sophieecook's review against another edition
4.0
beautiful prose, with a deeply human assertion of flaws amidst divine goodness
katreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slow and difficult read for me but was also a beautiful story. It certainly peaked my interest in this time period.
ferris_mx's review against another edition
5.0
omigod, I regret that I have but five stars to give. So beautiful, so lyrical, so feminist, so poignant.
"enormous dead royal bastardess sister", and I can't imagine five contiguous words with more punch than that.
"enormous dead royal bastardess sister", and I can't imagine five contiguous words with more punch than that.
chaosofcold's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
This book is gorgeous as you’d expect from Geoff’s delectable prose. But there’s just something a bit dull about the actual story. It feels both incredibly speculative and real but the two sides of this coin are often at odds and never fully reconciled.
A brilliant piece of writing lacking the real punch it needed.
This book is gorgeous as you’d expect from Geoff’s delectable prose. But there’s just something a bit dull about the actual story. It feels both incredibly speculative and real but the two sides of this coin are often at odds and never fully reconciled.
A brilliant piece of writing lacking the real punch it needed.
fromsarahsbooknook's review against another edition
3.0
Eh, MATRIX was not for me. I love how in Anne Bogel’s reading journal there’s a place to rate your opinion on “craft” and a place to rate your opinion on “enjoyment,” because sometimes those things differ. MATRIX is high on the craft scale, but it was medium to low on the enjoyment scale for me. Admittedly, part of it was that I really didn’t have much prior context — my knowledge of the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church, and Marie de France are all a bit lacking and sometimes I felt like I needed SparkNotes to help me understand the background of what was happening. Yet, even so, I get it. It was mesmerizing and Groff really weaves an amazing story, even if it was a story I didn’t personally enjoy that much. Overall, I’m glad I read it — it has gotten a lot of accolades and buzz — but it was not my jam.
cpb's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
bbboeken's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely loved it. The character depiction, the evolution of the story, growth of the characters: very well written, well versed, beautiful language.
saintmaud's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
feistyberry's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0