Mary Novik

I received an advanced copy of this book from Goodreads.

I have to admit, it took several pages before I was drawn into this novel, possibly because the writing style was slightly different than I was use to and I was just finishing up another historical fiction.

Although this is set in the 14th century, the actions and emotions of Solange mimics those in recent times. The best times that Solange experiences, albeit slightly dull and filled with daily rituals, is her time at the abbey. However, that peace is torn away and she is thrown back into the world that she grew up in.


I found Solange to be extremely foolish and naive to believe that she would be able to succeed in a man's world as a scribe. However, I must commend on her ambition and determination, which eventually leads to her success...only for it to be torn away by men. Throughout her entire life, she is used (either for her visions or her words to achieve success in society) and then thrown aside the moment she is no longer viewed as valuable.

I want to sympathize with the heroine of the story, however there are times that I felt a dislike due to certain actions. Yes, desperations lead to desperate actions. Solange plays the sacrifical lamb far too many times for her to able to live that long, although I do understand it does add drama to the overall story. It's interesting how she is revered as a whore and as a prophet, and eventually near the end be compared to Mary Magdalene. As a fairly intelligent woman, she eventually fights for what is near and dear to her heart, but that is barely enough to justify her actions much later in the novel. Although, I do wonder what happened to her brilliant mind after her sudden flight from the abbey and the destruction of her thriving scribing occupation. She appears to have become more manipulative and deceptive as time went on, most of it is understandable because her hopes and dreams were destroyed and taken away by her lover (who she obsesses over throughout the novel). I thought she would have wised up and accept that things can never be with her lover, instead she just had to use underhanded techniques and poison her out of reach 'rival' in love and much more, only to find out that nothing she does can stop her lover's obsession (whether the lady is locked up or dead).

While this novel is a fairly good read, it certainly was not an instant hit with me due to the heroine being the way she is for a good chunk of the book. There were also moments where it felt like the author was trying to make the novel more than it really is by using lots of fancy words. However, it might just be the author's writing style that I am not an instant fan of. Some characters could be fleshed out more instead of being one dimensional characters. Also the use of these 'visions' are a decent touch, adding a certain element to the story, however it becomes too predictable and pointless when it occurs at the most crucial time. I have to say, Mary Novik, the author, does in succeed in developing and portraying 14th century Avignon in both lights (through prosperous times and plague times). Also how she portrayed some of the characters (Pope Clement, Francesco, Laura, etc), made me want to read and discover more about these historical figures. The incorporation of Francesco's poetry throughout the novel was wonderfully weaved and stitched together.… (mehr)

This was a good book, but in the end it was a bit of a slog. I'm not sure what it was that dragged me down, since it has all the elements that I enjoy in historical fiction: strong characters, accurate history, good story. Except, maybe that last bit was lacking. I think, although the story itself was interesting (medieval woman is orphaned when her mother dies in childbirth, is raised among nuns, is forced to leave the nunnery and make her way in the big bad world, finds herself a woman among the highest level of religious authority, eventually finds her way back to the nunnery where she was raised) but there weren't the right number of boosts to keep the plot moving in a really exciting way. It seems weird to say that after mentioning all those things above, each of which is pretty interesting. Especially when you add in things like love affairs with a rising poet and a pope, as well as a plague. There were elements I did enjoy, such as the heroine's career as a copyist in a scriptorium, since anything related to the history of libraries is close to my heart. But the early part of the plot (as well as the jacket copy) emphasized the protagonist's gift for prophecy as the thing that directs her life's trajectory, and to an extent it does, but it mostly seems somewhat incidental. What I mostly enjoyed about this book was the fact that is is so rooted in history, to the point that when I looked stuff up in Wikipedia as I was reading, I found direct correlations. Of course, that made me wonder whether the author did the same thing, but I'd like to think her research was a little more in-depth than that. I didn't like this as much as the YA novel Catherine Called Birdy, which is also about a medieval girl who rebels against her lot, with mixed results. Anyway there was a lot here to like, even if it was a little uneven overall.… (mehr)

Conceit is Mary Novik's fantasia on the life and poetry of John Donne. As any English major has been taught, Donne's literary output divides itself between the erotic and satiric poetry of Jack Donne, the rake, and his later self, John Donne, the Dean of St. Paul's, poet of the Holy Sonnets and renowned sermonizer.

Personally, I have always been fondest of Jack -- poet of "The Flea," "To His Mistress Going to Bed," and "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" while admiring the Dean's "Death Be Not Proud" and "Batter My Heart" ( see Poets.org: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/243)

Novik's historical novel, while focusing mainly on the viewpoint of Donne's next-to-youngest daughter Pegge (Margaret), jumps in and out of the consciousnesses of Pegge; her dead mother, Ann More; her husband William, Samuel Pepys, Izaak Walton, and Donne himself. Pegge, who cared for her father as he died, proves to be far less interested in his religious concerns than his relationship with her mother and his secular poetry -- especially as it relates to her own personal relationships.

This is not a Hilary Mantel historical novel, steeped in details and much research, but Novik has done her research. It's a literary tour-de-force -- playing with Donne's words, poetry and the milieu of 17th c. England. While granting its probable historical shortcomings, I found it quite delightful. Recommended for those who have at least a passing interest in and knowledge of Donne's poetry and life.… (mehr)