A review by sminismoni
Matrix by Lauren Groff

2.0

Disappointing, despite the hype. The narrative was jumpy, with sudden shifts in timeline. There was no plot, it was more of a series of vignettes in the life of the Abbey e.g. a flood, plague, invaders. The heroine organises a response, the problem resolves, and next we are 10 years down the track with another event. I didn't like Marie, the abbess; the decades of unrequited love she had for Queen Eleanor despite up to 30 years with no contact, seemed ridiculous for one thing. Indeed, none of the love stories or sexual element had any depth at all. And as an exploration of the advantages of female leadership and power (which the author has stated was an aim, as she wrote it in the Trump era), this book merely showed that power can corrupt and isolate anyone, male or female.