In an evocative memoir, Catherine Coldstream describes life as a contemplative nun in the 1990s, and the dramatic events which led to her flight from the monastery on the brink of the Millennium.

After the shock of her father’s death, and with her family scattered, 24 year-old Catherine was left grieving and alone. A search for meaning led her to Roman Catholicism and eventually to the Carmelite nuns of Akenside Priory.

Cloistered takes us beyond the grille of an enclosed monastic world with its tight-knit community of dedicated women. We see Catherine, praying in the sparseness of her simple cell, a novice who has found peace in an ancient way of life. But as she surrenders to her final vows, all is not as it seems behind the Priory’s closed doors. Power struggles erupt, and the hothouse atmosphere turns to conflict – with far-reaching consequences for those within. Catherine comes to realise that divine authority is mediated through flawed and all-too-human channels. She is faced with a dilemma - should she protect the serenity she has found, or speak out?

A vivid and sometimes painfully honest account of her twelve years in the Order, Cloistered is also a cautionary tale about what can happen when good people cut themselves off from the wider world.

The opening and closing music is Veni Creator Spiritus sung by Voces Poeticae

Note from the Publishers: This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. In some cases names of people and places, dates, sequences and the detail of events have been changed to protect the privacy of others.

Written by Catherine Coldstream
Read by Hattie Morahan
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 Show less