A review by ovenbird_reads
Matrix by Lauren Groff

4.0

There is an electric charge running straight though this book. I know nothing about Marie de France which left me able to read and enjoy this without being fettered by history or preconceived notions. The Marie in this story is mythic--larger than life, not even quite human (one of her ancestors is said to be a fairy), perhaps possessed of magic, and visited by visions. Set free of the expectation of marriage due to her extreme height and "ugliness" she comes into her own power as an abbess. There she lives in a world devoid of men. Men only show up on the periphery of the story and this is a matriarchal tale that plays with the idea of what power women might wield if given an island of their own. Ultimately the women in the abby gain mostly the power to love each other- both sexually and in deep friendship. They write their own rules, release themselves from the weight of sin that is imposed from the outside and find their own strength and worth. There is so much that could be dug into further here. If I had a book club I'd want to discuss this one!