Set in thirteenth-century Bruges, this debut novel follows a young
woman's explorations of faith, agency, and love among a community of
fiercely independent women. Aleys is sixteen years old and
unusual: serious, stubborn, prone to religious visions. She and her only
friend, a young scholar, have been learning Latin together in
secretbut just as she thinks their connection might become something
more, he abandons her for the monastery. When her family falls on hard
financial times, her father promises her in marriage to the unctuous
head of the weavers' guild, and in desperation she runs away from home,
eventually finding shelter within a community of religious women who do
not answer to the church. Among the hardworking and strong-willed
Beguines, Aleys glimpses for the first time the joys of belonging: a
life of song, friendship, and time spent in the markets and along the
canals of Bruges. But forces both mystical and political are afoot.
Illegal translations of scripture, the women's independence, and a
sudden rash of miracles all draw the attention of an ambitious
bishopand bring Aleys and those around her into ever-increasing danger,
a danger that will push Aleys to a new understanding of love and
sacrifice. Introducing a spirited, indelible heroine and a major new talent, Canticle is a luminous work of historical fiction, vividly evoking a world on the verge of transformation.
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