A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia

This luminous book about family secrets, star-crossed lovers, and a bitter battle with the Catholic Church was slow at the beginning but I found it difficult to put down once the main characters meet and fall in love.

Margaret, beset by grief and loneliness, falls in love with Catholicism and Rome, studying theology with nuns. The times are revolutionary because the Second Vatican Council is afoot and it’s the freewheeling 1960s, however, and she starts to become disillusioned with some of the main tenets of the Church. She starts to baulk at the teachings even more when she becomes a theology teacher in England, where she meets David, a priest. Idealistic and bright, together they try to spark interest in their young Catholic students, rather than teach dry theology. It’s a meeting of souls and they find it too difficult to deny their love, but can David give up everything for love…?

Adrian, their grandson, discovers their story, while he cares for Margaret. I agree with another reviewer who thought that this didn’t add anything to the story.

The book is based on the author’s own grandparents, amazingly. 

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.