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Book Reviews of Changing Habits

Changing Habits
Changing Habits
Author: Debbie Macomber
ISBN-13: 9781551666907
ISBN-10: 1551666901
Publication Date: 5/1/2003
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 36

4.1 stars, based on 36 ratings
Publisher: Mira
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

75 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Changing Habits on + 46 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
A quick read - interesting to any current or former Catholic on the transition of nuns after Vatican 2 - part fiction, part factual. Very interesting.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 302 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A great read by Debbie Macomber. Excellent story about three women that enter a convent. All three are from different backgrounds, this book is their journey and their story as each faces a crises in their faith.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Very interesting.Well researched. Many delicate subjects are handled in humane,nonjudgmental ways.Written in an interesting Macomber format. Even if your not Catholic it is a good read.
fibrogal avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 180 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Three stories that are told piece by piece in alternating style. Only occasionally does more than one of the characters appear in each story segment. It was almost as if I was reading three different books at once and alternating among them, which I found disconcerting. Sometimes I had to stop and try to remember which character was the focus of the current segment, because their similarities seemed more significant than their differences. Parts of the book were very moving, but other parts just fell flat. The book kind of trails off toward the end.
Beachreader avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Addressing a subject not often found in womens fiction, Debbie Macomber has written a compelling book that is absolutely unputdownable.

Its the late sixties a time of turmoil for many young Americans. But three young women decide to use their lives to serve God and become nuns.

Kathleen OShaughnessy, from a large Boston Irish family, has always known shed become a nun. There was never any question from the time of her first communion on. And a more wonderful and devout nun youd be hard pressed to find. But when Kathleens naiveté allows her to get into a very stick situation, her fellow nuns have no problem sending her away .

Joanna and Greg become engaged before he leaves for Vietnam. They had become intimate before conflicting with Joannas morals. But she knows they are meant for each other and while he is gone she spends time planning the wedding. But Joanna is in for a shock when he returns, giving her all the impetus she needs to enter the convent. She becomes a caring nurse and in her caring ends up devoting herself to more than just her patients when a troubled young physician forces her to take stock of her life.

Angelina joined the convent despite her fathers vehement protest. The young Italian girl has been primed to take over her fathers restaurant business from an early age. Sister Angelina becomes a schoolteacher, caring deeply for her students. But when she is unable to help one of her favorites leading to tragedy, Angelina is unable to forgive herself.

Debbie Macomber has given readers a glimpse into a world that has many a mystery to many. As a non-Catholic the depth of the isolation forced on the novices, especially in the late sixties, surprised me. But Macomber has chosen to set the bulk of CHANGING HABITS in a time that saw many changes in the Catholic Church and for the nuns in particular.

The poignant stories and choices made by these three women make for one of the most compelling books Ive read in a very long time. In spite of the subject matter, there is romance as well, but the story really belongs to Kathleen, Joanna, and Angie.

This book is very highly recommended not only for its interesting subject matter but also for the compassion with which Macomber tackles controversial issues, as well as her trademark poignancy. It certainly proves why she is one of the most beloved authors writing today.
lee avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 131 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book about 3 nuns that leave the convent was very interesting. I enjoyed-a little different than I usually read but good.
iwan2read avatar reviewed Changing Habits on
Helpful Score: 1
Despite the relative seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis, they're not immune to what's happening in the world around them. In 1972 Angie's involvement with a pregnant teenager triggers a crisis of faith. At the same time, Joanne's relationship with a Vietnam veteran brings her face to face with the choices she made - and didn't make - in her own life. And when Kathleen's innocent friendship with a parish priest comes to light, she's forced to "contemplate" the error of her ways.
Angie, Kathleen and Joanne all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love. The world of ordinary women.
reviewed Changing Habits on
Helpful Score: 1
Another great Macomber favorite of mine.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
One of my favorite Macomber books
reviewed Changing Habits on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
this was a very good book... I really enjoyed it and it moved along at a good speed. Hope you enjoy it too... Debbie doesn't usually disappoint...
reviewed Changing Habits on + 144 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is the story of four young women who become nuns. Their experiences and the reasons they left. I enjoyed it very much. I felt enlightened by things I never knew about nuns.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 23 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
3 women leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 125 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Not My Favorite of Debbie Macomber's books!!!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a really good story about three women who changed their minds about thier vocation. Each is a nun and it follows them through their choice to be a nun and then their decision to give it up. There is a lot of human nature written into the story.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 54 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting book about 3 women who enter the convent at very early ages...for different reasons. And after almost 7-8 years, they decide that they have chosen a vocation that will not last for a lifetime. Interesting to see how things evolve for these ladies. You must read it to see.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful story about 3 women who enter convent and then leave for a variety of reasons. Book is thougth and inspiring.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 111 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Debbie Macomber traces the lives of three young women who decide to become nuns, although each "hearing the call," perhaps had other personal reasons for the decision. We learn something of what it was like for them to live life as a nun in the period immediately before and after Vatican II. A cousin of Macomber's had been a nun and left her order, and one of these women is probably based on her. It turns out she had met two other women who had also left their orders. Although I'm not Catholic, I found the book fascinating, and the characters nicely drawn and very sympathetic. Nice read.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
One of Debbie's best stories!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 20 more book reviews
Didn't want to put book down
reviewed Changing Habits on + 13 more book reviews
a good book about 3 nuns and their lives 20 years later after leaving the nunnery
reviewed Changing Habits on + 48 more book reviews
Another excellent book by Debbie Macomber
reviewed Changing Habits on + 4 more book reviews
Loved this book. Found myself cheering on the three girls as they took each step in finding themselves.
rutha avatar reviewed Changing Habits on
My first book by this author, really enjoyed it. It chronicles the lives of three very different women who joined the convent for very different reasons.
HeartsongChica avatar reviewed Changing Habits on
One of my favorite books by Debbie. A fast read, and I hated to put it down when my reading time for the night was up.
reviewed Changing Habits on
Five star rating. As Debbie Macomber goes, any of her books are great. Changing Habits hit home a little for me since I attended Catholic grade school and high school and were familiar with the lives of nuns. Although none of my teachers left the convent, I'm not sure whether leaving the convent was an option. A very good read. Eileen
reviewed Changing Habits on + 75 more book reviews
If you like Debbie Macomber you'll like this book, but it is a bit predictable.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 9 more book reviews
Very good book, different.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 4 more book reviews
They were sisters once.

