Matrix
- Downloads：3369
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-08 11:20:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Lauren Groff
- ISBN：0593453735
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
，
Wasn't sure how much I would like this， but the writing was wonderful， and the character of Marie consistently intriguing。 As others have mentioned， there were a few false - endings， but alas。 Enjoyable， unusual， literary summer read。 Wasn't sure how much I would like this， but the writing was wonderful， and the character of Marie consistently intriguing。 As others have mentioned， there were a few false - endings， but alas。 Enjoyable， unusual， literary summer read。 。。。more
☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣
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Q:Marie knew how to run a large estate， she could write in four languages， she could keep account books， she did all this so admirably after her mother died， even though still a tender little maiden， and what’s more she did it so well that she fooled the whole world into thinking for two years that she was her own dead mother。 （c）Q:the girls in her own family used to be told that they’d be strangled if they turned out like their unwomanly cousins， all wild， flying across the countryside scandalo Q:Marie knew how to run a large estate， she could write in four languages， she could keep account books， she did all this so admirably after her mother died， even though still a tender little maiden， and what’s more she did it so well that she fooled the whole world into thinking for two years that she was her own dead mother。 （c）Q:the girls in her own family used to be told that they’d be strangled if they turned out like their unwomanly cousins， all wild， flying across the countryside scandalously galloping astride， with their swordfighting and daggerwork tutors and their knowledge of eight dialects and even some Arabic and Greek， all those dusty manuscripts， those loud opinionated unnatural women talking over each other， arguing， drawing blood， learning the battleaxe， so strange and so uncouth。 （c）Q:Marie will be allowed back to the court， to the place where none ever starve， and there is always music and dogs and birds and life， where at dusk the gardens are full of lovers and flowers and intrigue， where Marie can practice her languages and hear in the halls the fiery tails of new ideas shooting through conversations。 （c） 。。。more
Lauren
，
My review is here: https://bookpage。com/reviews/26576-la。。。 and there's a link to a feature as well。 My review is here: https://bookpage。com/reviews/26576-la。。。 and there's a link to a feature as well。 。。。more
Mark
，
I love Lauren Goff's prose; I adored many of her earlier books， so I grabbed this when it first was released。 It's well written， that's for sure， but the material didn't speak to me。 I understand the historical implications， and I appreciate the feminist take on Marie， her incredible dedication to the abbey where she finds herself at 17。 But the writing seems distant， almost as a reporter in a distant third person， and I did not find the plot compelling， nor did I quite believe the religious epi I love Lauren Goff's prose; I adored many of her earlier books， so I grabbed this when it first was released。 It's well written， that's for sure， but the material didn't speak to me。 I understand the historical implications， and I appreciate the feminist take on Marie， her incredible dedication to the abbey where she finds herself at 17。 But the writing seems distant， almost as a reporter in a distant third person， and I did not find the plot compelling， nor did I quite believe the religious epiphanies she experienced。 It's a good novel， but I just wasn't the right reader for this one。 。。。more
Vicuña
，
Matrix is， without a shadow of doubt， a masterpiece。 Utterly mesmerising; a bold and and entertaining tale which bears no resemblance to anything I’ve ever read。The story is set in the mid 1150s， a dull and dark time in British history。 Marie， the central character is expelled from the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine， wife of Henry ll and sent as a prioress of a nunnery。 It’s an inauspicious premise for a rollicking tale which， to my surprise， had me totally captivated from the start。 Marie is exc Matrix is， without a shadow of doubt， a masterpiece。 Utterly mesmerising; a bold and and entertaining tale which bears no resemblance to anything I’ve ever read。The story is set in the mid 1150s， a dull and dark time in British history。 Marie， the central character is expelled from the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine， wife of Henry ll and sent as a prioress of a nunnery。 It’s an inauspicious premise for a rollicking tale which， to my surprise， had me totally captivated from the start。 Marie is exceptional in every way。 She’s a giant， literally， who stands two heads too high。 She’s educated， intelligent and longs to gain favour with Queen Eleanor， return to court and her lover， Cicely。 The novel follows her over some fifty years and the storytelling is captivating。 Goff explores so many themes， particularly the role of women in a male and religiously dominated world。 But it’s under the guise of a brilliant and humorous narrative where ideas are thrown around and the reader has to catch them。 Her writing is very visual and descriptive。 A nun’s face is likened to that of an over ripe meddlar fruit。 On arriving at the run down nunnery， she encounters two nuns。 One is mad and the other angry and after 30 hours on the road， she falls off her horse into a pile of manure。 Such passages had me laughing; the humour throughout is balanced and brings every scene to life。This is a story which works at every level。 It’s a rollicking good tale in the tradition of Fielding’s Tom Jones， in that there’s a purpose behind the story。 Marie is on a quest of empowerment and change; the reader becomes one of her followers。 This is simply the most original and enthralling book I’ve read for some time。 I listened to the audio version and the narration is superb。 My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley。 This is a book I’ll be buying in hard copy。 。。。more
