I recently bought an original copy of A Case of Conscience by Isabel C. Clarke.  This author wrote many well-received Catholic novels, and I look forward to reading, reviewing, and featuring more of her books on this site in the future.

I bought my copy of A Case of Conscience for a very reasonable price on Ebay, and began eagerly reading it last night.

Published by Benziger Brothers in 1927, A Case of Conscience is 370 pages long, and I am now on page 73.  This is not a fast-paced book, yet it is not cumbersome to read; the old-fashioned style just takes a little getting used to.

So far, the story takes place in Italy, at a lake-side villa where nineteen-year-old Elizabeth  lives with her ailing father(John), to whom she is very devoted, having no one else in the world since her mother left them both when Elizabeth was only a few weeks old.  When Elizabeth’s father dies, she decides to go see her mother, who lives in England with a second husband and a daughter, Opal, Elizabeth’s half-sister.

At the same time, handsome Timothy, a very distant relative, has inherited John’s ancestral land in England, and finds himself drawn to both Elizabeth and Opal.  He is a lax Catholic, while Elizabeth is a devout Catholic.

Certainly one can see the potential for twists, complications, and the voice of conscience . . .

We shall see, as the reading continues!