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The Magdalen Girls

From the late 18th century to 1996, the Magdalen Laundries were (In theory) a place for fallen women to be employed with godly, honest work and get off the streets and all that. The reality was that women and girls could be committed to these asylums for years with no appeal or release until such a time as the nuns running the place let them go. Records of women who disappeared into the asylums are scant and incomplete.

It’s one of the black spots in the history of the Catholic Church and, while they were not exclusive to Ireland, it’s a black spot in the history of Ireland and its treatment of women, as well.

This story takes place in 1962, and follows two girls who were signed over to the asylum by their families for being too promiscuous- Teagan was accused of causing a priest to have impure thoughts, while Nora was just looking for a way out of her life. This was not what she wanted. We follow them as they figure out how to survive and keep their true selves intact.

It’s not a particularly feel-good story. There’s a happy ending for one of them, but it’s at SUCH a cost. There’s hope held out only to be snatched away (again and again and again) and – given the reasons most women and girls were sent to these places, this isn’t a surprise – there’s a child death as well, so please be aware of that.

I liked reading about this this facet of history, even as I had to struggle with the rage that this wasn’t a bygone era: this was happening in my lifetime. If we can understand the things people do to each other, maybe we can keep history from repeating itself.

– Redheadedgirl

Dublin, 1962. Within the gated grounds of the convent of The Sisters of the Holy Redemption lies one of the city’s Magdalen Laundries. Once places of refuge, the laundries have evolved into grim workhouses. Some inmates are “fallen” women—unwed mothers, prostitutes, or petty criminals. Most are ordinary girls whose only sin lies in being too pretty, too independent, or tempting the wrong man. Among them is sixteen-year-old Teagan Tiernan, sent by her family when her beauty provokes a lustful revelation from a young priest.

Teagan soon befriends Nora Craven, a new arrival who thought nothing could be worse than living in a squalid tenement flat. Stripped of their freedom and dignity, the girls are given new names and denied contact with the outside world. The Mother Superior, Sister Anne, who has secrets of her own, inflicts cruel, dehumanizing punishments—but always in the name of love. Finally, Nora and Teagan find an ally in the reclusive Lea, who helps them endure—and plot an escape. But as they will discover, the outside world has dangers too, especially for young women with soiled reputations.

Told with candor, compassion, and vivid historical detail, The Magdalen Girls is a masterfully written novel of life within the era’s notorious institutions—and an inspiring story of friendship, hope, and unyielding courage.