Catherine’s Mercy
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Based on a true story. In 1824, Catherine, a Catholic spinster of 44, unexpectantly inherits millions. However, she doesn’t use it to climb the social ladder or snare a husband; she uses it to fulfill a lifelong dream of building a refuge for the poor and sick of Dublin, Ireland. That an unmarried woman would dare propose such a thing is so scandalous, even her own brother calls it “Kitty’s Folly.” Society turns against her. The Church tries to take over. Catherine must defend her choices or lose not only her inheritance, but her reputation and life’s calling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this spirited historical, Evelina (America's Forgotten Suffragists) dramatizes the life and legacy of Catherine McAuley, the Catholic lay woman and later nun who founded the Sisters of Mercy religious order in 19th-century Dublin, Ireland. In 1822, 42-year-old Catherine receives an unexpected inheritance from a former employer, which she dreams of using to found a haven for disadvantaged women and children, despite opposition from Dublin's Lord and Lady Montague—who employ destitute women as servants—as well as members of the Catholic church who feel she's overstepping her bounds as a woman (even her brother calls the plan "Kitty's folly"). Meanwhile, a group of women who've worked for Lord Montague and endured his sexual abuse become prostitutes, and desperately seek shelter at Catherine's House of Mercy when it opens in September 1827, adding to the endeavor's high stakes. Evelina skillfully sketches a fearless female leader in the Catholic church who stood up to naysayers to fight for the rights of the underprivileged, and readers will celebrate her triumphs. It's a lively ode to a trailblazing woman.