Hillary Copsey
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The main character is a woman who is over 40 for most of the book。 It's a novel about ambition， power， talent and leadership in which men don't appear in any significant way。 My reading list skews very heavily toward women writers， and this still feels pretty radical。 The writing is superb。 Groff is doing some interesting things with time and structure， too。 This isn't an earth-shattering read， but it's the kind of book I'm going to be thinking about for a long time。 The main character is a woman who is over 40 for most of the book。 It's a novel about ambition， power， talent and leadership in which men don't appear in any significant way。 My reading list skews very heavily toward women writers， and this still feels pretty radical。 The writing is superb。 Groff is doing some interesting things with time and structure， too。 This isn't an earth-shattering read， but it's the kind of book I'm going to be thinking about for a long time。 。。。more
Marissa
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A novel based on the life of 12th century poet Marie de France， about whom very little is known， and Eleanor of Aquitaine。 What works best is the rich， sensual atmosphere and the finely wrought details of medieval life in an abbey。 The writing is gorgeous， although I felt it was holding me at a distance， skimming too quickly across time， and the mystical aspects lost me a bit。 Nevertheless， it was a pleasure to spend time in this world of extraordinary feminine power。 Thank you to Riverhead for A novel based on the life of 12th century poet Marie de France， about whom very little is known， and Eleanor of Aquitaine。 What works best is the rich， sensual atmosphere and the finely wrought details of medieval life in an abbey。 The writing is gorgeous， although I felt it was holding me at a distance， skimming too quickly across time， and the mystical aspects lost me a bit。 Nevertheless， it was a pleasure to spend time in this world of extraordinary feminine power。 Thank you to Riverhead for the ARC。 。。。more
Vicki
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“Matrix” by Lauren Groff， Riverhead Books， 272 pages， Sept。 7， 2021。It is 1158 and Marie de France， 17， is cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine， deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life。 She is illegitimate and her half-sister plotted against her。Marie is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey。 The nuns are on the brink of starvation and suffering from a strange disease。At first taken aback by the severity of her new life， Marie finds “Matrix” by Lauren Groff， Riverhead Books， 272 pages， Sept。 7， 2021。It is 1158 and Marie de France， 17， is cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine， deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life。 She is illegitimate and her half-sister plotted against her。Marie is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey。 The nuns are on the brink of starvation and suffering from a strange disease。At first taken aback by the severity of her new life， Marie finds focus in collective life。 Marie， born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders， is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads。While the characters are strong， the pacing is slow。 The second half really dragged。 Time advances quickly and all of a sudden the characters are old。 Historical fiction fans may like it。 Lauren Groff’s last novel was “Fates and Furies。” In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Sarah-Hope
，
Lauren Groff's Matrix， based on the life of Marie de France， is an interesting read—in the best sense of "interesting。" Little is known about the life of Marie， a 12th Century bastard of the French royal family who—in Groff's telling—isn't pretty or docile enough to be useful on the marriage market and is sent at age 17 to become Prioress of an impoverished abbey。 Marie rightly sees this appointment as a sort of banishment， but grows from resenting her new position to embracing the responsibilit Lauren Groff's Matrix， based on the life of Marie de France， is an interesting read—in the best sense of "interesting。" Little is known about the life of Marie， a 12th Century bastard of the French royal family who—in Groff's telling—isn't pretty or docile enough to be useful on the marriage market and is sent at age 17 to become Prioress of an impoverished abbey。 Marie rightly sees this appointment as a sort of banishment， but grows from resenting her new position to embracing the responsibilities （and power） it involves。I called this book an interesting read because Groff's Marie is such a mixed bag: Groff presents her as a lesbian， a visionary， a tactician extraordinaire， a businesswoman， a charismatic leader， an egoist， a woman whose political vision can blind her to the world in which she lives， and both as a religious doubter and a religious radical， who takes on for herself the role of saying mass and hearing confession for her abbey。 She's not an anti-hero， but neither is she the sort of medieval holy woman featured in much fiction based in this era。 For anyone interested in the history of this time period， the lives of medieval women， and/or 12th Century theology， Matrix is an essential read。 Yes， it's fiction， but it's the kind of fiction that allows readers to explore that era in ways beyond those that scholarly research can inspire。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Amanda
