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The Gospel of Eve
Littlemore College is in a picturesque village just outside Oxford. Its calm surroundings have seen generations of aspirant priests pray and train. As far the outside world is concerned, human passions are restrained by devotion to a higher calling. But this is the 1990s and women are training for priesthood for the very first time and passions are running high and at Littlemore College's enclosed and febrile heart a small group of brilliant young ordinands, the favoured students of the charismatic and controversial Medievalist, Professor Albertus Loewe are asking themselves some very dangerous questions indeed. When Catherine Bolton arrives with her freshly-minted doctorate on Chaucer and the Church, Dr Loewe and his secretive group of students represents an irresistible challenge to her and her new friend Evie Kirkland. But just as Evie is not quite the friend she seems to be, so too the medieval passions of Dr Loewe's group are more far reaching and intense than she could ever have imagined.
- GenresFictionDark Academia
320 pages, Hardcover
Published October 29, 2020
6 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Mann
20 books7 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Rachel Mann is a British Anglican priest, poet and feminist theologian. She is a trans woman who writes, speaks and broadcasts on a wide range of topics including gender, sexuality and religion.
Rachel Mann is a British Anglican priest, poet and feminist theologian. She is a trans woman who writes, speaks and broadcasts on a wide range of topics including gender, sexuality and religion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 20, 2020
It is inevitable but when one reads Rachel Mann’s debut novel, one will be reminded of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. This is not to mean that The Gospel of Eve is a carbon copy but, like Tartt and Daphne du Maurier and Iris Murdoch, Mann manages to mix both the sacred and the profane deftly. Like the authors mentioned one can also take Mann’s novel as a straight up Gothic thriller or something which provides food for thought.
To give away The Gospel of Eve’s plot would be churlish of me, for it is much more fun for the reader to discover it’s little twists and turns. The non spoiler version is about a young woman commencing her studies for the priesthood and once she is there she becomes enraptured by the mysterious Evie and then initiates herself with a group of other seminarians. The more she knows the group, the more she discovers who they really are.
Redemption plays a huge part in the book, the novel itself is in the form of a confession, all the characters are fascinated by medieval religious practices, which includes elaborate methods of atoning for one’s sins. Throughout The Gospel of Eve there are snippets about Christian martyrs who also suffered for their faith and achieved the ultimate redemption by dying.
The Gospel of Eve also focuses on feminism within the Anglican church. The book takes place in the 90’s, a time where the synod approved a legislature where Anglican women could be priests. This new law is still not fully accepted at the seminary the main protagonists studies at so there is a battle. Furthermore the titular Gospel of Eve (an apocryphal book written from Eve’s perspective – yes there’s a double meaning) has a part to play as well. There is a lot to uncover and Mann’s accessible, yet clever writing style makes it a pleasure to do so.
To say I enjoyed The Gospel of Eve is an understatement. It is an addictive read. All the usual motions of a great book happened to me : I could not put it down, I carried everywhere, I had to turn each page to find out how the story would develop, I kept on thinking about it. I am still thinking about it. The Gospel of Eve is excellent. You will not read a book which manages to merge deep thoughts with a first class storytelling. Read it
Many thanks to Rachel Mann and Darton, Longman & Todd for providing a copy of The Gospel of Eve
To give away The Gospel of Eve’s plot would be churlish of me, for it is much more fun for the reader to discover it’s little twists and turns. The non spoiler version is about a young woman commencing her studies for the priesthood and once she is there she becomes enraptured by the mysterious Evie and then initiates herself with a group of other seminarians. The more she knows the group, the more she discovers who they really are.
Redemption plays a huge part in the book, the novel itself is in the form of a confession, all the characters are fascinated by medieval religious practices, which includes elaborate methods of atoning for one’s sins. Throughout The Gospel of Eve there are snippets about Christian martyrs who also suffered for their faith and achieved the ultimate redemption by dying.
The Gospel of Eve also focuses on feminism within the Anglican church. The book takes place in the 90’s, a time where the synod approved a legislature where Anglican women could be priests. This new law is still not fully accepted at the seminary the main protagonists studies at so there is a battle. Furthermore the titular Gospel of Eve (an apocryphal book written from Eve’s perspective – yes there’s a double meaning) has a part to play as well. There is a lot to uncover and Mann’s accessible, yet clever writing style makes it a pleasure to do so.
