ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Girls’ Book of Priesthood by Louise Rowland
The Girls’ Book of Priesthood by Louise Rowland is published by Muswell Press and is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. I purchased my own copy of the book.
July 2016. Bright, sparky and raring to go, Margot Goodwin arrives as the new curate at St Mark’s, Highbury. She’s one part exhilarated, ten parts terrified. This is the most important twelve months of her life. Success would mean becoming a fully-fledged priest a year from now, something she feels profoundly called to do. Failure would not only prove her father right, but also delight all the antis who consider woman priests an abomination. Can she convince everyone herself included – that she’s more than a five foot eight blonde with a PhD and a penchant for Max Factor’s Mulberry Lipfinity and a good glass of wine?
The Girls’ Book of Priesthood follows Reverend Margot Goodwin during the year before she is ordained as a fully-fledged priest. Sure of her faith and her calling, what she’s not quite so sure of is her curacy of St Mark’s, Highbury and her ability to deal with nay-sayers – those who believe women shouldn’t be allowed to become priests, the overbearing parishioners, and not to mention her growing attraction to someone who is far from ideal. It’s fair to say that Margot has her crosses to bear and the question all the way through is whether she will make it to priesthood.
I really enjoyed reading this book and was rooting for Margot all the way along, even if I did quite often want to shake her and tell her to stand up for herself more. The way she was treated sometimes made me want to scream but maybe Margot’s real skill was her steadfast desire to placate and not to rock the boat. Month by month I witnessed the highs and lows of Margot’s life inside and outside of the church. I particularly loved what turned out to be the love story strand of the story, but I also enjoyed following her along her journey towards priesthood which felt authentic and well-researched.
This was Louise Rowland’s debut novel and it doesn’t seem as though there has been a follow-up but I’d definitely read more from her. I can’t help wondering about Margot too – does she get her happy after ever? What is life like for her when she takes on a parish of her own? There’s so much scope there and I’d love to know what happens next.
Louise Rowland grew up in Bournemouth. She has worked as a speechwriter, journalist and copywriter – including 11 years in Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam and Munich. She has a Masters in Novel Writing from City University, where she won the course prize. She lives in London and has two grown-up daughters. The Girls’ Book of Priesthood is her first novel.