Almost forty years ago, in a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from vastly different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common a desire to serve, to join in the community of sisters.

Despite the relative seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis, theyre not immune to whats happening in the world around them. In 1972 Angies involvement with a pregnant teenager triggers a crisis of faith. At the same time, Joannas relationship with a Vietnam veteran brings her face-to-face with the choices she made and didnt make in her own life. And when Kathleens innocent friendship with a parish priest comes to light, shes forced to contemplate the error of her ways.

Angie, Kathleen and Joanna all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love. The world of ordinary women . .
Tunerlady avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 581 more book reviews
This was a wonderful story about three young girls who became nuns in the late 50's - early 60's and their evolution to and different life than they had at first imagined. A great story - fabulous characters...very intriguing. I also learned alot about the Catholic church and how it evolved during that time.
tripletmom avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 225 more book reviews
Interesting read. Not one of her better books, but still enjoyable.
reviewed Changing Habits on
this is a reissue of this title by Macomber - see 9780778320289 for reviews and summary. Its a well written story, a little more serious than Macomber's typical book.
pj avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 208 more book reviews
Three girls enter the convent and each one faces a crisis of faith. Follow the story as they take on lives of ordinary women after leaving the convent!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 71 more book reviews
GOOD NOVEL
reviewed Changing Habits on + 162 more book reviews
As a Catholic I was disappointed that not even oneof the 4 nuns who were discontent decided to remain in the convent, een though all for had no regrets about the time they spent there. The book was good and well written.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 107 more book reviews
I liked the book. It was diffrent that a fair amount of the book was in letter form. Also, it wasn't focused totaly on the romance facter.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 107 more book reviews
I can not even describe how involved this book is. It is wrote in a way only DEBBIE can write it. It lets you look at three women who have all chosen a marriage to god and the various reasons for chosing to leave nun-hood. You do not need to be a believer to like this book..
reviewed Changing Habits on + 94 more book reviews
Another great book from Debbie Macomber. This was very good considering I did not think it would be my type of reading.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 35 more book reviews
Fun romance with a twist
reviewed Changing Habits on + 9 more book reviews
A book how these young girls became nuns and what they did to change their minds from sisterhood.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 4 more book reviews
I just couldn't get into this one. Read about half of it and returned it back to library
reviewed Changing Habits on + 26 more book reviews
I bought this book new and I'm sure I'll never read it because it's not my taste.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 24 more book reviews
Unusual topic for Debbie Macomber. The stories of three women who all become Roman Catholic nuns - all during different eras; and all leave the sisterhood - all for different reasons
reviewed Changing Habits on + 26 more book reviews
Macomber offers a very human look at three women who uproot their lives to follow their true destiny. Very good.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 344 more book reviews
They were sisters once. In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. ANgelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common - the desire to join a religious order.

