A quick read - interesting to any current or former Catholic on the transition of nuns after Vatican 2 - part fiction, part factual. Very interesting.

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.

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.

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.

Addressing a subject not often found in women’s fiction, Debbie Macomber has written a compelling book that is absolutely unputdownable.

It’s 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 O’Shaughnessy, from a large Boston Irish family, has always known she’d become a nun. There was never any question from the time of her first communion on. And a more wonderful and devout nun you’d be hard pressed to find. But when Kathleen’s 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 Joanna’s 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 father’s vehement protest. The young Italian girl has been primed to take over her father’s 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 I’ve 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.

This book about 3 nuns that leave the convent was very interesting. I enjoyed-a little different than I usually read but good.

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.

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.

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...

One of Debbie's best stories!

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Loved this book. Found myself cheering on the three girls as they took each step in finding themselves.

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.

The only Macomber I didn't love

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 . . .

I have not read this one.

Another great book by Debbie Macomber. I really like this book.

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.

Another excellent book by Debbie Macomber

"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...."

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...

Read All Book Reviews of "Changing Habits"