Review of Brides of Christ

Having been a 'Catholic' in my childhood, and wanting to be a nun just to be able to read books (not realizing it was only one book) in solitude, I was eager to see how this series would tackle the subject. The format of concentrating on several individuals in their struggles and development was unique and interesting. The favourites for me were the Ambrose, Paul and Catherine sequences. Each person was as real as you could imagine and the dialogue very realistic and not cliched at all. To begin and end with 'Catherine' and her journey of self-discovery was wonderful and covered the many nuances and issues that generation struggled with, regardless of 'faith'. I found the hypocrisy, archaic rituals and irrelevant 'rules' (both in the institutions and in society at that time and place), to be well described and tackled in a mature and realistic way. I cried for the broken relationships and decisions that had to be made and felt real joy when each female character found their way. The main issue for me was that many of these women (girls at first) much preferred having others make life decisions for them, and so only need to obey or follow the prescribed doctrines and rules. Thankfully we live in a more enlightened time although not all societies allow for freedom of choice or FROM religion, even today. This heart-warming, sweet yet very serious series is one that can be enjoyed by all genders and ages and those of us without any 'belief systems'. Humanity comes through in the end here. And the music, which reminded me of The Thorn Birds, sure added to the feel of this series. It may be a bit dated and some of the issues no longer seen as 'radical' (birth control pill), but many issues are still the same, such as celibacy and no women priests. And many women are still dealing with the same problems, unfortunately. A still-relevant show. Thumbs up!