Historical

Matrix

Matrix

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  • Create Date：2021-09-06 08:50:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lauren Groff
  • ISBN：1785151916
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Summary

Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine， deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life， seventeen-year-old Marie de France is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey， its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease。 At first taken aback by the severity of her new life， Marie finds focus and love in collective life with her singular and mercurial sisters。 In this crucible， Marie steadily supplants her desire for family， for her homeland， for the passions of her youth with something new to her: devotion to her sisters， and a conviction in her own divine visions。 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 and protects。 But in a world that is shifting and corroding in frightening ways， one that can never reconcile itself with her existence， will the sheer force of Marie’s vision be bulwark enough？

Equally alive to the sacred and the profane， Matrix gathers currents of violence， sensuality， and religious ecstasy in a mesmerizing portrait of consuming passion， aberrant faith， and a woman that history moves both through and around。

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Reviews

Jessica ，

Lauren Groff is probably one of the greatest living writers。 I enjoyed this more than Fates and Furies。Beautifully read on audio

Kimberly ，

I would briefly describe Matrix as an eloquent， middle-age， lesbian nun story。

Beth Squires ，

Captivating。 Beautifully written and utterly transporting。

Michelle ，

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 ，

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 ，

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 ，

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Lauren ，

Wonderfully written， engrossing story with excellent characters。 I felt like I was living in the book。

Eleanor Slater ，

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 ，

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 ，

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 ，

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 ，

I won this via goodreads giveaways， all my opinions are my own:）。---

Denyce ，

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 ，

Matrix by Lauren Groff is a lyrical， evocative tale。 Marie de France is 17 when she is cast out from the French Royal court and sent to become prioress of a poor English Convent。 Marie is the daughter of a long line of female warriors and crusaders， she is wild， powerful and spirited。 The abbey is impoverished and disease ridden and Marie feels isolated from the comforts of home， her queen Eleanor and lover Cecily。 However， it is here in the abbey that Marie carves a place for herself and draws Matrix by Lauren Groff is a lyrical， evocative tale。 Marie de France is 17 when she is cast out from the French Royal court and sent to become prioress of a poor English Convent。 Marie is the daughter of a long line of female warriors and crusaders， she is wild， powerful and spirited。 The abbey is impoverished and disease ridden and Marie feels isolated from the comforts of home， her queen Eleanor and lover Cecily。 However， it is here in the abbey that Marie carves a place for herself and draws power to herself and sisters。 It is a story of beautiful， natural prose that reflects the richness of the story both its passion and violence。 The pace is fluid and spooling as a reader you feel yourself immersed with your soles in the mud of the abbey。 A fantastic recreation of the Middle Ages and a novel about female power flourishing in the heart of faith。 4。5 ⭐️Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more

Alicia ，

https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/0。。。I haven’t been into literary fiction lately （boring， depressing）， but I’ve stanned Lauren Geoff since her first book and will read anything she writes…。 especially if it’s a book about a convent in the 1100s？？？ Unexpected， but awesome！ Our protagonist is Marie， a seventeen year old Royal bastard， raised by a family of Amazonian lady crusaders， crushing madly on Eleanor of Aquitaine—who sends her from France to England to be prioress of a convent （since Mar https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/0。。。I haven’t been into literary fiction lately （boring， depressing）， but I’ve stanned Lauren Geoff since her first book and will read anything she writes…。 especially if it’s a book about a convent in the 1100s？？？ Unexpected， but awesome！ Our protagonist is Marie， a seventeen year old Royal bastard， raised by a family of Amazonian lady crusaders， crushing madly on Eleanor of Aquitaine—who sends her from France to England to be prioress of a convent （since Marie is too tall and awkward to be married off）。 And then it is the story of Marie living at the convent， accepting her role， determined to protect her sisters and make their lives better。 Somehow Groff makes this super compelling， though of course I am into stories about the inner lives （I typed “loves” there and that is true too） of women， and the community Marie builds is honestly amazing。 This book is totally stunning， in all senses of the word。 A。__A review copy was provided by the publisher。 This book will be released on September 7th。 。。。more