Despite the seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis, they're not immune to what's happening around them, and each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. Ultimately Angie, Kathleen and Joanna all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love. The world of ordinary women.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 8 more book reviews
This book has been loved by several people, so it is gently worn, but still ready to be read a few more times.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 64 more book reviews
Great book!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 419 more book reviews
In prolific and diverse writer Macomber's latest contribution to the women's fiction genre, three young women decide to enter a convent in Minneapolis during the 1950s and 1960s. Angelina Marcello, the oldest, becomes a nun against the protest of her beloved father. Joanna Baird enters the convent after her boyfriend marries someone else, and Kathleen O'Shaughnessy's family has always believed she would become a nun. The women weather turbulent times within the relative isolation of the convent, but the outside world does eventually intrude via their respective jobs. Kathleen and Angelina both teach in a parish high school, and Angelina develops a strong bond with one of her outspoken students that induces her to question her faith. The other two sisters also have crises of faith that lead them out to the greater world. When the convent is slated for demolition in 2002, the former sisters reunite and share their stories. Macomber offers a very human look at three women who uproot their lives to follow their true destiny
reviewed Changing Habits on + 55 more book reviews
Debbie Macomber is probably my favorite author - another excellent book.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 4 more book reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gives you such an insight into the lives of young women who choose to pursue the vocation of being a nun. It also allows you to realize that these are real women with dreams and desires and the difficulties that each faces in their pursuit of their love for God and service to HIM.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 82 more book reviews
Excellent book
reviewed Changing Habits on + 210 more book reviews
Great book!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 47 more book reviews
This is one of the worst Macomber books I have ever read. Don't bother!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 11 more book reviews
in a more innocent time 3 girls enter the convent. angelina,kathleen, and joanna come from very different backgrounds but they have 1 thing in common the desire to join a religious order.
despite the seclusion of the convent house on minneapolis they're not immune to whats happening around them and each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. ultimately angie,kathleen, and joannna all leave the sisterhood abandoning the convent for the exciting world outside. the world of choices to made of risls to be taken. of men and romancantic love. the world of ordinary women
reviewed Changing Habits on + 125 more book reviews
They were sisters once.

In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common--the desire to join a religious order.

Despite the seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis, they're not immune to what's happening around them, and each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. Ultimately Angie, Kathleen and Joanna all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love. The world of ordinary women...
reviewed Changing Habits on + 50 more book reviews
In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent, Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common the desire to join a religious order.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 57 more book reviews
VERY GOOD READ
AleighD avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 97 more book reviews
excellent book...not Macomber's best but still a very good read
reviewed Changing Habits on + 21 more book reviews
In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. Angelina, Kathleen, and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common, the desire to join a religious order.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 174 more book reviews
The only Macomber I didn't love
reviewed Changing Habits on + 209 more book reviews
I thought this was a great story! It was the first of Ms. Macomber's books that I read, but it won't be the last!
ErinMc avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 373 more book reviews
This book is about the life of 4 Nuns at a time of change in the life of the church. A great read of a life not many knew.
Debbie is a great writter!!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 4 more book reviews
I received this book from a member recently and am very glad I did. It was a great book!! It told the story of three women who were each nuns at one time in their lives. It was a very realistic story and based on personal information, very factual. Debie Macomber is a great author!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 15 more book reviews
Good book
reviewed Changing Habits on + 115 more book reviews
I started to read this book, couldn't seem to get interested. I'll try again!
reviewed Changing Habits on + 8 more book reviews
Three ladies from different backgrounds join a convent and then with a crisis of faith, leave to go out into the changes of the world.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 8 more book reviews
three young girls enter the convent, each from different backgrounds. They are not immune to what is happening in the world and have crises of faith. Ultimately they leave the convent for the confusing world of outside.The world of choices to be made, of risks to take.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 60 more book reviews
New York Times Best Selling Author - The world's most popular writer of fiction - and about - women. They were sisters once. Three women who uproot their lives to follow their true destiny.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 34 more book reviews
"In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds but they have one thing in common....thhe desire to join a religious order...."
bjjudya avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 37 more book reviews
Despite the seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis the three sisters are not immune to what's happening around them. Each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. Ultimately they leave the sisterhood for the world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romance.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 226 more book reviews
IN A MORE INNOCENT TIMES THREE GIRLS ENTER THE CONVENT, ANGELINA, KATHLEEN AND JOANNA COME FROM VERY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, BUT THEY HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON--THE DESIRE TO JOIN A RELIGIOUS ORDER.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 144 more book reviews
They were sisters once. In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common-the desire to join a religious order. Despite the seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolisl, they're not immune to what's happening around them, and each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. Ultimately Angie, Kathleen and Joanna all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love. The world of ordinary women...
Cathe avatar reviewed Changing Habits on + 201 more book reviews
They were sisters once.

In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common-the desire to join a religious order.

Despite the seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis, they're not immune to what's happening around them, and each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. Ultimately Angie, Kathleen and Joanna all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside. The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love. The world of ordinary women...
reviewed Changing Habits on + 200 more book reviews
In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent, Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds but they have one thing in common-the desire to join a religious order. Later in their lives they find a world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken.
reviewed Changing Habits on + 475 more book reviews
They were sisters once.
In a more innocent time, three girls enter the convent. Angelina, Kathleen and Joanna come from very different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common-the desire to join a religious order.

Despite the seclusion of the convent house in Minneapolis, they're not immune to what's happening around them, and each sister faces an unexpected crisis of faith. Ultimately Angie, Kathleen and Joanna all leave the sisterhood, abandoning the convent for the exciting and confusing world outside.The world of choices to be made, of risks to be taken. Of men and romantic love.The world of ordinary women . . .
reviewed Changing Habits on + 1019 more book reviews
I have not read this one.