To say I enjoyed The Gospel of Eve is an understatement. It is an addictive read. All the usual motions of a great book happened to me : I could not put it down, I carried everywhere, I had to turn each page to find out how the story would develop, I kept on thinking about it. I am still thinking about it. The Gospel of Eve is excellent. You will not read a book which manages to merge deep thoughts with a first class storytelling. Read it
Many thanks to Rachel Mann and Darton, Longman & Todd for providing a copy of The Gospel of Eve
November 19, 2024
The best quality of The Gospel of Eve is one I always find hard to articulate: there’s a cosiness to it, a lived-in feeling that makes the setting, Littlemore College, come alive, and its protagonist Kitty a likeable, authentic character. It might seem inappropriate to talk about ‘cosiness’ given that the story goes to some pretty dark places. It opens with a suicide and winds back from there; its characters, a group of Anglican ordinands, get mixed up in dangerous, taboo rituals; it’s all framed as a confession of sorts. Nevertheless, it’s the warmth of this story and its narrator I keep coming back to. I absolutely loved the time I spent with this book.
January 16, 2022
Ever since Donna Tartt burst on the literary scene with The Secret History, any novel featuring a closely-knit, secretive group of students is inevitably compared to Tartt’s darkly brilliant debut. The Gospel of Eve, by Rachel Mann, is no exception. However, for once, the comparisons are both justified and well-deserved. Mann’s debut stands out from the competition in not being set in just any other school or university, but in Littlemore College, an Anglican seminary just outside Oxford where ordinands prepare to become priests. The events described take place in 1997 (there is a reference to the funeral of Princess Diana) at a time when women had just been accepted to the Anglican priesthood.
The novel starts in medias res, with the narrator Catherine “Kitty” Bolton discovering Evie – her fellow ordinand, friend and erstwhile lover – hanging from “a low beam in the chapel…the weak January light [bleeding] through the East Window giving her body a ghostly glow”. More than two decades later, and now a respected priest “the best part of fifty”, Kitty revisits the circumstances leading to the death of Evie. This tragedy is linked to an exclusive group of students whom Kitty and Evie frequented at the college, all of whom were “disciples” of Professor Albertus Loewe. Loewe is conservative in approach, but encourages his students’ enthusiasm for the Middle Ages, even when it ventures into dubious and dangerous territory.
The Gospel of Eve is a Gothic delight, its plot made up of dark twists and turns. One can imagine Mann with a twinkle in her eye, having her narrator repeatedly hinting at mysteries which will be revealed – Kitty is, of course, recounting the story with the benefit of hindsight, whereas we readers are made painfully aware that we are yet to be initiated into the protagonist’s dark knowledge. Suffice it to say that the word “secret” is used twenty-nine times in the novel (I checked on Kindle…), and Mann does a great job at building a twilit atmosphere heavy with the smell of old manuscripts brimming with esoteric knowledge. Indeed, I was also reminded of Eco’s The Name of the Rose, not least because of the novel’s erudite references: in case you were wondering, The Gospel of Eve really existed, as did other rare books mentioned.
Beyond the naughty fun (by the end we’re edging towards grand guignol), Rachel Mann, an Anglican priest and theologian, delves into serious themes and concerns: such as the nature of faith and vocation, the thin line which divides sainthood from obsession, and how essentially good people can turn into misguided monsters and abusers. Kitty is herself a symbol of this ambivalence. Despite bearing the scars of the horrific events at Littlemore, she refuses to renounce to her memories of what was, in some ways, the best time of her life. The Gospel of Eve can be read as the guilty confession of a person who sees herself as both victim and abuser, a tragic figure worthy of classic Gothic literature.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
The novel starts in medias res, with the narrator Catherine “Kitty” Bolton discovering Evie – her fellow ordinand, friend and erstwhile lover – hanging from “a low beam in the chapel…the weak January light [bleeding] through the East Window giving her body a ghostly glow”. More than two decades later, and now a respected priest “the best part of fifty”, Kitty revisits the circumstances leading to the death of Evie. This tragedy is linked to an exclusive group of students whom Kitty and Evie frequented at the college, all of whom were “disciples” of Professor Albertus Loewe. Loewe is conservative in approach, but encourages his students’ enthusiasm for the Middle Ages, even when it ventures into dubious and dangerous territory.
The Gospel of Eve is a Gothic delight, its plot made up of dark twists and turns. One can imagine Mann with a twinkle in her eye, having her narrator repeatedly hinting at mysteries which will be revealed – Kitty is, of course, recounting the story with the benefit of hindsight, whereas we readers are made painfully aware that we are yet to be initiated into the protagonist’s dark knowledge. Suffice it to say that the word “secret” is used twenty-nine times in the novel (I checked on Kindle…), and Mann does a great job at building a twilit atmosphere heavy with the smell of old manuscripts brimming with esoteric knowledge. Indeed, I was also reminded of Eco’s The Name of the Rose, not least because of the novel’s erudite references: in case you were wondering, The Gospel of Eve really existed, as did other rare books mentioned.
