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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Matrix is a feminist imagining of the life of Marie de France. At the age of 17, being unattractive, illegitimate and therefore inconvenient, she was sent from the French court to an impoverished English abbey. Once she overcomes her unwillingness, resentment and bitterness she sets about trying to improve the lot of herself and the nuns. Over time the abbey becomes self-sufficient and then prosperous and Marie herself rises to the position of Head Abbess.
The novel follows Marie from the age of 17 to her death at the age of 72 and is a fascinating, yet subtle and nuanced character study, with the author being content to leave much to the reader’s interpretation. Marie was a complex and contradictory character, a talented and competent leader, but also increasingly ambitious and prideful. Were her visions genuine or were they a means for her to achieve her goals? Was the labyrinth she had constructed necessary to protect the community from outside attack, or a way of shielding herself from scrutiny? How did she balance taking Mass and hearing confessions herself with what that meant for the souls of the women she cared for? By ignoring the mores of the surrounding society and the dictates of the Catholic Church she risked destroying all she had built. I found such contradictions and moral ambiguity fascinating.
I also loved the insights into the workings of the abbey in the twelfth century and seeing how it could offer freedom rather than constraint and repression for women. Freedom from enforced gender roles and the risk of sexual assault. There was space for every woman whether her talents lay in the piggery or bakery, helping with the physical tasks of engineering projects or illuminating manuscripts. And of course the absence of men widened the vista of female love - platonic, romantic and sexual.
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Sexism
literarylion's review against another edition
- 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
- 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
- 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
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and War
Minor: Alcohol and Rape
arkierose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Religious bigotry, Animal death, and Sexism
imrereads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Death, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death and Rape
sincerelyleah's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and War
msjenne's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Rape, and Religious bigotry
ashareadsbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Dementia, Genocide, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Murder, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, and War
stevie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Terminal illness
caseythereader's review against another edition
- 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
- 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.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and War
daisyandherbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
✨Matrix by Lauren Groff✨
This book was probably one of the most poetic books I’ve ever read. It is definitely a piece of literature
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Violence