is taken in by a convent.She has no name so they give her the name of Dolores she adjust to their day to day routine but there is much more to her to the life she led.A novels I zipped through well written with shocks& surprises #netgalley#orionbooks,

I loved this book, I raced through it. I would definitely recommend it and will be reading more from this author!

Teenage Dolores shows up on the convent's steps, in desperate need of a safe place to hide from the world. She finds a strange comfort in the silent presence of the nuns, and begins to strange road to become a novice, all while hiding the secret life growing inside her belly.

This is a short work of fiction focusing on the strange, rather sad life of a teenage girl who seems to neither know herself or where she wants to go in life. A road of bad decisions, and trust in the wrong boy has led Dolores to the convent, in a country far away from her own family, and she has to deal with her past, her present and her shaky future all by herself with no real support.

I liked the writing in this a lot, and I would definitely be interested in picking up more short fiction from Lauren Aimee Curtis. I really liked the fact that we were only given a glimpse of Dolores - we never found out her true name or where she was from. We know she was used by boys in a way that definitely makes the reader uncomfortable but also in a way that doesn't come across as against Dolores' wishes. Just in a way that makes you sad for the more innocent and loved girl Dolores should have been. She didn't seem to be from a 'bad' family - she appeared to be loved. But things just didn't work out and she obviously felt the need to run away with a baby in her belly, rather than stay and receive some kind of support from her parents.

I loved Dolores's descriptions of the nuns and the convent - none of which are glowing. The picture painted of the old, silent, and mostly ugly nuns is done really well and I definitely felt the atmosphere and saw the picture being painted by Dolores. Yet, there is an odd fondness in how she describes them as well as despite everything, they have taken her in as a potential new member of the flock.

This short book is definitely worth a read for people who like literary fiction, and a fascinating insight into a confused young girl's mind. Really enjoyed it.

2 likes

This is a quick read that talks about the power of sex & church in an unconventional setting. A teenager, Dolores, gets pregnant and she's living in a convent.

It was intersting to read about Dolores' situation. I liked the writing and how it made me think about many things.
I would recommend if you're looking for a quick, interesting read.

Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this novella. I found it hard to engage with Dolores as a character. I would have liked to get a little more than the merest of glimpses into her as a person. The events that happen to her are given more time and space but without the connection to Dolores I felt too much a bystander who was only seeing half the story. That said I like Lauren's writing and will certainly look out for more books from her.

Fantastic cover but i struggled with this 128page Novella it skipped from past to present to often and made the story to follow and wasn't what i thought.

** spoiler alert ** I'm not sure how to review this.
The story was interesting. The writing was engaging.
It was all just a bit uncomfortable for me.
A young teenage girl getting used and abused quite so much.
I'll keep an eye out for authors next work fo

An easy to read novella; Dolores, a teenager who swiftly discovers the power of sex, now finds herself living in a convent and pregnant.

A read to get you thinking – racing through the story quickly then gives you time to stop and consider Dolores’ situation – the power of sex, the power of the church, and the lack of power of women.

Recommended if you’re looking for a quick read.

Dolores is a novella about a young girl who turns up a convent, is taken in and given the name Dolores. She learns the everyday life of the convent whilst remembering how she got there: motels, cars, a boy called Angelo, and a trip to visit her cousin. The novella builds towards the inevitable climax with a careful, detailed yet concise style, unfolding Dolores' story as it goes on. This is a short read that conjures up a visceral, fleeting image of a girl in crisis.