Beyond the naughty fun (by the end we’re edging towards grand guignol), Rachel Mann, an Anglican priest and theologian, delves into serious themes and concerns: such as the nature of faith and vocation, the thin line which divides sainthood from obsession, and how essentially good people can turn into misguided monsters and abusers. Kitty is herself a symbol of this ambivalence. Despite bearing the scars of the horrific events at Littlemore, she refuses to renounce to her memories of what was, in some ways, the best time of her life. The Gospel of Eve can be read as the guilty confession of a person who sees herself as both victim and abuser, a tragic figure worthy of classic Gothic literature.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
March 9, 2021
Once again I feel like I'm the opposing voice and always feel really bad for being it but I really didn't enjoy this.
I started reading it several times and stopped. The opening chapters I found very jarring but when I got through them...I enjoyed the introduction to Littlemore.
However that didn't last.....there isn't much I can say without spoilers but I disliked all the characters and all of their actions throughout the story....I think I needed one character to empathise with or at least like to pull me in but there wasn't a single character...I would go as far as to say I detested them...which I suppose is good....the book did invoke strong feelings.
Rachel Mann's writing was very beautiful and her storyline researched heavily which I appreciated and will be definitely looking forward to reading more by this very talented author but this novel is not one I could get on board with at all unfortunately.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I started reading it several times and stopped. The opening chapters I found very jarring but when I got through them...I enjoyed the introduction to Littlemore.
However that didn't last.....there isn't much I can say without spoilers but I disliked all the characters and all of their actions throughout the story....I think I needed one character to empathise with or at least like to pull me in but there wasn't a single character...I would go as far as to say I detested them...which I suppose is good....the book did invoke strong feelings.
Rachel Mann's writing was very beautiful and her storyline researched heavily which I appreciated and will be definitely looking forward to reading more by this very talented author but this novel is not one I could get on board with at all unfortunately.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2020
(3.5) Last year I dipped into Mann’s poetry (A Kingdom of Love) and literary criticism/devotional writing (In the Bleak Midwinter); this year I was delighted to be offered an early copy of her debut novel. The press materials are full of comparisons to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History; it’s certainly an apt point of reference for this mystery focusing on clever, Medieval-obsessed students training for the priesthood at a theological college outside Oxford.
It’s 1997 and Catherine Bolton is part of the first female intake at Littlemore College. She has striven to rid herself of a working-class accent and recently completed her PhD on Chaucer, but feels daunted by her new friends’ intelligence and old-money backgrounds: Ivo went to Eton, Charlie is an heiress, and so on. But Kitty’s most fascinated with Evie, who is bright, privileged and quick with a comeback – everything Kitty wishes she could be.
If you think of ordinands as pious and prudish, you’ll be scandalized by these six. They drink, smoke, curse and make crude jokes. In seminars with Professor Albertus Loewe, they make provocative mention of feminist theory and are tempted by his collection of rare books. Soon sex, death and literature get all mixed up as Kitty realizes that her friends’ devotion to the Medieval period goes as far as replicating dangerous rituals. We know from the first line that one of them ends up dead. But what might it have to do with the apocryphal text of the title?
I didn’t always feel the psychological groundwork was there to understand characters’ motivations, but I still found this to be a beguiling story, well plotted and drenched in elitism and lust. Mann explores a theology that is more about practice, about the body, than belief. Kitty’s retrospective blends regret and nostalgia: “We were the special ones, the shining ones,” and despite how wrong everything went, part of her wouldn’t change it for the world.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
It’s 1997 and Catherine Bolton is part of the first female intake at Littlemore College. She has striven to rid herself of a working-class accent and recently completed her PhD on Chaucer, but feels daunted by her new friends’ intelligence and old-money backgrounds: Ivo went to Eton, Charlie is an heiress, and so on. But Kitty’s most fascinated with Evie, who is bright, privileged and quick with a comeback – everything Kitty wishes she could be.
If you think of ordinands as pious and prudish, you’ll be scandalized by these six. They drink, smoke, curse and make crude jokes. In seminars with Professor Albertus Loewe, they make provocative mention of feminist theory and are tempted by his collection of rare books. Soon sex, death and literature get all mixed up as Kitty realizes that her friends’ devotion to the Medieval period goes as far as replicating dangerous rituals. We know from the first line that one of them ends up dead. But what might it have to do with the apocryphal text of the title?
I didn’t always feel the psychological groundwork was there to understand characters’ motivations, but I still found this to be a beguiling story, well plotted and drenched in elitism and lust. Mann explores a theology that is more about practice, about the body, than belief. Kitty’s retrospective blends regret and nostalgia: “We were the special ones, the shining ones,” and despite how wrong everything went, part of her wouldn’t change it for the world.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
March 25, 2021
A literary suspense novel which beautifully captures the intense atmosphere that can develop in residential settings. Lots of interesting snippets about Medievalism and women in the church. It could have done with a bit less foreshadowing, which got repetitive and sets the bar (too?) high for the big reveal.
