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A review by cantfindmybookmark
Matrix by Lauren Groff
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
Iโve been sick all week (not covid) which actually worked out nicely for my reading. I was able to finish up ๐๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ญ by ๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐, (which was the book club pick for @twofriendsbooks this month) and I think this was one of my ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ of the year.
This is a feminist story about 12th century nuns. That sounds like it would be unbelievable, but in Groffโs hands it works so so well. The main character in Matrix, Marie, is based off of a real medieval author named Marie de France. This version of Marie is a ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ. She is a ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ, ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ that challenges the Catholic Church and the patriarchy after she is expelled from French royal court and sent to a slowly dying English abbey to serve as the new prioress.
We follow Marie from a reluctant 17-year-old just trying to make it back to her beloved Queen Eleanor and the comfortable life she left behind to a bold leader absolutely devoted to the women she leads.
Marie is described as towering and manly with a deep, unladylike voice making her unsuited for marriage or royal court. But Marie uses these โfaultsโ to lead the abbey into a brighter future, increasing its wealth and security and making a name for herself and her nuns throughout England. Marie leads the abbey for a half century and as she does so we witness ๐ด๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ and ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐. Marie is guided by visions from God, and those visions donโt always jive with the patriarchal version of the Bible lauded by the Church.
The novel is also very ๐ถ and ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐, which made me love it more. I also loved some of the ways Marie flipped the traditional patriarchal reading of the Bible on its head. Marie teaches that ๐ข๐๐ฃ, ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐ญ. That men are a dangerous temptation and as such are banned from the abbey entirely. I donโt want to give any more than that away, but Groff does such an amazing job using Marie to demonstrate ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
This is a feminist story about 12th century nuns. That sounds like it would be unbelievable, but in Groffโs hands it works so so well. The main character in Matrix, Marie, is based off of a real medieval author named Marie de France. This version of Marie is a ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ. She is a ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ, ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ that challenges the Catholic Church and the patriarchy after she is expelled from French royal court and sent to a slowly dying English abbey to serve as the new prioress.
We follow Marie from a reluctant 17-year-old just trying to make it back to her beloved Queen Eleanor and the comfortable life she left behind to a bold leader absolutely devoted to the women she leads.
Marie is described as towering and manly with a deep, unladylike voice making her unsuited for marriage or royal court. But Marie uses these โfaultsโ to lead the abbey into a brighter future, increasing its wealth and security and making a name for herself and her nuns throughout England. Marie leads the abbey for a half century and as she does so we witness ๐ด๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ and ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐. Marie is guided by visions from God, and those visions donโt always jive with the patriarchal version of the Bible lauded by the Church.
The novel is also very ๐ถ and ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐, which made me love it more. I also loved some of the ways Marie flipped the traditional patriarchal reading of the Bible on its head. Marie teaches that ๐ข๐๐ฃ, ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐ญ. That men are a dangerous temptation and as such are banned from the abbey entirely. I donโt want to give any more than that away, but Groff does such an amazing job using Marie to demonstrate ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.