One of my book club friends who was running a library, closed her library down and moved abroad. At that time she put all her library books on sale. I got some books from that sale. That is how I discovered ‘The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne‘. I found the title very haunting and that is why I got the book. Later I discovered that it was Brian Moore’s centenary and readers were celebrating it. I wanted to read this book at that time, but couldn’t. I finally got to read it now.
Judith Hearne is a forty-something woman. Recently she has moved to a new place. Her fellow lodgers are a diverse cast of characters. One of those lodgers is the landlady’s brother. The landlady also has a grown-up son living with her. The landlady’s brother shows interest in Judith and starts courting her. Judith feels that he wants to marry her. But things don’t go as she thinks. As Judith gets hurtled from one thing to another and as her life crashlands, our heart breaks as the story hurtles to its tragic end.
When I first discovered the book, I thought the title meant that Judith Hearne was a woman who was quiet, lonely, passionate and who yearned for love and who was probably in love with someone but the other person didn’t love her back. I thought that the story was about that. But after reading the book, I felt that this was not what it was about. The word ‘passion’ in the title is probably closer in meaning to the way it is used in the phrase ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Here the word ‘passion’ describes the suffering that Jesus went through during the last period of his life. This book seems to have a similar theme – it describes the suffering that Judith Hearne went through most of her life – how she lived with her aunt and her aunt refused to let her get independent, refused to let her stay in a job, and whenever a man tried courting Judith how her aunt put an end to that, and how Judith finally ended up taking care of her aunt full-time and when her aunt passed Judith hoped that she might get some inheritance but she didn’t get much, and she ended up being middle-aged with no employment and no husband and family, how Judith regarded the O’Neills as her friends and visited their home every weekend and how they put on a mask and treated her nicely when she went to their place but treated her with contempt and laughed at her behind her back, how she went to church to confess but the priest didn’t show much interest or sensitivity to her confession, how she started losing faith in God and hoped for a sign but nothing happened and she felt dejected and depressed – these and other things which happen, this is Judith Hearne’s modern day passion, this is her suffering. The ending is heartbreaking. Why a simple person with small wishes and desires, who wishes to find happiness in small ways is treated badly and crushed by people and society – it is heartbreaking to read. We’d have met a few Judith Hearnes in our lives – I have – and reading this book brought back old memories of them and made me cry.
Some of my favourite parts from the book.
“For it was important to have things to tell which interested your friends. And Miss Hearne had always been able to find interesting happenings where other people would find only dullness. It was, she often felt, a gift which was one of the great rewards of a solitary life. And a necessary gift. Because, when you were a single girl, you had to find interesting things to talk about. Other women always had their children and shopping and running a house to chat about. Besides which, their husbands often told them interesting stories. But a single girl was in a different position. People simply didn’t want to hear how she managed things like accommodation and budgets. She had to find other subjects and other subjects were mostly other people. So people she knew, people she had heard of, people she saw in the street, people she had read about, they all had to be collected and gone through like a basket of sewing so that the most interesting bits about them could be picked out and fitted together to make conversation.”
“If no one hears?
No one.
No one. The church, an empty shell, nobody to hear, no reason to pray, only statues listen. Statues cannot hear.
And if I am alone?
If I am alone it does not matter what life I lead. It does not matter. And if I die I am a dead thing. I have no eternal life. No one will remember me, no one will weep for me. No one will reward the good I have done, no one will punish the sins I have committed.
No one.”
“She was feeling tired. Why, the Mass was very long. If you did not pray, if you did not take part, then it was very, very long. If you did not believe, then how many things would seem different. Everything : lives, hopes, devotions, thoughts. If you do not believe, you are alone. But I was of Ireland, among my people, a member of my faith. Now I have no – and if no faith, then no people. No, no, I have not given up. I cannot. For if I give up this, then I must give up all the rest. There is no right or wrong in this. I do not feel, I do not know. Why should I suffer this?”
Other reviews
Caroline (Beauty is a Sleeping Cat)
Have you read ‘The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne’? What to you think about it? Which is your favourite Brian Moore book?
That’s a very good interpretation of the word ‘passion’.
Thank you, Lisa 😊 Glad you liked that interpretation 😊
This sounds very sad. I’ve read one Brian Moore book so far and that wasn’t exactly cheerful either: The Doctor’s Wife. He’s very good at depicting complicated relationships and hidden selfish motives.
Yes, it is very sad, Marina. It starts very well with some charming scenes and cool dialogue and I was hoping that it would continue that way but it became more and more sad later. Glad to know that you’ve read one Brian Moore, The Doctor’s Wife. Will search for your review of that one.
This is beautifully said, Vishy. You have really touched me with this review.
Glad you liked the review, Jenny. Thank you for your kind words.
I’ve heard of the book, Vishy, but the sadness does put me off a bit. I’ve read critiques of Moore’s writing of women too, so whilst it might be a good book, I suspect I won’t read it.
Yes, it was a sad story, Kaggsy. It started off well with some charming scenes and beautiful dialogue, but at some point it became more and more sad. Sorry to know about Moore’s writing of women.
I adore this book but it’s a very tough read I think. I did a Brian Moore readathon during 2022 and read a book a month and I think my favourite is The Emperor of Icecream. All his books are very different though.
Glad you liked this book, Cathy. Nice to know that you did a Brian Moore Readathon sometime back. Must have been wonderful. The Emperor of Icecream is such a charming title. I want to read that!
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This religious book serves as a guiding light in times of darkness, offering hope and encouragement to all who seek it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
What a very sad story Vishy. Some people clearly don’t have advantages which help them to learn and become interested in life. While some just seem to get beaten down at every turn, and their life becomes more of a survival of sorts.
I am impressed that you made it through the book. I think I may have just been too consumed by sorrow for the poor woman.
Yes, it was very sad, Heidi. It started off quite well and it had some charming scenes and beautiful dialogue, but at some point, the story became more and more sad.
Thank you for linking to my review Vishy, I remember when you got this book! I felt indignant about Judith’s treatment, both by the characters in the novel and the author! I know a reader shouldn’t do that but I felt he was using Judith as a scapegoat for issues he had about the church and even loneliness. And so poor Judith was made to do things unbecoming to her character. I protest on her behalf. 🪧😡