I wasn't entirely convinced by the plot (can't say why without spoilers) or the obsessions of the group, who seem entirely detached from the world of Blair and Britpop. Having said that, I wouldn't have believed that a group like the Bullingdon Club could have existed in the 80s, and now we're all under their yoke!
I wasn't entirely convinced by the plot (can't say why without spoilers) or the obsessions of the group, who seem entirely detached from the world of Blair and Britpop. Having said that, I wouldn't have believed that a group like the Bullingdon Club could have existed in the 80s, and now we're all under their yoke!
April 11, 2021
CAUTION: spoilers ahead for both The Gospel of Eve and The Secret History!
I really, really wanted to like this book. The Secret History is my favourite book of all time and I haven't really read anything as good since. I'm a theology student and part of the LGBT community, so when I heard the recommendation along with the words "theological feminism", "lesbian ordinands", "secret society", and "death under strange circumstances", I knew I had to read it. Given the story and the mystery, this could have been a phenomenal book.
Unfortunately, The Gospel of Eve did not live up to my expectations. I've seen some say that comparisons to Donna Tartt's The Secret History are inevitable given the themes, but it really does feel like a carbon copy- the posh students, their grim ancient practices, the death of a friend, a working class main character trying to cover up their background, being sick at Christmas, a secretly psychotic manipulator of the group, an enigmatic professor etc. I'd even draw a comparison between Piers telling Kitty he killed a cormorant and Henry making the group kill a piglet in TSH. The only major difference I can understand is the setting and the fact that the group of friends do seem to like and respect the main character, Kitty, in some way.
In terms of the style of writing, I wanted to like this too. Sometimes I felt the dialogue was very stilted and not really how people, especially students (even the eccentric ones), talk. Especially within in the first couple of chapters, Evie argues with Bob by quoting Margery Kempe and it feels a bit like returning to an argument in your head that you had with someone where you couldn't think of a good comeback at the time. The characters weren't fleshed-out enough for me. I couldn't tell you what colour hair each person has, especially Piers. A few times the protagonist (or antagonist?) Kitty says something like "I know this seems like a strange thing to do, but here's why I did it", or "You might be thinking this is really boring"- I think empathy to motive is something that should be established so that the author doesn't have to say it after the fact.
Thematically, it was very close to The Secret History i.e. students putting themselves in harm's way for the sake of adherence to some ancient tradition that their professor has made 'come alive' in their minds. However, I can empathise with the concept of a Bachannal- in fact, I'd suggest most students can. As far as I can gather, it just sounds like a party in the forest where you get so drunk/high that you eventually see ancient gods- who wouldn't want to take part in that? However, I don't really sympathise with wearing a cilice, self-flagellating, or standing in a panopticon, cold and naked, while self-flagellating, or being whipped by the other people there, no matter how 'alive' it had been made by my professor. The justification that Kitty gave for doing this wasn't very convincing. Secondly, the big reveal about Evie using Kitty just didn't make me hate her that much. Perhaps I'm missing something and it adds to the tragedy that she's still somewhat sympathetic, but it was built up that there was 'something about Evie' and the reveal felt underwhelming.
The stereotyping of the working class was a bit awkward as well. I understand that Mann is from a working-class background, but the scene where Kitty talks about her father's reaction to her affected pronunciation felt as if it was written by someone from a middle-class background, or even an American. I particularly disagreed with her father's friend being described as a "fat and lazy labourer" who he then went to the pub with- at least give the man a job, rather than just 'labourer'! This was the main scene where this stereotype stood out, but my mum also noticed a point where Kitty says her mute, telly-watching mother bought her a necklace from Argos for her eighteenth. I understand that sometimes these stereotypes can be used satirically (e.g. put a bunch of overprivileged white students together and they'll self-destruct), but it didn't really feel like satire. It felt like a roundabout way of generalising Kitty's background to say working class bad/sexist/undereducated, academia good.
Lastly, theologically, I disagree that the discovery of the full Gospel of Eve would shake known Christianity to its foundations. I understand why Ivo particularly would want it destroyed, but I don't know if it's as big as a threat that Kitty makes out. It feels a little bit Dan Brown. As far as I understand, I can't see why it wouldn't just be lumped in with other Gnostic texts.
This book could have been fantastic. The story was very engaging, and I would certainly call it a page-turner. I finished it in a day; it is certainly an impressive feat for a debut. But a complex story like the one Mann has deserves time to build themes, motives, character essences and sympathy- it can't be done in 280 pages. Perhaps this is the curse of dark academic mysteries: something magnificent has already been done, and everything else pales in comparison.
I really, really wanted to like this book. The Secret History is my favourite book of all time and I haven't really read anything as good since. I'm a theology student and part of the LGBT community, so when I heard the recommendation along with the words "theological feminism", "lesbian ordinands", "secret society", and "death under strange circumstances", I knew I had to read it. Given the story and the mystery, this could have been a phenomenal book.
