Matrix by Lauren Groff

4.5* out of 5, strongly recommended.

This book was not what I was expecting at all (in a good way), there are posters advertising the novel all over the place at the moment, I even saw other people carrying the book on trains... for some reason this put me in mind of something quite straightforward.

Lauren Goff builds a fictional matriarchal society housed inside a 12th century nunnery, tracing the history of one woman's lifelong ascent to power. The attention to detail in the routines, food, economies and politics of abbey life brings the story to life, and the squabbles and power-play alongside the tenderness among the female-only groupings are all fascinating. 

The main character is based on what little is known of the life of Marie de France and it has left me with a keen desire to find out more about this era of our past and about the reigning queen of the time, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Traditionally, historians have glossed over the daily lives of women, this is an entertaining fictional account that fills in a little of the gaps.

The storyline itself is not over complex, but the issues raised and explored create a gripping read.