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WORK TITLE: The Magdalen Girls
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): V.S. Alexander, Vincent Wilde
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://michaelmeeske.com/
CITY:
STATE: FL
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31817 * http://michaelmeeske.com/about.html
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Former member of Writers’ Room of Boston, MA.
MEMBER:Florida Romance Writers (vice president, 2008-10).
WRITINGS
Also coauthor of His Weekend Proposal, 2009, and contributor of stories to anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
Michael Meeske has written books under his own name and under the pseudonyms V.S. Alexander and Vincent Wilde. As Wilde, he has released books in the “Cody Harper” series, including The Combat Zone and An Absent God, and under his own name, Meeske published Frankenstein’s Daemon: A Sequel to Frankenstein and Poe’s Mother.
Frankenstein's Daemon
Frankenstein’s Daemon is a continuation of the horror story written by Mary Shelley in 1818. This sequel is written as a letter from a ship captain named Robert Walton. In the letter, Walton addresses his sister. Walton is a friend of Victor Frankenstein, and when Victor dies, Walton becomes very upset. He commands the crew of his ship, the H.M.S. Prosper, to find and kill the daemon (the monster of the original story) that Victor created. When Walton and the crew confront the daemon, the daemon handily dispenses of everyone but Walton and one other crew member. The daemon wants Walton to hand over Victor’s writings. Meanwhile, the other crew member goes about setting off an explosion in hopes of killing the daemon. The explosion appears to have done what it was intended to do, and Walton and his crew member relax. However, they later discover that the daemon is still alive. Another plot line focuses on Ernest Frankenstein, Victor’s brother, who lives in Switzerland. In the afterword, Meeske justifies his decision to compose a sequel to Shelley’s celebrated work.
A contributor to Publishers Weekly offered criticism for elements of the book. The contributor remarked: “The novel’s resolution disappoints, and its plot failings overshadow a solid effort to emulate [Shelley].” A writer on the Romance Reviews Web site, however, claimed to be “impressed” with this “blast from the past.”
The Magdalen Girls
Written under the Alexander pseudonym, The Magdalen Girls is a work of historical fiction. It tells the story of Tegan, a teenage student at a Catholic school in Dublin during the 1960s. When Tegan is caught in a compromising position with a priest, she is punished harshly and sent to work as a laundress in the Magdalen laundries. The work is difficult, and Tegan is not given enough to eat. She is also required to refrain from speaking most of the time. However, she bonds with Nora and Lea, who are also being punished. Sister Anne is the Mother Superior and is responsible for the most inhumane punishments the girls endure; she is also a tortured soul and cuts herself in private. Tegan, Nora, and Lea dream of the lives they could be leading on the outside. Tegan and Nora both attempt to escape, but they are brought back to the laundries.
“Alexander explains away Sister Anne’s hardness with a backstory that ends up undercutting the ubiquitous cruelty of these institutions,” commented a Publishers Weekly critic. Other assessments of The Magdalen Girls were more favorable. Stephanie Turza, a reviewer in Booklist, asserted: “Showcasing hard-won victories and a terrible tragedy, this novel shines a light on a dark period.” Turza also described the novel as a “tenderhearted story.” Writing in Library Journal, Susan Clifford Braun complimented the author on his research of the era, stating: “Alexander … has clearly done his homework.” Braun also suggested that the book is “chilling in its realism.” Bryan Dumas, a contributor to the Historical Novel Society Web site, remarked: “What hinder this book from truly shining are the subplots of Lea … and the cruel Mother Superior Sister Anne.” Nonetheless, Dumas concluded his review of the novel by calling it “a well-written look at a wretched history.” A reviewer on the Shelf Awareness Web site suggested: “Filled with authentic details, Alexander’s story evolves through multiple voices.” The same reviewer added: “The beginning is slow, yet Alexander methodically builds the details of the dreary and demanding existence that has become daily life for these girls who had dreams and ambitions like other sixteen-year-olds.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2016, Stephanie Turza, review of The Magdalen Girls, p. 34.
Library Journal, November 15, 2016, Susan Clifford Braun, review of The Magdalen Girls, p. 76.
Publishers Weekly, April 9, 2012, review of Frankenstein’s Daemon: A Sequel to Frankenstein, p. S24; October 31, 2016, review of The Magdalen Girls, p. 51.
ONLINE
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (February 1, 2017), Bryan Dumas, review of The Magdalen Girls.
Romance Reviews, http://www.theromancereviews.com/ (October 29, 2011), review of Frankenstein’s Daemon.