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Fictionalisation of the life of twelfth-century Marie de France。 A coarse and awkward girl is banished from the French Court by Eleanor of Aquitaine and ends up turning around the fortunes of an English abbey。Groff sprinkles archaic words over her contemporary prose to good effect。 This account of bullying machismo， fake-news， rumourmongering and distrust of successful women is just as relevant in the Trump/post-Trump era as the mediaeval。The slender plot fails to carry the reader forward。 The p Fictionalisation of the life of twelfth-century Marie de France。 A coarse and awkward girl is banished from the French Court by Eleanor of Aquitaine and ends up turning around the fortunes of an English abbey。Groff sprinkles archaic words over her contemporary prose to good effect。 This account of bullying machismo， fake-news， rumourmongering and distrust of successful women is just as relevant in the Trump/post-Trump era as the mediaeval。The slender plot fails to carry the reader forward。 The present tense and terse， elliptical sentences are wearing。 Thought-provoking， not riveting。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone。 。。。more
Charlotte
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An absolutely extraordinary book。 I came to Matrix knowing nothing about it， except that I’d read and adored both Fates & Furies and Florida， but the first few pages made me wonder if my Kindle had downloaded the wrong file by accident。 Lauren Groff’s normally associated with contemporary fiction， yet this book is set in 14th century France and England following seventeen-year-old Marie de France， an ungainly outcast whose blood connection with the throne sees her banished by Eleanor of Acquitai An absolutely extraordinary book。 I came to Matrix knowing nothing about it， except that I’d read and adored both Fates & Furies and Florida， but the first few pages made me wonder if my Kindle had downloaded the wrong file by accident。 Lauren Groff’s normally associated with contemporary fiction， yet this book is set in 14th century France and England following seventeen-year-old Marie de France， an ungainly outcast whose blood connection with the throne sees her banished by Eleanor of Acquitaine to spend her life running a failing convent in a backwater。 Marie shuts the unfriendly world out， heartbroken by the cruel loss of her lovers at court， and over time， thanks to her furious ambition and childhood experiences with the powerful， confident women of her family – she turns the convent’s fortunes around， attracting novices from far and wide， and it soon seems there is nothing that these women cannot accomplish when freed from the expectations of society and physical burden of child-rearing。 As Marie observes at one point early in her training， “women in this world are vulnerable: only reputation can keep them from being crushed” – so she builds a psychological fortress around her nuns in addition to the physical barrier of an impenetrable labyrinth， which helps to keeps the world at bay。 But with success comes greedy eyes and their associated dangers: can the sisters reach too far， and can they remain an island forever？ A magnificently adventurous tale of love – both spiritual and secular – passion， community and devotion that will leave you wondering at Lauren Groff’s stunning talent and creative vision， and where we might find a similar community to move to。。。Featured in the September issue of Cambridge Edition Magazine – https://online。bright-publishing。com/。。。 thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy！ 。。。more
Dakota
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What a stunning book！ I was instantly hooked by Marie's character， her drive， her individuality。 I loved how strong she was。 When given a rough hand in life， she didn't wallow in pity for herself。 No， this is the perfect depiction of a strong woman and how we should all strive to be。 Someone who takes what they are given and makes it better than when they arrived。 That's exactly what Marie does when she arrives at the abbey she is sent to as prioress。 She makes a difference。 And it is such a joy What a stunning book！ I was instantly hooked by Marie's character， her drive， her individuality。 I loved how strong she was。 When given a rough hand in life， she didn't wallow in pity for herself。 No， this is the perfect depiction of a strong woman and how we should all strive to be。 Someone who takes what they are given and makes it better than when they arrived。 That's exactly what Marie does when she arrives at the abbey she is sent to as prioress。 She makes a difference。 And it is such a joy watching this character as she grows and learns。 Beautifully written and stunning in every way， readers will surely delight in this novel。 Lauren Groff remains one of my all-time favorites！ 。。。more
Jessica
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Lauren Groff is probably one of the greatest living writers。 I enjoyed this more than Fates and Furies。Beautifully read on audio