Unfortunately, The Gospel of Eve did not live up to my expectations. I've seen some say that comparisons to Donna Tartt's The Secret History are inevitable given the themes, but it really does feel like a carbon copy- the posh students, their grim ancient practices, the death of a friend, a working class main character trying to cover up their background, being sick at Christmas, a secretly psychotic manipulator of the group, an enigmatic professor etc. I'd even draw a comparison between Piers telling Kitty he killed a cormorant and Henry making the group kill a piglet in TSH. The only major difference I can understand is the setting and the fact that the group of friends do seem to like and respect the main character, Kitty, in some way.
In terms of the style of writing, I wanted to like this too. Sometimes I felt the dialogue was very stilted and not really how people, especially students (even the eccentric ones), talk. Especially within in the first couple of chapters, Evie argues with Bob by quoting Margery Kempe and it feels a bit like returning to an argument in your head that you had with someone where you couldn't think of a good comeback at the time. The characters weren't fleshed-out enough for me. I couldn't tell you what colour hair each person has, especially Piers. A few times the protagonist (or antagonist?) Kitty says something like "I know this seems like a strange thing to do, but here's why I did it", or "You might be thinking this is really boring"- I think empathy to motive is something that should be established so that the author doesn't have to say it after the fact.
Thematically, it was very close to The Secret History i.e. students putting themselves in harm's way for the sake of adherence to some ancient tradition that their professor has made 'come alive' in their minds. However, I can empathise with the concept of a Bachannal- in fact, I'd suggest most students can. As far as I can gather, it just sounds like a party in the forest where you get so drunk/high that you eventually see ancient gods- who wouldn't want to take part in that? However, I don't really sympathise with wearing a cilice, self-flagellating, or standing in a panopticon, cold and naked, while self-flagellating, or being whipped by the other people there, no matter how 'alive' it had been made by my professor. The justification that Kitty gave for doing this wasn't very convincing. Secondly, the big reveal about Evie using Kitty just didn't make me hate her that much. Perhaps I'm missing something and it adds to the tragedy that she's still somewhat sympathetic, but it was built up that there was 'something about Evie' and the reveal felt underwhelming.
The stereotyping of the working class was a bit awkward as well. I understand that Mann is from a working-class background, but the scene where Kitty talks about her father's reaction to her affected pronunciation felt as if it was written by someone from a middle-class background, or even an American. I particularly disagreed with her father's friend being described as a "fat and lazy labourer" who he then went to the pub with- at least give the man a job, rather than just 'labourer'! This was the main scene where this stereotype stood out, but my mum also noticed a point where Kitty says her mute, telly-watching mother bought her a necklace from Argos for her eighteenth. I understand that sometimes these stereotypes can be used satirically (e.g. put a bunch of overprivileged white students together and they'll self-destruct), but it didn't really feel like satire. It felt like a roundabout way of generalising Kitty's background to say working class bad/sexist/undereducated, academia good.
Lastly, theologically, I disagree that the discovery of the full Gospel of Eve would shake known Christianity to its foundations. I understand why Ivo particularly would want it destroyed, but I don't know if it's as big as a threat that Kitty makes out. It feels a little bit Dan Brown. As far as I understand, I can't see why it wouldn't just be lumped in with other Gnostic texts.
This book could have been fantastic. The story was very engaging, and I would certainly call it a page-turner. I finished it in a day; it is certainly an impressive feat for a debut. But a complex story like the one Mann has deserves time to build themes, motives, character essences and sympathy- it can't be done in 280 pages. Perhaps this is the curse of dark academic mysteries: something magnificent has already been done, and everything else pales in comparison.
February 9, 2021
Disclaimer: I know the author personally, although not closely. I've read some of Rachel's other work, and she is a fine author: a compelling poet, an honest and thoughtful theologian and committed to the advancement of feminism in the church. So I approached her debut novel with some optimism.
In the end, I wasn't disappointed. This is a page-turner; Rachel manages to lead the reader through a story which builds through challenging and dark territory into even more challenging and dark territory, all without ever seeming illogical or sensationalist. Those who think a novel about ordinands will be comfortable, twee, light-hearted or superficial will be shocked at the content (but anyone who, like me, has spent time among ordinands will not be shocked at all).
Seen entirely through the eyes of its narrator, the novel does a good job of contrasting her motivations with those of the people in her sphere. At once she is both repelled and fascinated by them; and we get an impression of someone peering round a door at something forbidden, and wanting both to run away and to stay and watch.
In addition to the narrative drive, I would call attention to Rachel's particular ability to establish a scene and mood through descriptions of weather and architecture. You can really feel the cold winter evenings, and sense every creak in the wood of the buildings. But all the time she stays on the right side of the absurdly Gothic.