Greg Zimmerman ，

Lauren Groff is nothing if not unpredictable。 And brave。 As I was reading this tale of 12th century nuns， I was trying to imagine the conversation she must've had with her publisher。 LG: "So， it's about a nun。。。"P: "Cool， cool。 A superhero nun？"LG: "Well， no。 Her superpower is being a strong woman。"P: "Oh。。。that works。"LG: "Also， she lived in the 12th century。"P: "Oh， well， we'll let marketing handle that。"I kid， I kid。 Lauren Groff is talented enough to write about anything she damn well please Lauren Groff is nothing if not unpredictable。 And brave。 As I was reading this tale of 12th century nuns， I was trying to imagine the conversation she must've had with her publisher。 LG: "So， it's about a nun。。。"P: "Cool， cool。 A superhero nun？"LG: "Well， no。 Her superpower is being a strong woman。"P: "Oh。。。that works。"LG: "Also， she lived in the 12th century。"P: "Oh， well， we'll let marketing handle that。"I kid， I kid。 Lauren Groff is talented enough to write about anything she damn well pleases。 And I'll happily read any and every word she writes。。。and even though it took a minute to find my way into this one， once I did， I was thoroughly impressed， thoroughly entertained， and sufficiently wowed。 Like the protagonist of this story， Groff herself is a wunderkind。So Matrix is the story of Marie de France， a poet and abbess of a 12th century abbey。 We know very little about Marie's real life， except what little of her poetry survives。 And so here Groff has imagined her life。 In Groff's telling， Marie is a fierce， powerful， inspired woman who turns her dire circumstances of being remanded to the abbey by the queen into becoming one of the most powerful women in England。 This is a novel about the spark of creativity， about the limits of faith， about the power of passion， and about what constitutes inspiration。 。。。more

Charlotte ，

Marie is an orphaned 17 year old in 12th century France; she is sent to England and there it decided that she will become the new prioress of an abbey which is beset by disease and starvation。 The novel follows Marie's life at the abbey and her journey to bring it back from the brink of collapse whilst following her ambition amidst the rules for women of the time。I really enjoyed that the novel follows Marie from the age of seventeen and throughout her life; she is an enthralling character with Marie is an orphaned 17 year old in 12th century France; she is sent to England and there it decided that she will become the new prioress of an abbey which is beset by disease and starvation。 The novel follows Marie's life at the abbey and her journey to bring it back from the brink of collapse whilst following her ambition amidst the rules for women of the time。I really enjoyed that the novel follows Marie from the age of seventeen and throughout her life; she is an enthralling character with her features that are not beautiful， her large stature and her ambition she is encaged in her small abbey but she feels larger than life and almost invincible。 It was a slow burner of a novel but completely captivating。 Thank you to Netgalley and William Heinemann for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Carly Thompson ，

Contemplative historical fiction based on the life of Marie de France。 Set in an English nunnery during the 12th century this was an immersive look at a community of woman， led by an exceptionally gifted woman。 Readers of slower， literary fiction will enjoy this。

Jennifer ，

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review。Groff is a supremely talented writer。 I know this because she made her quiet， contemplative story of a medieval abbess and her abbey of nuns kind of a page turner。 Her sentences sing and her characters are clearly embossed on each page。 This is a feminist tale and while the setting may be almost a thousand years ago， it feels modern and timely。 It reminds this reader that things might improve if women were in char I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review。Groff is a supremely talented writer。 I know this because she made her quiet， contemplative story of a medieval abbess and her abbey of nuns kind of a page turner。 Her sentences sing and her characters are clearly embossed on each page。 This is a feminist tale and while the setting may be almost a thousand years ago， it feels modern and timely。 It reminds this reader that things might improve if women were in charge。 At the very least we would be safe from the unrelenting violence of men， their power and their decaying world。 。。。more