Kimberly
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I would briefly describe Matrix as an eloquent Middle Ages lesbian nun story。
Beth Squires
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Captivating。 Beautifully written and utterly transporting。
Michelle
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3。5This is an impressive book - well researched and beautifully written - but not one that I particularly enjoyed reading。 With the ratings of "liked"， and "really liked"， it is a bit challenging to rate。 I admired the writing and scope of this novel but did not "really like" it （which is why I would like to reduce it by a half star）。 Groff effectively creates a vivid medieval abbey setting and characters that seem realistic for that period。 Marie is a strong and interesting woman who is central 3。5This is an impressive book - well researched and beautifully written - but not one that I particularly enjoyed reading。 With the ratings of "liked"， and "really liked"， it is a bit challenging to rate。 I admired the writing and scope of this novel but did not "really like" it （which is why I would like to reduce it by a half star）。 Groff effectively creates a vivid medieval abbey setting and characters that seem realistic for that period。 Marie is a strong and interesting woman who is central to the novel， yet I didn't feel an emotional connection to her and for me that is an important part in the enjoyment of a book。 This novel is likely to receive accolades and positive reviews， but in spite of my four star rating （for quality of writing）， it isn't one of my favorites。Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book。 The audiobook is also excellent （thank you libro。fm） with varied voices created by Adjoa Andoh。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jennifer Siegrist
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A book about a woman who is sent by the queen to lead a struggling monastery with nuns。 The book follows her life and some of the endurances。 Normally， I’d love this type of book。 Unfortunately， I felt like the book required editing。 It lacked flow。
Stephanie
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I don’t usually seek out historical fiction， but I really enjoyed Fates and Furies and was curious about Lauren Groff’s new work: Wow！ While the two novels could not be more different， Matrix does not disappoint。Beyond being an early poet （the first woman poet？） a documentarian of traditional Breton lais， and a rumored illegitimate heir to King Henry II of England， little is actually known about Marie de France。 Groff’s research seems diligent enough， though， and more importantly， perhaps， she w I don’t usually seek out historical fiction， but I really enjoyed Fates and Furies and was curious about Lauren Groff’s new work: Wow！ While the two novels could not be more different， Matrix does not disappoint。Beyond being an early poet （the first woman poet？） a documentarian of traditional Breton lais， and a rumored illegitimate heir to King Henry II of England， little is actually known about Marie de France。 Groff’s research seems diligent enough， though， and more importantly， perhaps， she weaves a compelling， believable， and gorgeously epic narrative of medieval monastic life。 While Marie’s bloodline does not lead her to inherit a crown or to be married off （besides she is too tall， large， clumsy， ugly）， she does inherit her late mother’s fiery crusader spirit and independence， and from Eleanor of Aquitaine （for whom she burns quite fervently） she inherits this convent to manage: financially， logistically， and spiritually at the age of seventeen。 Groff’s descriptions of the cloistered community through several decades offer insight into this pretty insular coterie， a coterie which， under Marie’s leadership， begins to flourish and even support the community outside its own doors， much to the objection of the church （and the state）。Themes such as the independence of women and a nod to climate change， anchor this twelfth-century novel strongly to the present day。 。。。more
Taylar LeA'Nne
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mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Lauren
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Wonderfully written， engrossing story with excellent characters。 I felt like I was living in the book。
Eleanor Slater
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Such an odd book。 I don't really know what to say about it。 It was addictive in its own peculiar way and yet I think the comparison to Madeline Miller and Pat Barker is a bit of a stretch - neither of those writers expect you to know the intricacies of the times they are writing about。 This novel did。 It contains a whole load of latin， monastic terminology and Catholic hierarchies and power plays that all threw me a little out of the flow of the novel。 Such an odd book。 I don't really know what to say about it。 It was addictive in its own peculiar way and yet I think the comparison to Madeline Miller and Pat Barker is a bit of a stretch - neither of those writers expect you to know the intricacies of the times they are writing about。 This novel did。 It contains a whole load of latin， monastic terminology and Catholic hierarchies and power plays that all threw me a little out of the flow of the novel。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Marie is disconsolate when her half sister， Eleanor of Aquitaine， exiles her from court by sending her to be prioress at a nunnery。 