The narrator's motivation, as some have pointed out, may be difficult to understand - she is a complex figure, often internally contradictory, and I suspect at least partly autobiographical. There were times when I felt I didn't quite have a hold on her. The other principal characters are nearly all thoroughly unlikeable, and I wasn't sure to what extent we were being invited to sympathise with them: are we supposed to feel the doomed Evie (that's not a spoiler) is a victim of circumstance, or brings everything down on herself? Perhaps both. Nevertheless, from my own time among ordinands I could identify real-life equivalents I have known which would match most of these people.
Oddly there are other moments when the author seems to be explaining too much, and I felt my hand being held when I didn't need it (e.g. "I draw close now to the defining and definitive [moment]"). Having said that, these are not enough to spoil the thrust of the narrative; and I was grateful for the odd explanatory diversion (e.g. what the Gospel of Eve itself actually is/was).
These minor quibbles quickly fade away as the book approaches its vivid and graphic conclusion. I won't say anything about it except that it's not things I would want to read about again, and I'm not at all easily shocked. Yet it all makes sense in the context Rachel has set (it does make you wonder how on earth any of these people could go on to a life in the ministry, but I've seen some strange things in my time).
The book starts slowly; Rachel is obviously aware that she has to consider a general audience and not people who have spent their lives around the church, so there is a certain amount of necessary world-building. But once it picks up pace, the novel becomes gripping and very difficult to put down. If you are not familiar with the Church of England and its aspiring ministers, it may initially seem off-putting subject matter; but allow yourself into its world and you'll find a dark, disturbing but often touching story about fragile humans.
In the end, I wasn't disappointed. This is a page-turner; Rachel manages to lead the reader through a story which builds through challenging and dark territory into even more challenging and dark territory, all without ever seeming illogical or sensationalist. Those who think a novel about ordinands will be comfortable, twee, light-hearted or superficial will be shocked at the content (but anyone who, like me, has spent time among ordinands will not be shocked at all).
Seen entirely through the eyes of its narrator, the novel does a good job of contrasting her motivations with those of the people in her sphere. At once she is both repelled and fascinated by them; and we get an impression of someone peering round a door at something forbidden, and wanting both to run away and to stay and watch.
In addition to the narrative drive, I would call attention to Rachel's particular ability to establish a scene and mood through descriptions of weather and architecture. You can really feel the cold winter evenings, and sense every creak in the wood of the buildings. But all the time she stays on the right side of the absurdly Gothic.
The narrator's motivation, as some have pointed out, may be difficult to understand - she is a complex figure, often internally contradictory, and I suspect at least partly autobiographical. There were times when I felt I didn't quite have a hold on her. The other principal characters are nearly all thoroughly unlikeable, and I wasn't sure to what extent we were being invited to sympathise with them: are we supposed to feel the doomed Evie (that's not a spoiler) is a victim of circumstance, or brings everything down on herself? Perhaps both. Nevertheless, from my own time among ordinands I could identify real-life equivalents I have known which would match most of these people.
Oddly there are other moments when the author seems to be explaining too much, and I felt my hand being held when I didn't need it (e.g. "I draw close now to the defining and definitive [moment]"). Having said that, these are not enough to spoil the thrust of the narrative; and I was grateful for the odd explanatory diversion (e.g. what the Gospel of Eve itself actually is/was).
These minor quibbles quickly fade away as the book approaches its vivid and graphic conclusion. I won't say anything about it except that it's not things I would want to read about again, and I'm not at all easily shocked. Yet it all makes sense in the context Rachel has set (it does make you wonder how on earth any of these people could go on to a life in the ministry, but I've seen some strange things in my time).
The book starts slowly; Rachel is obviously aware that she has to consider a general audience and not people who have spent their lives around the church, so there is a certain amount of necessary world-building. But once it picks up pace, the novel becomes gripping and very difficult to put down. If you are not familiar with the Church of England and its aspiring ministers, it may initially seem off-putting subject matter; but allow yourself into its world and you'll find a dark, disturbing but often touching story about fragile humans.
September 1, 2023
The Gospel of Eve is a find. It is a book so occult in the inner workings of GoodReads that only because I am an avid searcher of books did I manage to find it, and most specifically since I am always looking for books that fit the Dark Academia genre. Upon stumbling on it, I immediately spotted some reviews that nodded to The Secret History. Now, most of the time you learn not to trust that type of thing, because when it comes to comparison, people tend to throw the ‘for fans of [insert book title]’ card quite a lot in marketing, however, in some cases, much like with The Orchard, this time I have to concede that the comparison doesn’t fall short.
The Gospel of Eve is an excellent Dark Academia novel, now let’s take a closer look.
