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In Marj Charlier’s The Rebel Nun, we follow the story of Clotild, a sixth-century nun in Poitiers in what is now France. Although little known in history, Clotild was the illegitimate daughter of the Frankish King Charibert, who led a group of nuns to protest the unjust hardships they were forced to endure at the Holy Cross Monastery under the leadership of a new abbess.
It was interesting to learn about how Clotild’s upbringing with her mother, who worshipped ancient pagan goddesses, blended into her Christian life at the monastery. The insight into her thoughts and the tension between what she should do and what she is drawn toward from her heart are explored poignantly and in depth. The bond between the sister monks was touching and the characters unique and vivid. The hardships they had to endure were devastating, from starvation, cold, and isolation at the monastery to walking many days across the country from Poitiers to Tours, facing outlaws and the wilderness. The author brought the nuns’ journey to life and I was rooting for them throughout the story.
The Rebel Nun begins and ends with Clotild looking back on her journey from her old age (in her fifties, which at that time was old age). I felt that the story would have drawn the reader in more if this framing wasn’t included, since throughout the story, typically at the end of each chapter, there are often comments from “older Clotild” looking back and remarking that she had no idea what she was getting into or she could not have anticipated the devastation that would ensue, which I found was unnecessary and took away from the main story. There were also some anachronistic phrases, but they were minimal, so on the whole, they did not draw the reader out of the story much.
Based on the author’s note, the novel followed quite closely to historical events (though there were some notable changes that were highlighted), and as such, we don’t see a narrative that ties everything off nicely with a bow. As a reader, I would have liked to have more of a conclusion and, ideally, triumph and success for the main characters, but that isn’t often how life works. From a historical perspective, I was definitely interested in the story, but as a narrative, there were definitely aspects missing.
Clotild’s character development was the highlight of The Rebel Nun, though, and the moral dilemmas she faces in her journey, both her physical journey of leading the nuns to leave the monastery and her spiritual journey of her faith, were beautifully explored. It was this aspect that was the main driver that kept me turning pages.
Rated: Moderate. There is reference to infidelity and affairs but no details are given. There is a character who commits suicide and is found with a significant amount of blood. There is sword violence and death described in moderate detail, as well as an incident of rape (we see it instigated but not the ensuing details).
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