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Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards

"Aleys believes she's meant to serve a higher purpose, that her life should be devoted to love and serve God. When her father offers her hand in marriage to a wealthy merchant, she gets her chance as she runs off to join the Franciscan brotherhood as a way to escape her fate. Little does she know that her service to God will take her places she probably never imagined." 

⭐⭐⭐

Pros: The plot was complex and intricate enough to keep me reading/Marte was a great character, thoughtful but quiet, rarely letting on how much she notices or hears.

Cons: Aleys could be a bit overbearing and arrogant at times/The tension with Friar Lukas at the end was just cringe-worthy. Yes, it led to the insane conclusion but at the same time, parts of it were just gross and unnecessary. 

Full Summary:

Aleys has always loved the stories from her mother's Psalter. She doesn't understand the words but the images and teachings have always stayed with her. She knows she's meant for something great, for a life meant to serve and cherish God. When her mother dies in childbirth, it's left to Aleys to help her father with their business of trading wool. She learns to read, balance accounts and does all she can to help her family survive. 

She manages to find friendship in the form of Finn, one of the wool dyers sons. Together, they learn to read and write in Latin and spend hours poring over translations of scripture. The visions and hopes she'd begun to imagine for the future all come crumbling down when Finn tells her he's joining the monastery. She's despondent but continues with her work and readings of scripture. She feels betrayed by Finn, like he's left her but she still feels like she's meant for something more, for a life serving a higher purpose.  

She'll get her wish when her father offers her in marriage to the head of the Merchants guild. She runs off and decides to join the wandering Franciscan Monks that come begging at their doorstep. Since she's a woman, the Franciscans obviously can't let her live with them, so they send her to the Beguines. Women who are devoted to love and serve God. Friar Lukas, the Monk who initiated Aleys, asks her to work on converting some of the women to the Franciscan order by Midsummer. 

It takes time but eventually Aleys begins to feel accepted and even loved by some of the sisters, especially the Magistra, Sophia. And when she seemingly performs a miracle when volunteering at the local hospital, healing a boy who was on the verge of death, Aleys' whole world erupts. 

This book was complex, multi-layered and had schemes upon schemes upon schemes. There were temptations, visions, jealousy, betrayal. Nothing was ever quite as it seemed and some of the characters that you wanted to hate, you ended up liking and vice versa. It was a very unique read, staunchly feminist and empowering.  

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