We are introduced to Catherine ‘Kitty’ Bolton, our narrator and a twenty-four years old woman who has decided to become a priest, she then goes to Littlemore Theological College and becomes an ordinand which is where her life will be forever changed. Think The Secret History, but instead of the Greeks we have catholic theology students. An interesting aspect is that the author herself, Rachel Mann, is also a priest. Kitty is also in possession of a PhD in Medieval History, and her set of friends are also interested in medieval studies and precious ancient books. The religious imagery in this book is not quite as you might think, because it actually challenges quite a bit of things, for example, The Gospel of Eve as the book explains is one of the greatest oddities of the Christian tradition, believed to be as old as The Gospel of John, but lost during the middle ages, it is the account of the history of women’s interpretation of Genesis. It is basically a text that affirmed women were equals to men, so to speak.
I myself am not versed in Christian theology and I never even heard of The Gospel of Eve, something I found fascinating. Of course that the way this is introduced and developed in the story is also amazing, and some factors which I can’t describe because of spoilers contribute to that.
The book is narrated in confessional form, Kitty now fifty-something and a priest of the Church of England, she is confessing what happened all those years ago when she attended Littlemore College, what both she and her friends did. Sounds familiar? I bet it does. Not only the tone of the narrative is very similar to *The Secret History*, but the inevitable tone of regret and penance echoes so much of what Richard says, including being the “only story he’ll ever be able to tell” which resonates here in Kitty’s tale. Another thing is that we know from the very first page, from the very first sentence in fact, who is going to die, and who killed her. Just like in TSH, the point is not discovering who killed who, but why and how did the crime happen.
On her very first day, Kitty meets Evie, a friendship that will change everything in the lives of both of them. A little time after, they both end up in a special class for the select few students chosen by Professor Loewe, and these scenes sparked a strong memory of Professor Julian’s lectures in TSH.
Some of the themes in this book include religion, death, and sex. You might think that a book about young people studying to become priests wouldn’t focus on sex or even death, but hey this is a Dark Academia book we’re talking about. I was pleasantly surprised with the developments of Kitty and Evie’s relationship, and also their downfall. The downfall of all of them in the group.
This book is very very strong on the Gothic, particularly I think that the religious tones of the story contribute to that, in all their talk of good vs. bad, light vs. dark, and so many more paradoxes that are discussed not only in the Church but also in the seminars, classes and texts that these characters read, they are constantly bombarded with these concepts, but also, they are constantly themselves on the verge of acting in ways that are both either good or bad. Safe to say that this group of people do a lot of questionable things, and I loved the way the author inserted them into the narrative, particularly one aspect which I’m not going to name, for the sake of spoilers, but I was totally in awe as to the way this was inserted and developed throughout the story, and the impact it had on the characters lives.
This is a short book, my paperback copy has 288 pages, and yet, for such a short one, this manages to capture the essence of the characters in a brilliant way, and conducts the story in a non-obvious way, especially for a genre that can sometimes feature works that fail to develop their own original voice and draw inspiration from TSH but still achieve its own greatness.
I was immersed. Reading The Gospel of Eve was a delightful experience. I wish it lasted longer, I wish I could stay in this universe for more time. I have read several books claiming to be like TSH. I have read several books claiming to be Dark Academia. And yet, the majority of those have failed. Currently, I have 25 books on my Dark Academia list, and The Gospel of Eve was the 25th. I am elated that I gave this book a chance, because I saw it had potential to be great, and I was right. I recommend it for those looking for different types of DA books, for those who are interested in religious themes in fiction, and also what happens when people go too far when influenced by their faith. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I haven’t even spoken about the ending, because I just cannot. It was the perfect ending, the epitome of a tremendous Gothic narrative. Sublime. I feel like what makes me sad is that so few people know this one. At the time of this review, this has only 109 ratings and 30 reviews. When I said I had to dig deep into GoodReads to find this book, that’s what I meant. Not even 500 ratings for this one! An outrage! I hope more people find it and get to enjoy this gem of a book.
↠ 5 stars✨ + favorite
The Gospel of Eve is an excellent Dark Academia novel, now let’s take a closer look.
We are introduced to Catherine ‘Kitty’ Bolton, our narrator and a twenty-four years old woman who has decided to become a priest, she then goes to Littlemore Theological College and becomes an ordinand which is where her life will be forever changed. Think The Secret History, but instead of the Greeks we have catholic theology students. An interesting aspect is that the author herself, Rachel Mann, is also a priest. Kitty is also in possession of a PhD in Medieval History, and her set of friends are also interested in medieval studies and precious ancient books. The religious imagery in this book is not quite as you might think, because it actually challenges quite a bit of things, for example, The Gospel of Eve as the book explains is one of the greatest oddities of the Christian tradition, believed to be as old as The Gospel of John, but lost during the middle ages, it is the account of the history of women’s interpretation of Genesis. It is basically a text that affirmed women were equals to men, so to speak.
