FIVE FOR SORROW, TEN FOR JOY - a novel by Rumer Godden
Reviewed by Margaret McGuire
Life is, inescapably, made of joys and sorrows. But what happens when a life appears to be all sorrow? Rumer Godden hints at the answer in the title of her book, Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, a reference to the mysteries of the Rosary. Five mysteries for sorrow, and, combining the Joyful and Glorious mysteries, ten for joy.
The title does, and does not, prepare us to meet our protagonist Lise Fanshawe, who was a reformed brothel manager, repentant murderess, and now a Dominican nun of the Congregation of St. Mary Magdalen, better known as the Dominicans of Béthanie.
Lise’s life had a kaleidoscopic quality. She came to France working for the Allied Forces of World War II. After Paris was liberated, she became lost in the celebration and fell under the deadly charm of Patrice Ambard, who drew her into the world of the brothel.
And yet these “ladies of the night,” who had so much cause for sorrow, found some true joy around the edges of their lives. Lise, recounting some of her former life to a fellow Béthanie Sister, remembers that most of the girls under her care had a rosary or chaplet, and “some of them were devoted to it.” (p. 11) They were aware of their aching need for grace, even if they didn’t know how to leave the commerce of lust.
And it was in the face of that aching need that the Dominicans of Béthanie were founded as an order dedicated to the rehabilitation of fallen women. They served women in brothels and prisons. In fact, they served all those whom average churchgoers would pass over as irredeemably lost. And yet these lost ones know, more than we do, of both the need for mercy and God’s generous distribution of mercy!
Lise came into contact with these nuns and found her longings, at long last, fulfilled. Her faith echoes the Magnificat: “He who is mighty has done great things for me.” Then her past suddenly rose up to haunt her, causing her to confront, once again, the depth of human brokenness and the true, joyful peace that God alone can give.
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Discussion Questions:
- 1. Many Religious orders are founded to deal with the needs and struggles of people who are directly in front of the founders: the sick, the orphaned, the elderly, the abandoned, and the lost. What needs in your community are always pulling at your heart?
- 2. At her solemn profession of vows, Lise is given the veil, the symbol of purity in soul and body. Lise, surprised and shocked, reflects “Why, perhaps I am now – not pure, but purified.” Has God ever surprised you with His power to renew?
- 3. Throughout the book, Lise is haunted by the memory of two young girls: one she tried desperately to save and couldn’t, and one whom she didn’t want to inspire or guide, and yet succeeded. Has God ever made you the instrument of His grace, despite your reluctance?