Shelf Awareness, http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ (November 11, 2016), Lee E. Cart, review of The Magdalen Girls.*
I'm happy to share my historical women's fiction with you thanks to Kensington Publishing. My novels feature strong women protagonists whose lives take them on incredible journeys in settings fraught with danger and intrigue. Along the way, they learn about life, love, and their true selves.
The Magdalen Girls, set in 1962 Dublin, is my first historical for Kensington. Two more books will follow in upcoming years with settings as varied as the wild coast of northwest Ireland and World War II Germany. I hope you enjoy reading my novels as much as I enjoy writing them.
Thank you, and happy reading!
Michael Meeske writes across genres, including romance, mystery, suspense, horror, gothic fiction and historical fiction.
Michael’s first novel for Kensington Books (written as V.S. Alexander), The Magdalen Girls, is slated for publication in the U.S. and UK in January 2017. The novel, set in 1962 Dublin, deals with the dark history of the Magdalen laundries, a system of institutionalized servitude formerly sanctioned by the Catholic Church. It’s scheduled to appear in trade paperback, e-book, audio and large print. He recently added a two-book deal with Kensington for his WWII novel, Taster, and an Irish historical saga.
He also recently signed with Cleis Press for two books in his Cody Harper mystery series, The Combat Zone and An Absent God. These books, written as Vincent Wilde, are scheduled for publication beginning in January 2017.
His other writing credits include Frankenstein’s Daemon, a sequel to Frankenstein, and Poe’s Mother, a psychological suspense thriller, offered through Usher Books and both available on Amazon.com. He is the co-author of His Weekend Proposal, a tender category romance. Additionally, his short stories, In the End, He Dreamed, and, Feelers, were selected for inclusion in two anthologies of gothic horror published by Firbolg Publishing. Zombieville, a short story, was included in a 2011 horror anthology by Florida Romance Writers (FRW) headlined by Heather Graham.
From 2008 to 2010, he served as Vice President of FRW. He has been an active member and guest since 2002. He is a former member of the Writers’ Room of Boston, a non-profit working space for novelists, poets and playwrights.
Some of his influences include Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, Richard Matheson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. You can contact Michael via the contact page or on Facebook.
Michael Meeske writes across genres, including women's fiction, historical, mystery, suspense, horror and gothic fiction, a genre that blends horror and romance, and has its roots in some of the earliest novels ever written.
Currently, he is writing as V. S. Alexander for Kensington Publishing and as Vincent Wilde for Cleis Press. His writing credits include The Magdalen Girls,(Kensington, January 2017); The Taster, (Kensington, 2018); The Combat Zone, (Cleis Press, January 2017); An Absent God (Cleis Press, November 2017). Frankenstein's Daemon and Poe's Mother (as Michael Meeske) are available on Amazon through the Usher Books imprint. His short fiction has appeared in national collections and anthologies.
Some of his influences are Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, Richard Matheson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. You can contact Michael at michaelmeeske@live.com or visit his website at www.michaelmeeske.com.
QUOTED: "Showcasing hard-won victories and a terrible tragedy, this novel shines a light on a dark period."
"tenderhearted story."
The Magdalen Girls
Stephanie Turza
113.7 (Dec. 1, 2016): p34.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
The Magdalen Girls. By V. S. Alexander. Jan. 2017.304p. Kensington, paper, $15 (9781496706126).
Teagan Tiernan and Nora Craven were unlikely friends, but the Sisters of the Holy Redemption brought them together. Deep in the heart of the Dublin convent, they traded stolen whispers, comforted each other, and shared memories they would never forget. Teagan and Nora were sent to the convent to work in the Magdalen laundry, an institution run by the sisters to rehabilitate "fallen" women. Teagan's only crime was speaking to a young priest, but the rumors swirled in her small town and her parents saw the Magdalen laundry as her only option. While Teagan, Nora, and the other girls learned how to survive in their cruel new environment, they never stopped dreaming of the lives they could have led. Showcasing hard-won victories and a terrible tragedy, this novel shines a light on a dark period in twentieth-century Ireland. Alexander has done his homework, peppering his novel with details of the convent lifestyle and the shameful treatment of the Magdalen laundry girls. Fans of Barbara Davis and Ashley Hay will enjoy this tenderhearted story of sinners, saints, and redemption.--Stephanie Turza
YA: Teenage fans of historical fiction will likely be drawn in by Alexander's teen characters and his account of the mistreatment they endured. SH.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Turza, Stephanie. "The Magdalen Girls." Booklist, 1 Dec. 2016, p. 34+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474719055&it=r&asid=f28395bd78c423602b37e2718017935d. Accessed 21 June 2017.
