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jnestwd'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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Excrement, Animal death, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
_moomin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
Matrix imagines the life of Marie de France, a noblewoman, abbess and woman of letters who lived and wrote from the 1100s to 1200s in Brittany and England. She's best known as the author of a collection of short chivalric romances, adapted from Breton folktales. Though her works survive, very little is known about her life.
I read her Lais for a class last spring and was excited to read a fictionalized story of her life, because her vibrant personality and sharp wit come through in her writing, and she was clearly a super interesting person! I enjoyed reading Matrix--the book is rich in historical detail and the prose is magical. The book explores radical protofeminist utopianism that is perfectly suited to the era (see Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies, or Marie's own defenses of women in her Lais). The characters flesh out the world, though Marie and a distant but everpresent Eleanor of Aquitaine are the most fully fleshed out.
The book did feel disconnected from the Marie of the Lais. This writing project of Marie's plays only a passing part in the story, which is focused her role as abbess at a struggling English convent. While the character of Marie in the book is strong and interesting, I think the book might have been stronger if it used the historical Marie as inspiration but didn't make her the main character.
There were also moments when the theology or understanding of medieval religious life didn't sit quite right to me. I'm not an expert on medieval Catholicism, but I read in another review that the author was raised evangelical, which made some of that disconnect or anachronism make more sense.
Overall, Matrix is a good read and a thoughtful, vibrant, and deeply human portrait of Marie de France.
I read her Lais for a class last spring and was excited to read a fictionalized story of her life, because her vibrant personality and sharp wit come through in her writing, and she was clearly a super interesting person! I enjoyed reading Matrix--the book is rich in historical detail and the prose is magical. The book explores radical protofeminist utopianism that is perfectly suited to the era (see Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies, or Marie's own defenses of women in her Lais). The characters flesh out the world, though Marie and a distant but everpresent Eleanor of Aquitaine are the most fully fleshed out.
The book did feel disconnected from the Marie of the Lais. This writing project of Marie's plays only a passing part in the story, which is focused her role as abbess at a struggling English convent. While the character of Marie in the book is strong and interesting, I think the book might have been stronger if it used the historical Marie as inspiration but didn't make her the main character.
There were also moments when the theology or understanding of medieval religious life didn't sit quite right to me. I'm not an expert on medieval Catholicism, but I read in another review that the author was raised evangelical, which made some of that disconnect or anachronism make more sense.
Overall, Matrix is a good read and a thoughtful, vibrant, and deeply human portrait of Marie de France.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, Death, and Child death
Minor: Misogyny, Abortion, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Homophobia
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Child death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Mental illness, Grief, Dementia, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Cancer, and Animal death
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Animal death, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cancer, Body shaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, War, Islamophobia, and Terminal illness
piastri's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.75
oh i could say something about the beauty of women crafting their own ideas of religion based on their own love and life or about how this book means the world to me as a sapphic woman currently grappling with religion and what it means in my life, but lauren groff stole it all with her beautiful prose
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer
sealreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
Definitely longer than it needed to be, but still an awesome book. Great commentary on trying to fit into patriarchal societies as a woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
mothie_girlie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, and Animal death
Minor: Pregnancy
msaari's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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
Marie de France (fl. 1160–1215) oli runoilija, joka syntyi nykyisen Ranskan alueella ja eli Englannissa 1100-luvun loppupuolella. Hänen elämästään ei tiedetä juuri mitään, mutta tutkijat pitävät häntä yhtenä ensimmäisistä ranskankielisistä naisrunoilijoista. Monet tutkijat ovat sitä mieltä, että Marie de France oli Shaftesburyn luostarin abbedissa Marie.