She's 17， taller than many men， and hampered by herself。 It turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to Marie and to the nuns， whose lives and fortunes she turns around though sheer determination and， later， visions。 I loved this book not only for the characters- Marie chief among them but also the other nuns-but for the writing。 Groff has a way of pu Marie is disconsolate when her half sister， Eleanor of Aquitaine， exiles her from court by sending her to be prioress at a nunnery。 She's 17， taller than many men， and hampered by herself。 It turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to Marie and to the nuns， whose lives and fortunes she turns around though sheer determination and， later， visions。 I loved this book not only for the characters- Marie chief among them but also the other nuns-but for the writing。 Groff has a way of pulling you in and keeping you reading， with sly little asides。 Some might find it a tad mannered but it's fitting given the 12th century setting。 Marie is not flawless; some of her decisions lead to horrible outcomes for some of the women。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 A terrific read I highly recommend。 。。。more
Jenni Ogden
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I liked this in the early part but found it less and less compelling and less convincing as it went on。 I struggled to finish it。 But I am sure it will find many fans; just not me！
Rachel
，
Matrix by Lauren Groff is the real deal！ I'm such a sucker for any historical fiction， but it's unusual for me to read anything as early as the 12th century。 I love Groff's portrayal of an England that is still divided along Norman and Anglo Saxon lines， and scarred by Viking invasions。 I love the cheeky mention of Wales and the Welsh language， and little 'Easter Eggs' like the allusion to Princess Nest。 I love Marie， she's so strong and clever and good。 When I finished the book I really missed Matrix by Lauren Groff is the real deal！ I'm such a sucker for any historical fiction， but it's unusual for me to read anything as early as the 12th century。 I love Groff's portrayal of an England that is still divided along Norman and Anglo Saxon lines， and scarred by Viking invasions。 I love the cheeky mention of Wales and the Welsh language， and little 'Easter Eggs' like the allusion to Princess Nest。 I love Marie， she's so strong and clever and good。 When I finished the book I really missed her， and I know she'll stick with me for a long time。 And I really relate to being that clumsy， too-big baby dyke， struck by seeing my first real WOMAAAAHN and nothing seeming the same again。 Groff's prose is GORGEOUS。 The descriptions of the landscapes and the animals are just amazing。 The last few chapters， in particular， were so moving。My only "criticism" is that there isn't much 'plot' in terms of the traditional three act structure/hero's journey of most novels。 Perhaps that's because it's a literary novel， perhaps there's something about the different rhythms of life in the convent， and how Marie's life is outside of the conventional narrative。 However， I did feel that the tension suffered as a result as it settled into a rhythm of problem -> solving the problem -> another problem。 I never really feared that Marie would fail to solve the problems。 A few other reviews mentioned that they didn't feel that the characters of the other nuns were fleshed out enough， but I disagree。 There aren't enough books like this！ 。。。more
Malia
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This is a very puzzling book！ I found it thought-provoking enough that I gave it for stars， but it's not a book I want to revisit and in some ways I didn't experience a lot of pleasure reading it？ Puzzling！ It's about Marie de France， a francophone poet about whom basically nothing is known， and the book writes into that space， making her a cast-off of Eleanor of Aquitaine， sent to live in an abbey。One of the puzzles for me with this book is that it resists cohesive narrative。 It's a chronologic This is a very puzzling book！ I found it thought-provoking enough that I gave it for stars， but it's not a book I want to revisit and in some ways I didn't experience a lot of pleasure reading it？ Puzzling！ It's about Marie de France， a francophone poet about whom basically nothing is known， and the book writes into that space， making her a cast-off of Eleanor of Aquitaine， sent to live in an abbey。One of the puzzles for me with this book is that it resists cohesive narrative。 It's a chronological fictitious account of this woman's life， but there isn't really a plot。 I suppose it's perhaps trying to honor whatever the real life of this woman was， because of course real life doesn't have a plot。 But then again， this is a novel！ So that's puzzling。I was intrigued by this book for its promise of visions。 And what I was given instead was so earthly。 So much of the book reminds us what fragile animals humans are， susceptible to disease （not a great read if you've got a lot of pandemic trauma） and full of gross fluids。 And also how subject to caprice people are， especially at the hands of the powerful。 Marie was cast off to a nunnery on a whim and it shaped her life。 She had the leadership skills that made the abbey flourish， and then she threw in a little heresy along the way。Also， the prose choice is puzzling。 Dense text， long sentences with lots of clauses。 Sparse dialogue， incorporated into paragraphs with commas。 It's a conceit that keeps everything a little zoomed out。 Add to that the fact that the woman's whole life passes over the course of the novel， and you'll find the bits you find most intriguing will zip by and then the next nun will be dying of a fever or whatever。All that said， I'm still grappling with what to think of this book， so it certainly left a mark。***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review。*** 。。。more
