Reviews

Matrix by Lauren Groff

emma_cel's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

michalow's review against another edition

4.0

Lauren Groff's lush, evocative writing managed to immerse me immediately in the distant, richly imagined world of this book. I found that most of the secondary characters in the story blurred together for me, but Marie and her trajectory through the novel were beautifully portrayed.

minnettie's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

naomi_fearnon's review against another edition

3.0

I loved the idea of this book, but unfortunately in practice it was a really hard read.

I thought this book’s main strength was in its depiction of the abbey as an institution; underscoring that institutions are run by people and not by divine intervention. What frustrates me however was how we went from her lowest point (more or less suicidal) to then overnight taking over the abbey entirely and fixing it in such a short space of time, when it had been crumbling at the seems prior. We didn’t move with her, it’s like we were given snippets from the end results of a few poignant events.

What this did make me realise though is that I just don't get on with Groff's writing on a sentence-by-sentence level; I find it very laboured and there's just no build up or climax to it for me for me. This was a bit of a chore to get through honestly, which is odd to say as it's such a short book! I admire completely what Groff was trying to do with this book, but it didn’t work for me :(

stefs1974's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

abbeybt's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cmazzei's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

emi_sinclair's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

allibug26's review against another edition

3.0

Even after finishing it, I’m not sure about this book… it was in some ways an interesting perspective, definitely a different world to see into a bit. But it also felt too disjointed; there were too many small things constantly happening quickly that we then move on from rather than a traditional storyline to follow. Between that and how slow this book typically is, I had such a hard time feeling engaged. However, I also liked several characters and thought it was nice to see them change and connect through the years. Marie is such a strong female character who is admirable and formidable.

spookyemily's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

2.75

I wanted to really like this but there was just something missing for me. While the writing was beautiful the story dragged in some places and sped up entirely too much in others. I was intrigued by Marie and her visions and wish the story leaned in to the mysticism angle more. I also was left wondering who the “spy” was and for it to be mentioned so many times yet left unanswered left me kind of annoyed (I have my guesses though). All in all it wasn’t terrible I just wish it was better. 

 

Edited to add: Tilde sucks. You don’t burn books.