QUOTED: "Alexander ... has clearly done his homework."
"chilling in its realism."
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474719055
Alexander, V.S.: The Magdalen Girls
Susan Clifford Braun
141.19 (Nov. 15, 2016): p76.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Alexander, V.S. The Magdalen Girls. Kensington. Jan. 2017. 304p. ISBN 9781496706126. pap. $15; ebk. ISBN 9781496706133. F
In 1962 Dublin, there still exist the commercial laundries in convents, known as Magdalen laundries, run by nuns and worked by young women of "ill repute"--prostitutes, petty thieves, unwed mothers, and girls abandoned by their families for various reasons. Such is the fate of 17-year-old Teagan Tiernan, who was accused by her drunken father of having caused prurient thoughts in the heart of a young priest. Twice Teagan and her friend Nora try to escape, only to be brought back by the police for more punishment and rebuke. The future looks bleak for Teagan and the other Magdalen girls unless they are deemed acceptable to enter the nunnery or a miracle happens. In Teagan's case, she experiences a shocking change of circumstance, which handled by a less-accomplished writer might have seemed contrived. VERDICT Using the pen name Alexander, author Michael Meeske (Poe's Mother) has clearly done his homework. Chilling in its realism, his work depicts the improprieties long condoned by the Catholic Church and only recently acknowledged. Fans of the book and film Philomena will want to read this.--Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Braun, Susan Clifford. "Alexander, V.S.: The Magdalen Girls." Library Journal, 15 Nov. 2016, p. 76. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA470367155&it=r&asid=956e188ffcc8446f39ba40849894b76e. Accessed 21 June 2017.
QUOTED: "Alexander explains away Sister Anne's hardness with a backstory that ends up undercutting the ubiquitous cruelty of these institutions."
Gale Document Number: GALE|A470367155
The Magdalen Girls
263.44 (Oct. 31, 2016): p51.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
The Magdalen Girls
V.S. Alexander. Kensington, $15 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4967-0612-6
Set in early 1960s Dublin, Alexander's first novel chronicles the lives of three teenagers who are sent to live indefinitely as penitents under the watch of occasionally sadistic Catholic nuns. After a minor flirtation with a priest, 16-year-old Tegan finds herself sentenced to a life mostly in silence with meager food and an enormous workload as a laundress. She's joined shortly by loud, hotheaded Nora, who takes a shine to her. The girls make a pact to look out for each other. They form a trio with vulnerable, quiet former farm girl Lea, who appears to have inherited a gift for clairvoyance from her mother. Both Tegan and Nora make ill-fated attempts to escape, while Lea has largely resigned herself to her fate. The convent's brutal Mother Superior, Sister Anne, cuts herself occasionally and harbors a dark secret. Sister Anne devises barbaric punishments for her wards under the guise of caring for their spiritual salvation: among other things, penitents are made to hold their hands over the flame of a candle to experience hellfire. The Magdalen laundries where Tegan works were infamous for their severe conditions and the inhuman way their girls were treated, but Alexander explains away Sister Anne's hardness with a backstory that ends up undercutting the ubiquitous cruelty of these institutions. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Magdalen Girls." Publishers Weekly, 31 Oct. 2016, p. 51. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA470462499&it=r&asid=ef2761b9328c22d3f3254acacbc30525. Accessed 21 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A470462499
QUOTED: "The novel's resolution disappoints, and its plot failings overshadow a solid effort to emulate [Shelley]."
Frankenstein's Daemon: A Sequel to Frankenstein
259.15 (Apr. 9, 2012): pS24.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Frankenstein's Daemon: A Sequel to Frankenstein
Michael Meeske. Usher Books (www.michaelmeeske.com), $14.99 paper (204p) ISBN 978-0-9838989-0-0
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Despite an afterword that makes a case for a continuation of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein, there's nothing in this workmanlike horror novel that will convince readers of the need for a sequel. Meeske's novel picks up where the original left off, related in a letter from the captain of the H.M.S. Prosper, Robert Walton, to his sister. Distraught at the death of his friend, Victor Frankenstein, Walton leads his crew in a futile attempt to kill the scientist's unnatural creation. The daemon has little difficulty defending itself, but chooses to spare Walton to gain access to Victor's writings. An explosion set off by Walton's only surviving shipmate appears to claim the monster's life, but-rather unsurprisingly--it's only a matter of time before the creature resurfaces. The action then shifts to Switzerland, home of Victor's brother Ernest. The novel's resolution disappoints, and its plot failings overshadow a solid effort to emulate Shelley's prose style.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Frankenstein's Daemon: A Sequel to Frankenstein." Publishers Weekly, 9 Apr. 2012, p. S24. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA292367278&it=r&asid=02b8b36b31ef9ba3ec1cadd79d075eb1. Accessed 21 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A292367278
QUOTED: "What hinder this book from truly shining are the subplots of Lea ... and the cruel Mother Superior Sister Anne."
