by Lauren Groff
First published 2021
Eleanor of Aquitaine banishes seventeen-year-old Marie de France from the royal court, declaring her too crude for marriage or refined society. Marie travels to England to lead a failing abbey where nuns face starvation and disease. The harsh conditions shock her initially, but she discovers purpose in communal life with her unpredictable sisters. Marie abandons her longing for family and homeland, replacing these desires with devotion to her religious community and faith in her divine visions. Born into a lineage of female warriors and crusaders, she resolves to forge a new path for the women under her protection. The world around them shifts and decays in alarming ways, never accepting her presence or authority. Marie must rely on the strength of her vision to shield her community from external threats. The novel weaves together violence, sexuality, and religious fervor to create a portrait of intense passion, unconventional faith, and female power in a hostile world.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, feminism
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: England, Royal Court
Period: Medieval
260 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Books
Content warnings: violence