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Peter Boyle's Reviews > The Ninth Hour

The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
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Long, long ago in the carefree 1990s, I was taught French by a fearsome nun. She was prone to mood swings and it was important to know how to handle them. If she was cheerful, she would regale us with hilarious stories and a well-timed question from one of my classmates might be lucky enough to delay the whole lesson. However, if she was in a foul humour, nobody was safe from her barbed tongue, and all we could do was count down the interminable minutes until the bell rang. What I mean to say is, though she was holy and endlessly charitable, she was human, just like the rest of us.

The Ninth Hour focuses on a group of kindly Brooklyn nuns who dedicate their lives to God, and also to attending the sick and the needy. When a heavily pregnant Annie loses her husband, Sister St. Saviour is on hand to help out and organises a job for her in the convent laundry room. In the years that follow, her daughter Sally grows up among the nuns. She spends evenings after school doing her homework alongside the grouchy Sister Illuminata. The playful, childlike Sister Jeanne is her favourite. And as she enters adolescence, Sally contemplates following the same path as her blessed companions.

The nuns are selfless, compassionate and unfailingly generous. In a neglected area rife with poverty, they look after the people who can't help themselves. But they are not without flaws. Jealousy sometimes gets in the way as they vie for dear Sally's attention. Sister Lucy is one of the most dedicated when comes to helping the unwell, but we are also told that she "lived with a small, tight knot of fury at the center of her chest." Though their faith is unwavering, it is tested by the hardship they encounter on a daily basis:
"The madness with which suffering was dispersed in the world defied logic. There was nothing else like it for unevenness. Bad luck, bad health, bad timing. Innocent children were afflicted as often as bad men. Young mothers were struck down even as old ones fretfully lingered. Good lives ended in confusion or despair or howling devastation...There was no accounting for it. No accounting for how general it was, how arbitrary."

This understated novel is a celebration of those who give up their lives to serve the needs of the unfortunate. These nuns are all heroes but they go about their business quietly in the hope of a heavenly reward. The plot may be a little uneventful but this is compensated by rich characterization. Most of all I admired how it explored the inner lives of the nuns, their worries and shortcomings making them seem all the more real to me. The Ninth Hour is a meticulously crafted story about the power of kindness and the enormous sacrifices that are made in pursuing in a vocation.
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Reading Progress

January 28, 2018 – Started Reading
January 28, 2018 – Shelved
February 4, 2018 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-21 of 21 (21 new)

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message 1: by Liz (new) - added it

Liz Stunning, review Peter!


message 2: by CanadianReader (new)

CanadianReader Great personal story leading into your review, Peter! I tried this book a while back, but I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of quiet at that particular time. What held you back from a higher rating—too slow?


Peter Boyle Liz wrote: "Stunning, review Peter!"

Thanks so much Liz!


Peter Boyle Canadian wrote: "Great personal story leading into your review, Peter! I tried this book a while back, but I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of quiet at that particular time. What held you back from a higher ratin..."

Thanks CR - I often think of Sister Assumpta and those crazy French classes! This one was just a little too slow for me to give a higher rating - I was never bored but it's not the kind of book I'd press upon people as a must-read. You definitely have to be in the right kind of mood to enjoy it.


message 5: by Liz (new) - added it

Liz Peter wrote: "This one was just a little too slow for me to give a higher rating - I was never bored but it's not the kind of book I'd press upon people as a must-read. You definitely have to be in the right kind of mood to enjoy it. "

I am glad Canadian asked the question. I think I'll be adding this one, sometimes the slower ones end being well worth the time. :-)


message 6: by CanadianReader (new)

CanadianReader Peter wrote: You definitely have to be in the right kind of mood to enjoy it.

Yes, a contemplative mood or mode. They don’t come around often, do they?! I should think your own experiences with nuns would enrich a book like this considerably.


message 7: by Jo (new)

Jo I've seen this around and wondered whether to add it. Unbelievably I've never read any Alice McDermott but slow and contemplative appeals to me sometimes. Thanks for the review Peter!


