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xjuliaaaaaax's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
What it's about:
We follow Marie de France over the course of her life at an English abbey from ages 17 til her death at 72. Marie de France is a real historical figure, and is known as the first female francophone poet and writer of a series of lais that are still studied; however, her true identity is not known. Groff has chosen to interpret her identity as that of Marie Abbess of Shaftesbury and half-sister to Henry II, King of England.
In this life, Marie is born to a house of lively warrior-women with free-spirits after her mother is raped by Geoffrey of Anjou, descended from a fairy. With her fairy-blood and wild upbringing, she doesn't fit in at the English court where she is forced to find shelter after her mother's death. As an ugly, unfeminine, illegitimate daughter, she is sent to an impoverished abbey to become the prioress and prevent any risk of competing heirs to the throne.
Convinced she has been sent to a living death, Marie despairs. She's been sent here by the woman she loves, Eleanor of Aquitane, Queen of England. We continually view glimpses of Eleanor through rumors that make their way to Marie, whose love eventually turns to respect and friendship for the beautiful and radiant queen who never stops seeking power. In their relationship we see two similar women born to different fates, one beautiful and given the chance to rule the world through marriage and motherhood; the other ugly, and finding greatness through community with her sister-nuns, and motherhood of a different kind as she raises the abbey from poverty, employees and educates local women, and encourages their nascent talents for the sake of their "island of women."
Marie struggles to find faith like the nuns she leads but is blessed with visions from the Virgin Mary, the holy mother. Her political mind, network of spies and friends, and holy visions establish her power locally, freeing her from the patriarchal hierarchy of the church. She builds a labyrinth around the abbey, protecting the nuns from men who wish to steal and harm them, isolating them from external forces, and securing Marie's power over her abbey.
Through her life, you see her struggle with her pride, which threatens the abbey on more than one occasion when her hand stretches too far and risks attracting too much attention to this group of women uninfluenced by men; her blasphemous tendencies, such as believing women are equal or superior to men, able to conduct mass and take confession, and that God is a woman; and her love for women, which is explored platonically, romantically, and sexually as the thing that both connects her to her community, and threatens to destroy everything she has built if she cannot control her earthly desire.
This book paints a portrait of a complex and remarkable woman who challenged all societal norms of medieval England to create a safe haven for women on earth.
How I felt:
I don't feel particularly strongly about this book. I liked the style of writing, though there are many historical references that are subtly hinted rather than overtly named, such as Geoffrey of Anjou and Richard the Lionheart. You either need to google or have a really strong knowledge of medieval history and society. There's definitely no plot here, it's really a character study. I never truly understood the underpinnings of Eleanor and Marie's relationship. Marie adored her... because she was pretty and charismatic? When she ages I think maybe also because of her power. And then why does Eleanor send Marie away, really? It's only ever hinted at but it is confusing because Marie always seems to think there's a possibility she could win Eleanor's affections, as though she had reason to hope but we are never told what possible reason she could have. I think that was the major flaw because it's the one semblance of a plotline we're given.
If you like historical character-study with a slightly sapphic tone, I'd recommend it. It's not a sapphic love-story though so do not expect that. But considering it is set in medieval times, it's quite open and accepting of lesbian relationships. No one in the novel is "out" but it feels more like that is because they are nuns than because of any homophobia in the society.
We follow Marie de France over the course of her life at an English abbey from ages 17 til her death at 72. Marie de France is a real historical figure, and is known as the first female francophone poet and writer of a series of lais that are still studied; however, her true identity is not known. Groff has chosen to interpret her identity as that of Marie Abbess of Shaftesbury and half-sister to Henry II, King of England.
In this life, Marie is born to a house of lively warrior-women with free-spirits after her mother is raped by Geoffrey of Anjou, descended from a fairy. With her fairy-blood and wild upbringing, she doesn't fit in at the English court where she is forced to find shelter after her mother's death. As an ugly, unfeminine, illegitimate daughter, she is sent to an impoverished abbey to become the prioress and prevent any risk of competing heirs to the throne.