Stacy DeBroff ，

In this epic novel Lauren Groff imaginatively brings alive in historical fiction the lives of two powerful women who actually lived in early Medieval England and France。 When reading the intensely intimate and powerful narrative told from the perspective of Marie， I kept wondering at the historical accuracy and the sheer wondrous unusual nature of bringing powerful Medieval women’s thoughts， ambitions， fears and intimacies to center stage。 It turns out that Groff has drawn the two main character In this epic novel Lauren Groff imaginatively brings alive in historical fiction the lives of two powerful women who actually lived in early Medieval England and France。 When reading the intensely intimate and powerful narrative told from the perspective of Marie， I kept wondering at the historical accuracy and the sheer wondrous unusual nature of bringing powerful Medieval women’s thoughts， ambitions， fears and intimacies to center stage。 It turns out that Groff has drawn the two main characters， Marie and Eleanor， from history。 Marie de France， the nom de plume of a well know poet and scholar， was born in France but lived in England during the late 12th century。 Her popular work was known at the royal court of King Henry II of England and his wife， Eleanor of Aquitaine。 Marie de France’s romantic narrative poetry focused on love that causes suffering， often by those involved adulterous relationships or on the fringes of society， and generally ends in grief。 In rebellion against the Church， Marie de France rejected the idea of virginal love or marriage。， and instead focused on female strength and power。 Interestingly， she also was the first person translated Aesop’s fables into English。 Eleanor of Aquitaine was both Queen of France married to King Louis VII and then Queen of England in a subsequent marriage to King Henry II。 Heir to rulers in Southwestern France， she proved the wealthiest and most powerful women in the high Middle Ages。 Between her two marriages， Eleanor had ten children and lived until age 82， ultimately outliving all but two。 Reports of the time portrayed Eleanor as beautiful， high-spirited， extroverted， intelligent， and strong-willed。 Gossipy reports circulated at the time of her immodest dress and her leading a campaign fought by soldiers from her court during the Crusades。 Like the plot in Matrix， Eleanor did much of the travel described， including a period of imprisonment for supporting her son in a rebellion against his King father and dying in an abbey。 Matrix， the book’s title， seems to stem from the old entomology of the word in Middle English from Latin， meaning a breeding female， and later womb。 It shares this origin from mater and matr- ‘mother’- in essence being maternal。 And Matrix centers around two radically different versions of being a mother: Eleanor politically embroiled with her large brood of children and Marie rising up to become the Mother of the Abbey who saves the day to better the lives of women under her care as Abbess。In Groff’s hands， a complex fable of suffering from love， what it means to be maternal， and women taking power from traditionalist men unspools。 Marie stems from royal lineage， but tragically that royal connection stems from the rape of her mother， who has died。 After managing her family affairs for a couple years。 she gets rescued into Eleanor’s court- a tall， gangly， gawky girl。 Marie has an immense crush on Eleanor and eventually gets dismissed by Eleanor and sent at age 17 to take on the role of abbess in a run-down， poverty-stricken abbey of nuns in England。 And yet she never gives up her yearning for beautiful Eleanor， with whom she keeps up a lifelong correspondence。Marie transforms herself from exiled victim to builder of a powerful community of nuns who stand on their own without manipulation from either the Church or royalty。 Marie draws on the past of managing her family estate， and on radiant holy visions she believes come to her from the Virgin Mary。 She starts collecting rent owed from the Abbey’s landholders， she builds up a group of nuns with occupational specialties from blacksmiths to farmers to weavers to healers。 She builds an impenetrable labyrinth with a secret direct passage that only the nuns know to keep out interlopers。 She establishes a scriptorium with writers， translators and artiest。 She dams up a nearby lake on royal property to ensure a constant water supply。 She alternatively fights and indulgences her sexual attraction to women。 She decides she can stand in for the priests- and grab back power from the church for women to give the sacrament and hear confessions。 At every turn， she fiercely keeps at bay power-hungry priests and violent men。 And with this comes a transcendence of language and poetic writing from Groff- as inspirational as the original poetry crafted by Marie de France to fight the confining strictures of what Medieval France and England forced upon its women。 And when at last Marie’s power and life ebbs， you sit in reverential silence closing the book and hearing the continuing echoes of women’s voices lost to history。Thanks for NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy， 。。。more

Margaret ，

A rich historical fiction about Marie de France， set in 12th century England。

Laura ，

Whoda thunk that a book about Marie de France， exploring one of the many theories about who she was， would be so interesting？ Or that it wouldn't be written by Alison Weir or Philippa Gregory？ This Marie de France is the daughter of a minor French noble， sent to the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine。 Marie idolizes Eleanor， but Eleanor is less thrilled with Marie， who is not the most prepossessing girl and could perhaps pose problems in some way to the current court。 Solution？ Send the girl off to a Whoda thunk that a book about Marie de France， exploring one of the many theories about who she was， would be so interesting？ Or that it wouldn't be written by Alison Weir or Philippa Gregory？ This Marie de France is the daughter of a minor French noble， sent to the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine。 Marie idolizes Eleanor， but Eleanor is less thrilled with Marie， who is not the most prepossessing girl and could perhaps pose problems in some way to the current court。 Solution？ Send the girl off to a decrepit abbey in England， promising a promotion to Prioress when she takes her vows。 Cue an incredibly modern woman， taking over and expanding her rule not just within the Abbey but throughout the town。 She deputizes people to collect rents and to arbitrate disputes while bringing more girls and women into the Abbey， building a new Motherhouse and generally acting as Lord of the Manor at a time when women were not given much agency or ability to rule。There's a ton of research here， and I appreciated the way Groff made choices about what this Marie experienced。 There were some moments that felt far too convenient， and the ending is very muddled。 It also only tangentially seems to be the life of Marie de France， in that the writings are fleetingly mentioned。 More intermixing of what little we do know about her life and this version of who she might have been would have helped （IMVHO）。eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more

Lisa ，

Review coming soon！

Rhian Pritchard ，

An incredibly promising start， but very sadly didn’t fully live up to it。 However， it was a truly incredible story all the same， and beautifully written。

Olive Fellows （abookolive） ，

I've got a lot of thinking to do about this one before I give any sort of final thoughts， but I will say this: Lauren Groff's writing is out of this world。 I've got a lot of thinking to do about this one before I give any sort of final thoughts， but I will say this: Lauren Groff's writing is out of this world。 。。。more

Rita Brutsch ，

Lauren Groff knows all 170K words in the English language and some Latin on top of it - so keep your dictionary handy。 Some of it went over my head but still - it's an awesome book; inspiring even。 Lauren Groff knows all 170K words in the English language and some Latin on top of it - so keep your dictionary handy。 Some of it went over my head but still - it's an awesome book; inspiring even。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Matrix

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Matrix&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Matrix&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0