Peter Boyle Canadian wrote: "Peter wrote: You definitely have to be in the right kind of mood to enjoy it.

Yes, a contemplative mood or mode. They don’t come around often, do they?! I should think your own experiences with nu..."


For sure, the world is so busy and hyper-connected these days, it can be hard to change gears and find a slower pace.
And there was a time when nuns were plentiful here in Ireland, CR, but a sighting is rare nowadays. I am making them sound like rare birds, I know :-D


Peter Boyle Jo wrote: "I've seen this around and wondered whether to add it. Unbelievably I've never read any Alice McDermott but slow and contemplative appeals to me sometimes. Thanks for the review Peter!"

Jo, it was my first McDermott and I've a feeling it won't be my last. At times it's nice to read something a little more reflective and understated. Hope you enjoy if you do get round to it.


message 10: by Maria Hill (new) - added it

Maria Hill AKA MH Books I agree with Canadian Reader your personal anecdote makes this review. This was already on my TBR but now I know it's a slow-paced contemplative read - I will leave it until I am in the right mood. Thanks for the Review.


Diane Barnes I loved this book too, and your review captures it perfectly. The personal story is icing on the cake.


message 12: by Maria Hill (new) - added it

Maria Hill AKA MH Books Diane wrote: "I loved this book too, and your review captures it perfectly. The personal story is icing on the cake."

Great to know Diane


message 13: by Robin (new) - added it

Robin What a lovely review, Peter - though I'm surprised that you awarded it only 3 stars given how much you seem to have appreciated it! I've been meaning to read this for a little while now - it will be a must read for me this year.


Angela M is taking a break. An excellent review, Peter. McDermott is one of my very favorites !


*TUDOR^QUEEN* Lovely review! 🙋💟👏


Barbara This book hit a similar chord in me. And as for eccentric nuns, my 7th grade teacher Sister Genevieve had us sing “Oh Maryland My Maryland “ every morning in our small Catholic school in northwest Connecticut. Now feeling an exile from New England and living in Maryland I can imagine she was homesick. The nuns also went sledding with us during recess.


Peter Boyle @Maria and Diane - Thanks for your kind words. I think I could fill my own book with anecdotes about dear old Sister Assumpta.

@Robin Thank you very much! I'm a bit of a hard marker when it comes to ratings, maybe 3 and a half stars would have been fairer. The book definitely made an impression on me but the pace was just a little too slow at times. I will keep an eye out for your review.

@Angela M and @Tudor^Queen Thanks for the lovely compliments. Angela, I definitely need to read more Alice McDermott.

@Barbara What a great story! Sister Genevieve sounds like a real character. And now I am imagining the nuns whizzing downhill on the sleds, with their habits fluttering behind them.


PattyMacDotComma Lovely review and wonderful story about your own lessons with nuns. Without meaning to diminish the uniqueness of McDermott’s work, I have to say the humanity of the nuns in this reminds me of that shown in the BBC TV series Call the Midwife. Each sister has a different personality. Their hearts are all gold, but some seem to have crusted over a bit, making it harder to see. The book’s showing the sisters vying for Sally’s attention is the sort of thing that tells us what very real people they are. Wonderful, Peter!


Peter Boyle PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Lovely review and wonderful story about your own lessons with nuns. Without meaning to diminish the uniqueness of McDermott’s work, I have to say the humanity of the nuns in this reminds me of that..."

Thanks Patty, your line about their hearts crusting over a little bit is so true (especially in the case of Sister Lucy). I haven't seen Call the Midwife but from your description I think I'd enjoy it very much - thanks for the tip!


Laysee An excellent review, Peter. Your last paragraph sums it up beautifully.


Peter Boyle Laysee wrote: "An excellent review, Peter. Your last paragraph sums it up beautifully."

Thanks, Laysee. I think it is the sacrifice made by the nuns that stayed with me most of all. It is a brave, noble thing to do, to give up your life in order to help those less fortunate.


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