Convinced she has been sent to a living death, Marie despairs. She's been sent here by the woman she loves, Eleanor of Aquitane, Queen of England. We continually view glimpses of Eleanor through rumors that make their way to Marie, whose love eventually turns to respect and friendship for the beautiful and radiant queen who never stops seeking power. In their relationship we see two similar women born to different fates, one beautiful and given the chance to rule the world through marriage and motherhood; the other ugly, and finding greatness through community with her sister-nuns, and motherhood of a different kind as she raises the abbey from poverty, employees and educates local women, and encourages their nascent talents for the sake of their "island of women."
Marie struggles to find faith like the nuns she leads but is blessed with visions from the Virgin Mary, the holy mother. Her political mind, network of spies and friends, and holy visions establish her power locally, freeing her from the patriarchal hierarchy of the church. She builds a labyrinth around the abbey, protecting the nuns from men who wish to steal and harm them, isolating them from external forces, and securing Marie's power over her abbey.
Through her life, you see her struggle with her pride, which threatens the abbey on more than one occasion when her hand stretches too far and risks attracting too much attention to this group of women uninfluenced by men; her blasphemous tendencies, such as believing women are equal or superior to men, able to conduct mass and take confession, and that God is a woman; and her love for women, which is explored platonically, romantically, and sexually as the thing that both connects her to her community, and threatens to destroy everything she has built if she cannot control her earthly desire.
This book paints a portrait of a complex and remarkable woman who challenged all societal norms of medieval England to create a safe haven for women on earth.
How I felt:
I don't feel particularly strongly about this book. I liked the style of writing, though there are many historical references that are subtly hinted rather than overtly named, such as Geoffrey of Anjou and Richard the Lionheart. You either need to google or have a really strong knowledge of medieval history and society. There's definitely no plot here, it's really a character study. I never truly understood the underpinnings of Eleanor and Marie's relationship. Marie adored her... because she was pretty and charismatic? When she ages I think maybe also because of her power. And then why does Eleanor send Marie away, really? It's only ever hinted at but it is confusing because Marie always seems to think there's a possibility she could win Eleanor's affections, as though she had reason to hope but we are never told what possible reason she could have. I think that was the major flaw because it's the one semblance of a plotline we're given.
If you like historical character-study with a slightly sapphic tone, I'd recommend it. It's not a sapphic love-story though so do not expect that. But considering it is set in medieval times, it's quite open and accepting of lesbian relationships. No one in the novel is "out" but it feels more like that is because they are nuns than because of any homophobia in the society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness and Dementia
prettiestwhistles's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Islamophobia and Dementia
literarylion's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Pros:
- A unique and refreshing take on historical fiction, especially medieval historical fiction
- Strong character development
- Groff's grasp of medieval verbiage and phrasing is precise but not overwhelming to the point of seeming cheap
Cons:
- Extremely slow; frustratingly so at times
- The pacing and structure are a bit muddied; I wasn't clear on what separated each section from the next
- Pretty dense
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, War, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Alcohol
msjenne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
ashareadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Genocide, Torture, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and War
caseythereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Thanks to Riverhead Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- MATRIX is gorgeous, painful, and powerful. Groff's writing carries you along its current through Marie's ups and downs, power grabs and moments of softness.
- This book is an ode to matriarchy, female friendship and sapphic love, and how these support systems propel us through even the bleakest of times.
- Though at times the poetry of the writing felt like it kept the reader at a remove, I still felt deeply for these women, cheering their victories and mourning their losses with them. Even if you know next to nothing about Marie de France or Eleanor of Aquitane (as I did not) this book is still quite engrossing.
- MATRIX is gorgeous, painful, and powerful. Groff's writing carries you along its current through Marie's ups and downs, power grabs and moments of softness.
- This book is an ode to matriarchy, female friendship and sapphic love, and how these support systems propel us through even the bleakest of times.
- Though at times the poetry of the writing felt like it kept the reader at a remove, I still felt deeply for these women, cheering their victories and mourning their losses with them. Even if you know next to nothing about Marie de France or Eleanor of Aquitane (as I did not) this book is still quite engrossing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War