"a well-written look at a wretched history."
The Magdalen Girls
By V. S. Alexander
Find & buy on
The Sisters of the Holy Redemption. A sweet-sounding place that hides a troubling secret: it is one of the many Magdalen laundries of the Catholic Church, places of abuse, neglect and sadness, all in the name of reforming their charges. Teagan is a typical 1960s Dublin girl: she thinks about clothes, her future and, of course, boys. But a mistakenly innocent encounter with a priest gets her sentenced to the laundry. There she meets an orphaned girl, Lea, who rarely speaks, has a unique gift, and seems resigned to life within the convent. Not long after Teagan’s arrival comes Nora, a feisty dreamer who hails from the tenements and only wants to run away with her boyfriend and live a life away from Dublin.
In the laundry, the girls become close friends. They pledge to look out for one another and escape together. Alexander’s research of the treatment within the convent is clear and true; the girls suffer, and suffer in silence. Their personal narratives are told through wonderful prose, although I would like to have had one main protagonist. Their life inside the convent is as honest to reality as one can get without living it personally. Their individual escapes highlight Catholic Dublin’s attitudes toward these girls, and Nora’s escape is especially troubling, though a little glossed over. What hinder this book from truly shining are the subplots of Lea, a clairvoyant martyr, and the cruel Mother Superior Sister Anne, a masochist with a secret connection with one of the Magdalens.
A well-written look at a wretched history within the Catholic Church.
Review
Appeared in
HNR Issue 79 (February 2017)
Reviewed by
Bryan Dumas
QUOTED: "Filled with authentic details, Alexander's story evolves through multiple voices."
"The beginning is slow, yet Alexander methodically builds the details of the dreary and demanding existence that has become daily life for these girls who had dreams and ambitions like other 16-year-olds."
Review: The Magdalen Girls
The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander (Kensington, $15 paperback, 304p., 9781496706126, December 27, 2016)
Set in 1962 Dublin, Ireland, The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander revolves around three girls from different families committed by their parents to life at the Sisters of the Holy Redemption convent. Teagan Tiernan is accused of seducing a priest, Nora Craven is believed to have thrown herself at the boys, and Lea is a bit odd and had no place to live with her stepfather once her mother died. Denied contact with the outside world, forced to work in the hot and humid laundry with the other Magdalens or repair torn lace, the girls form an alliance and plot to escape their holy prison, but their keepers are diligent in their endeavors to flush the sins from these new charges.
Filled with authentic details, Alexander's story evolves through multiple voices, including that of the Mother Superior, Sister Anne, who has her own past sins to atone for and who believes punishment is the best way to show love. The beginning is slow, yet Alexander methodically builds the details of the dreary and demanding existence that has become daily life for these girls who had dreams and ambitions like other 16-year-olds.
"The smells of bleach and detergent that Teagan had detected when she arrived filled her nostrils. The long rectangular room contained sinks, washers, dryers, laundry baskets, ironing boards, and washing supplies. Rows of fluorescent lamps hung from the ceiling in their tent-like enclosures and cast their harsh light on the appliances and tile floor. A large bank of barred windows, some partially belowground and overlooking a trench, ran the length of the room.... Teagan covered her mouth with her hands. The Sisters of the Holy Redemption already had plans for her. How horrific could this nightmare become? Her dreams of university, of making a life for herself, lay in tatters."
As the girls' friendship progresses and their desperation to escape grows, the story quickens, racing toward an ending that is both incredibly sad and hopeful. Because the novel is historically accurate (the last Magdalen laundry closed in 1996), the events depicted are particularly distressing, forcing readers to be engrossed and horrified by what the Catholic Church and other secular and religious entities did to rehabilitate "fallen" women, who needed the grace of God to be saved from their sinful lives, no matter how true or untrue. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer
Shelf Talker: A fictionalized account of life for wayward girls in the Magdalen Laundries of the Catholic Church points out the inhuman treatment these young women endured in the name of God.