Alice Lee Thornton, Julie Fowler

Alice Lee Thornton began writing her first novel at the age of 72.

Angel, Sinner, Mermaid, Saint, set in Cornwall and Ireland, was published on Kindle in 2011, and in paperback in 2015. It was followed by The Magdalene Connection, and the third book in the trilogy is a work in process.

The stories, though set in beautiful locations, deal with the harsh treatment meted out in religious institutions to girls who gave birth to illegitimate children in the mid-20th century, and of the unmerciful treatment of those children themselves.

Though the Author’s main theme is Love, she does not flinch from dealing with unpleasant issues, such as rape and physical violence, in some detail. The behaviour of those who dedicated their lives to a Christian God in those days does not escape scrutiny either.