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Convent Wisdom

How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First-Century Life

by Ana Garriga & Carmen Urbita

'Brimming with fascinating historical details' MELISSA FEBOS, MARIE CLAIRE 'Profoundly useful and pleasure seeking' EILEEN MYLES
'A fizzy joy to read' BETSY CORNWELL

An infectiously edifying manual that mines the lives of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century nuns, offering advice for our modern age and proving one thing: no matter the century, nuns know best.


When most of us think of nuns, we picture solemn shuffles down cloistered halls and hands clasped in prayer. But what about the nuns who erupted into jealous fights over makeup or crushed on their girlfriends? In reality, these women were no one-dimensional martyrs. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century nuns were resourceful, rebellious and refreshingly relatable - and their lives hold surprising lessons for us today.

Convent Wisdom is your guide to navigating the chaos of the modern world with help from history's most fascinating nuns. Struggling with money? Saint Teresa and her fellow Carmelites have some divine budgeting hacks. Drowning in FOMO while scrolling through social media? Mary of Jesus of Ágreda's miraculous ability to be in two places at once might teach you how to finally keep up. Lost in the digital dating pool? Benedetta Carlini's treatise on the seven ways to spot a lesbian nun may offer unexpected insights.

Blending rigorous research with pop culture and personal anecdotes throughout, best friends Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita lift the veil on monastic life so you can better conquer today's anxiety-ridden, hyper-connected world. From procrastination to imposter syndrome, friendship drama to creativity slumps, the nuns of Convent Wisdom are here to guide you - with a wink and a prayer.

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Pages:

256

Published:

4 Nov 2025

Format

Hardback

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

ISBN:

9781526680709



'Brimming with fascinating historical details'
MELISSA FEBOS, MARIE CLAIRE


'Profoundly useful and pleasure seeking'
EILEEN MYLES


'A fizzy joy to read'
BETSY CORNWELL

An infectiously edifying manual that mines the lives of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century nuns, offering advice for our modern age and proving one thing: no matter the century, nuns know best.


When most of us think of nuns, we picture solemn shuffles down cloistered halls and hands clasped in prayer. But what about the nuns who erupted into jealous fights over makeup or crushed on their girlfriends? In reality, these women were no one-dimensional martyrs. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century nuns were resourceful, rebellious and refreshingly relatable - and their lives hold surprising lessons for us today.

Convent Wisdom is your guide to navigating the chaos of the modern world with help from history's most fascinating nuns. Struggling with money? Saint Teresa and her fellow Carmelites have some divine budgeting hacks. Drowning in FOMO while scrolling through social media? Mary of Jesus of Ágreda's miraculous ability to be in two places at once might teach you how to finally keep up. Lost in the digital dating pool? Benedetta Carlini's treatise on the seven ways to spot a lesbian nun may offer unexpected insights.

Blending rigorous research with pop culture and personal anecdotes throughout, best friends Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita lift the veil on monastic life so you can better conquer today's anxiety-ridden, hyper-connected world. From procrastination to imposter syndrome, friendship drama to creativity slumps, the nuns of Convent Wisdom are here to guide you - with a wink and a prayer.

$40.00
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This is a delightfully nerdy journey into the world of sixteenth-century nuns that tells historical fact through the lens of the least annoying self help you’ll ever read. Garriga and Urbena have an obvious passion for the material, drawing together their academic studies with modern-day references and humour – flick through looking at the section headings to giggle and be charmed. As queer women themselves, they have a distinct interest in telling the stories of nuns that challenged the standards expected of them – lesbian nuns, heretical nuns, nuns who had beef with the church, and so on -- but there is also a deep respect for these women and their beliefs. Suitable for gay atheists, Catholics with a sense of humour, and anyone in between. Genuinely so much fun!

Amelia's avatarAmelia, Unity Books wellington
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