TL
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I won this via goodreads giveaways， all my opinions are my own:）。---Lovely writing but not my cuppa unfortunately
Denyce
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The lovelorn， clumsy， awkward bastard Marie， born of a long line of large， imposing female warriors， is banished from the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine to an impoverished abbey as its new prioress。 She plods to her new abode in miserable weather， on a massive horse， to find a group of ill and dying nuns。Marie decides to make the best of her situation， and over time transforms the abbey and the recalcitrant nuns to achieve great things， improving their situation and amassing wealth， whilst underg The lovelorn， clumsy， awkward bastard Marie， born of a long line of large， imposing female warriors， is banished from the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine to an impoverished abbey as its new prioress。 She plods to her new abode in miserable weather， on a massive horse， to find a group of ill and dying nuns。Marie decides to make the best of her situation， and over time transforms the abbey and the recalcitrant nuns to achieve great things， improving their situation and amassing wealth， whilst undergoing a personal transformation of her own。The fact that Marie is a larger than life character， physically and personally， comes across very strongly in this book。 She manages to bring out the best characteristics of each nun， even though some of them are antagonistic and difficult to live with。 In fact， it led me to question her believability （is there such a word？）， but then I thought， why not？ History is filled with larger than life men， and the question 'where are the women？' always raises its head。 Well， here's one of them， fictionally at least。There are no men in this novel。 At all。 How refreshing。 Marie is given free rein， and she makes the most of it。 In an all female environment， the women flourish， regardless of their personalities and their physical attributes。 They build， farm， improve， keep bees。。。。they find solutions to all the issues they have to cope with， even their sexuality。 Contentious issues are resolved， or not， and Marie herself has visions， and writes poetry and comes to terms with her life。I found it interesting that there is a price to pay for progress， even in a female environment。。。whilst building the labyrinth， Groff makes reference to all the nature destroyed by Marie's ambitions， which otherwise would have been overlooked。 This part of the novel has stayed with me， which strangely I remember the most。 This is a very good， beautifully written novel and I would highly recommend it。 I was a Lauren Groff fan before I read this book， and remain so。 A triumph！ 。。。more
Susan
，
I have enjoyed previous novels by Lauren Groff， so I was pleased to receive a copy of her latest work。 This is a historical novel， which is very loosely based upon a real person， Marie de France， a poet who lived in England in the twelfth century。 Nothing much is known about her life， but her writings certainly defied many Church teachings， and， in the same way， the central novel of this novel is certainly not a conformist。Marie is the illegitimate half-sister of Queen Eleanor。 Unlike the beauti I have enjoyed previous novels by Lauren Groff， so I was pleased to receive a copy of her latest work。 This is a historical novel， which is very loosely based upon a real person， Marie de France， a poet who lived in England in the twelfth century。 Nothing much is known about her life， but her writings certainly defied many Church teachings， and， in the same way， the central novel of this novel is certainly not a conformist。Marie is the illegitimate half-sister of Queen Eleanor。 Unlike the beautiful Eleanor， Marie is tall， ungainly， and lacks grace。 Her earlier life had been spent with her mother and aunts， who hunted and fought and so she finds herself an uncomfortable presence at Court。 Then life takes a turn for the worse， as Eleanor decides this odd half-sister has a role at a remote Abbey。 Sickness rages， the sisters are poor and half-starved， the Abbey mis-managed and the atmosphere among the women argumentative and difficult。 This is the story of Marie’s rise from her initial unwillingness to accept her fate， to her creating success out of a situation which – at first – seems impossible。 From having no vocation and only plotting to return to Court， she finds a way to cope with her loss of family， comfort and status。 Of dealing with the Sub prioress Goda， who is sly， cruel and ambitious and whose hopes are dashed by Marie’s arrival。Lauren Groff has a wonderful sense of place。 You feel the deep， shattering cold， the discomfort， the sheer exhaustion of Marie’s early time at the Abbey， where life is ruled by prayer。 Matins， Lauds， Prime， Terce， Sext， Chapter， None， Vespers， Collation， Compline… She also writes well of an all-female community; the petty resentments， jealousies and desires。 Overall， a well written novel and a good insight into the hardship of life faced by women in religious communities at that time。 I received a copy of this book from the publisher， via NetGalley， for review。 。。。more
LilyRose
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