4.0
The Mirror of Simple Souls
By Aline Kiner & Susan EmanuelPublisher Description
“A rich, surprising, and devastating story of a female institution long-forgotten.” — Marj Charlier, author of The Rebel Nun
A captivating story of love, jealousy and faith, set amid a community of independent women in medieval Paris — the perfect summer read for fans of historical fiction
This thrilling, sensual evocation of medieval Paris sold over 100,000 copies in France and offers a fascinating insight into the world of the beguines — communities of women who lived independently of men and successfully managed their own affairs all the way back in the Middle Ages.
A heretical text, a vengeful husband, a forbidden love...
It's 1310 and Paris is alive with talk of the trial of the Templars. Religious repression is on the rise, and the smoke of execution pyres blackens the sky above the city. But sheltered behind the walls of Paris's great beguinage, a community of women are still free to work, study and live their lives away from the domination of men.
When a wild, red-haired child clothed in rags arrives at the beguinage gate one morning, with a sinister Franciscan monk on her tail, she sets in motion a chain of events that will shatter the peace of this little world-plunging it into grave danger...
This rich historical drama makes a great summer read for fans of Hamnet, The Lost Apothecary, The Wolf Den, and The Yellow Bird Sings.
A captivating story of love, jealousy and faith, set amid a community of independent women in medieval Paris — the perfect summer read for fans of historical fiction
This thrilling, sensual evocation of medieval Paris sold over 100,000 copies in France and offers a fascinating insight into the world of the beguines — communities of women who lived independently of men and successfully managed their own affairs all the way back in the Middle Ages.
A heretical text, a vengeful husband, a forbidden love...
It's 1310 and Paris is alive with talk of the trial of the Templars. Religious repression is on the rise, and the smoke of execution pyres blackens the sky above the city. But sheltered behind the walls of Paris's great beguinage, a community of women are still free to work, study and live their lives away from the domination of men.
When a wild, red-haired child clothed in rags arrives at the beguinage gate one morning, with a sinister Franciscan monk on her tail, she sets in motion a chain of events that will shatter the peace of this little world-plunging it into grave danger...
This rich historical drama makes a great summer read for fans of Hamnet, The Lost Apothecary, The Wolf Den, and The Yellow Bird Sings.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities2 Reviews
4.0
ink.readsalot
Created 3 months agoShare
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“The Mirror of Simple Souls by Aline Kiner is primarily about the Beguinage, a commune of independant women in 14th century Paris, a time when religious persecution was rampant. The community is peaceful, quiet, a simple co-existence, a refuge. The story describes the life of single women, able to follow pursuits that were not afforded to them in French soceity at the time. That is, until a young girl begs for sanctuary and right behind her, a franciscan monk. The problem is, that the flame haired child (Maheut) is a fugitive, her red hair being the focal point of symbolism, of the Templars, of treachery.
This book is fascinating, I learned many things taht I had not previously known of and even if it was just for that, this book was exceptional for me. However, add to that, the strong storyline of Maheut and we have a compelling, dramatic, dark narrative, with the flames of hope, strength and fortitude matching the flames of Maheuts hair. A fantastic read for fans of historical fiction
Thank you to Netgalley, Pushkin Press and Aline Kiner for this stunning ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own”
Huda
Created about 1 year agoShare
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About Aline Kiner
ALINE KINER (1959-2019) was born in Moselle, France. She later moved to Paris where she became editor-in-chief of special issues of the magazine Sciences et Avenir. The Mirror of Simple Souls was the fruit of three years of research and writing on the beguines of Paris. It was a bestseller in France and won the Prix Culture et Bibliothèques.
SUSAN EMANUEL (SUSAN BOYD-BOWMAN) has been a French-to-English translator of academic and general audience books and articles for forty years. In 2022 she received an award from the French-American Foundation for two works of non-fiction. This is her first literary translation.
SUSAN EMANUEL (SUSAN BOYD-BOWMAN) has been a French-to-English translator of academic and general audience books and articles for forty years. In 2022 she received an award from the French-American Foundation for two works of non-fiction. This is her first literary translation.
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