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by Michael Polowetzky (Author)
Born high in the Pyrenees Mountains on the border between France and Spain, Juana Navarro is the child of a WWII French resistance hero and a nurse from the Basque country who is also a noted sociologist. "A kid from the provinces who made good"-Juana, early on, becomes famed for her fine essayist, the many academic prizes she captures, and as the winner of a historic Baccalaureate contest. Also possessing a deep spiritual side, Juana decides to set all these worldly accomplishments aside and devote herself to God. Inside the convent, the girl soon obtains the favor of Mother Marie and the abbess's close assistant, Sister Francoise. Unlike Juana (now Sister Jeanne), who freely chose the religious life, her two mentors, both highly intelligent and gifted themselves, were compelled to enter the cloister because of family tradition. The two look upon young Sister Jeanne as someone through whom they might gain vicarious fulfillment of their own frustrated in intellectual ambitions. Eager to please Mother Marie and Sister Francoise, their protegee writes several brilliant books which bring wide distinction to the author, her mentors, and the convent. Born in the maverick, go-it-your-own way, Pyrenees, Sister Juana, while retaining a deep spirituality, also wishes to express her love for God widely. She is doing not merely as a writer inside the convent but also teaching it to the world.