Tähän teoriaan nojaa Lauren Groff, jonka romaani Mestarinna kuvaa Marie de Francen elämää. 17-vuotias Marie on orpo ja syntynyt avioliiton ulkopuolella, mutta koska hänen isänsä on kuninkaallista sukua, hänellä on ollut paikka Westminsterissä kuningatar Eleonoora Akvitanialaisen hovissa. Nyt kuningatar on saanut ratkaisun Marie-ongelmaansa: Marie lähetetään priorittareksi luostariin.
Luostari on kammottava paikka: se on köyhä, synkkä paikka, jossa nunnat ja oblaattilapset kuolevat nälkään ja tauteihin. Marie ei osaa englantia ja luostarissa oleminen on yksinkertaisesti hirveää. Marie haluaisi päästä takaisin hoviin ja toivoo herättävänsä rakastamansa Eleonooran huomion kirjoittamalla tälle ihastuttavan runoelman. Toivo osoittautuu kuitenkin turhaksi.
Hyvä on, hän ajattelee katkerana. Hän pysyy tässä loukossa ja elää hänelle sälytetyn elämän niin hyvin kuin taitaa. Hän tekee kaiken voitavansa ylentääkseen itsensä tällä maallisella tasolla. Hän elää niin, että hänet pois heittäneet joutuvat katumaan tekojaan. Jonain päivänä he vielä näkevät hänen majesteettisuutensa ja tuntevat suurta kunnioitusta.
Marie perehtyy luostarin asioihin ja ymmärtää, että parannettavaa on. Abbedissa Emme on ollut kehno perimään vuokria luostarin vuokralaisilta. Lisäksi abbedissa on pannut nunnat tekemään sitä työtä, mitä kukin huonoiten taitaa, opettaakseen sisarille nöyryyttä. Marie pistää vuokralaisiin kuria ja määrää nunnat töihin näiden vahvuuksien mukaan. Nunnien asema alkaa pikkuhiljaa kohentua.
Lopulta luostari voi hyvin ja kun Emme menehtyy, Mariesta tulee uusi abbedissa. Luostarissa alkaa ennennäkemätön kukoistuksen kausi. Marie johtaa luostaria rautaisella otteella ja Neitsyt Marialta saamiensa näkyjen kautta.
Lauren Groff kuvaa Marien elämänkaaren taitavasti ja sujuvasti. Aika kulkee luontevaa tahtia: välillä hitaammin, välillä nopeampina pyrähdyksinä, välillä sopivasti tulevaa ennakoiden. Marien vahva ote luostarista on kiehtovaa luettavaa, kirjassa on vahvaa feminististä paloa. Tätä korostaa ympäristö, jossa nunnilla ei ole mitään valtaa mihinkään. Marien voimakas nousu kukoistukseen on ihanaa luettavaa, kunnollinen voimaantumistarina. Vastoinkäymisiäkin toki riittää ja ne ovat paikoin julmia ja sattumanvaraisia, kuten aikakauteen toki kuuluu. Kokonaisuutena tarina on kuitenkin ihastuttava.
Mikään erityisen historiallinen kuvaus Mestarinna ei ole. Se kuvaa kyllä aikakauttaan kiehtovasti, mutta Groff on pikemminkin käyttänyt Marie de Francea kertoakseen itse haluamansa tarinan. Historiallinen Marie de France tunnetaan nimenomaan lai-runoistaan, jotka tässä kirjassa kirjoitetaan nopeasti alkuvaiheessa, eikä niihin juuri palata. Tämä Marie ei ole varsinaisesti runoilija, vaan visionääri ja voimakas johtaja.
Suomentaja Tero Valkonen on tehnyt hienoa työtä käännöksen parissa. Groffin miellyttävä tyyli välittyy suomennoksesta hyvin. Pakko on myös kehua kansia: Jenni Saari on yksi suuria suosikkejani, mitä kotimaisiin kirjankansien kuvittajiin tulee, ja Mestarinna on jälleen kerran yksi nappionnistuminen Saarelta.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Child death, and Death
dr_aimz's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Cancer, Medical trauma, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Domestic abuse
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Cancer, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death