Divided Passions

June M. Blurton is a retired speech/language pathologist.

This English translation of La Passion de Jeanne (which was on the
Quebec bestseller list for 17 weeks) tells the story of a
French-Canadian family living in Quebec during and just after World War
II.

Jeanne’s very religious mother brings her up to believe she is
destined to be a nun. A short stay in a strict convent convinces Jeanne
that she does not have a vocation. To get away from her mother, she
marries an Irish-Canadian. The couple are unhappy, but Jeanne adores her
daughter, and the marriage brings advantages. Her husband’s position
as a bright, young lawyer and rising Liberal politician gives her the
opportunity to take part in the social scene in Quebec City and
Montreal, to meet well-known people and hear them discuss the questions
that were engrossing Quebecers at that time—conscription, separation,
the place of the church in society, and abortion.

None of the characters in Divided Passions evokes empathy, and the
writing is uneven; much of the novel’s interest hinges on its
portrayal of Quebec society prior to the Quiet Revolution.