Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Matrix: A Novel by Lauren Groff

30 reviews

wipeout's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Death

Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

fictionandfauna's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 This book left me speechless. Truly. 

 

Matrix is the second novel by Lauren Groff that I have read, and following on from the masterpiece that was The Vaster Wilds, I was not sure what to expect as to whether she’d stay true to the style of TVW or whether Matrix would stand its own with a unique spin. 

 

Well, stand alone it sure does. 

 

As is true to Groff’s consistent theme of strong female characters thrust into harrowing situations, Matrix is, at times, difficult story to read. We follow Marie who is sent to live in a convent at the young age of 17 following the death of her royal mother. Marie is the byproduct of r*pe, and so is deeply shamed within her family. 

 

Initially resisting the abbey, she soon finds her element and begins to rise up through the ranks until she assumes the ultimate power of abbess and baroness to the crown. 

 

Marie is a powerful force to be reckoned with, who brings wealth and abundance to her women, but always at a price. 

 

Every decision she makes has an often fatal consequence, although ultimately benefiting the wider abbey. 

 

Groff is such a phenomenally talented, lyrical writer. Matrix took me on a visceral journey across the broad spectrum of emotion. From joy to anguish, I felt it all, right alongside Marie. 

 

The care and attention that Groff dedicates to researching her subject matter was abundantly clear in Matrix. It had me wondering if it was perhaps based on a true story because it felt so incredibly real and inspired. 

 

Groff’s work is not for the faint of heart and carries some heavy trigger warnings, so readers should take care. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

attolis's review against another edition

4.0

A character study of 12th century religious women that's executed well enough that the main character being an unambiguously man-hating lesbian doesn't even feel anachronistic. And also you know what, if I was in a bit of a silly goofy mood, I might even say this felt like something of a (less funny) adult spiritual successor to Catherine, Called Birdy to me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape

thewritebooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This read like a quiet masterpiece.

Immediately after finishing this, having cried through the last 15 pages, all I could think about was the beautiful way that all of the themes came together at the end to tell a story of life and loss. We travelled through the role of medieval women in the church, female solidarity and sisterhood, sapphic love and desire, the cycles of the seasons and the catholic calendar, power and greed and the sin of creation, followed by the moral weighting of these sins against these women's souls.

The prose was never dramatic, and by avoiding direct speech throughout, the author adds to the feeling of being another witness to the years marching onwards at the Abbey. The messages in this book were very close to my heart and I would be interested in going back with tabs to track and analyse those themes a bit more, having the hindsight now to see how well they were laid out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Excrement, Dementia, Death of parent, and Classism

eliya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a challenge for me. 
It took me 15h 21m technically, with the Libby app open whether or not I was actually reading. 

I’ve never read a historical fiction book for me, and the beginning was a little slow. Once it picked up, the pace ebbed and flowed, and, I began to appreciate how beautifully it is written. So many passages that I want to keep and remember forever, the word choice and the poetic cadence of Lauren’s Groff’s writing is best described by a friend of mine as “delicious.” absolutely. 

I love women and I’m so glad I read this book even though this book is way smarter than I will ever be. Gonna go finish weeping now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail

leneliest's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent

adymae11's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Dementia, Grief, and Religious bigotry

edamamebean's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Probably the best book I’ll read all year. It’s small in scale—never leaving the abbey—but it’s proportions are mythic. The writing is so beautiful that I had to stop and underline often. Lauren Groff is not only a good writer, she’s also a wise one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

deebee223's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Torture, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Dementia

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Homophobia, and Transphobia