I myself am not versed in Christian theology and I never even heard of The Gospel of Eve, something I found fascinating. Of course that the way this is introduced and developed in the story is also amazing, and some factors which I can’t describe because of spoilers contribute to that.
The book is narrated in confessional form, Kitty now fifty-something and a priest of the Church of England, she is confessing what happened all those years ago when she attended Littlemore College, what both she and her friends did. Sounds familiar? I bet it does. Not only the tone of the narrative is very similar to *The Secret History*, but the inevitable tone of regret and penance echoes so much of what Richard says, including being the “only story he’ll ever be able to tell” which resonates here in Kitty’s tale. Another thing is that we know from the very first page, from the very first sentence in fact, who is going to die, and who killed her. Just like in TSH, the point is not discovering who killed who, but why and how did the crime happen.
How wrong I was. Then again, how could I foresee what we would become? We were trainee priests, for heaven’s sake. Lust, obsession, sex, violence, these were precisely the things that were supposed to be off the agenda. The church can be uptight about sex and love between a married man and woman; sex between women is enough to send otherwise sensible members of the church into apoplexy. So, no, I had no idea what was to unfold between Evie and me in the weeks to come. She stood on my doorstep and invited me out for a drink. I smiled back, said, ‘That would be lovely’, and stepped out on the path that would ultimately lead to her death.
On her very first day, Kitty meets Evie, a friendship that will change everything in the lives of both of them. A little time after, they both end up in a special class for the select few students chosen by Professor Loewe, and these scenes sparked a strong memory of Professor Julian’s lectures in TSH.
Some of the themes in this book include religion, death, and sex. You might think that a book about young people studying to become priests wouldn’t focus on sex or even death, but hey this is a Dark Academia book we’re talking about. I was pleasantly surprised with the developments of Kitty and Evie’s relationship, and also their downfall. The downfall of all of them in the group.
This book is very very strong on the Gothic, particularly I think that the religious tones of the story contribute to that, in all their talk of good vs. bad, light vs. dark, and so many more paradoxes that are discussed not only in the Church but also in the seminars, classes and texts that these characters read, they are constantly bombarded with these concepts, but also, they are constantly themselves on the verge of acting in ways that are both either good or bad. Safe to say that this group of people do a lot of questionable things, and I loved the way the author inserted them into the narrative, particularly one aspect which I’m not going to name, for the sake of spoilers, but I was totally in awe as to the way this was inserted and developed throughout the story, and the impact it had on the characters lives.
This is a short book, my paperback copy has 288 pages, and yet, for such a short one, this manages to capture the essence of the characters in a brilliant way, and conducts the story in a non-obvious way, especially for a genre that can sometimes feature works that fail to develop their own original voice and draw inspiration from TSH but still achieve its own greatness.
I think that at that moment I would have done anything she asked of me. Her self-possession made my heart sing. I’m not going to lie. Part of Evie’s magic for me was that she was everything I was not. She was privileged and wealthy. She’d been born into a family that had exercised real power and she felt no need to conceal her past (or so I imagined). She’d gone to the right kind of school and the right kind of university. She seemed to me to be at ease with her story and her faith; she was a Christian and an Anglican because that is what people of her background and class here raised to be. If she was, by turns, foul-mouthed and scholarly, it was because she was herself. I suppose that’s what I wanted to be. Myself. I was constantly aware of my works of invention and my dissimulations. Evie just seemed a natural.
I was immersed. Reading The Gospel of Eve was a delightful experience. I wish it lasted longer, I wish I could stay in this universe for more time. I have read several books claiming to be like TSH. I have read several books claiming to be Dark Academia. And yet, the majority of those have failed. Currently, I have 25 books on my Dark Academia list, and The Gospel of Eve was the 25th. I am elated that I gave this book a chance, because I saw it had potential to be great, and I was right. I recommend it for those looking for different types of DA books, for those who are interested in religious themes in fiction, and also what happens when people go too far when influenced by their faith. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I haven’t even spoken about the ending, because I just cannot. It was the perfect ending, the epitome of a tremendous Gothic narrative. Sublime. I feel like what makes me sad is that so few people know this one. At the time of this review, this has only 109 ratings and 30 reviews. When I said I had to dig deep into GoodReads to find this book, that’s what I meant. Not even 500 ratings for this one! An outrage! I hope more people find it and get to enjoy this gem of a book.
↠ 5 stars✨ + favorite
November 14, 2020
Well, I loved this. It was the perfect companion for a day off (I had finished it by tea time).
The setting is a theological college, of which I have studied at two, and some of the descriptions did make me laugh out loud.
The plot follows a group of six twenty-something ordinands, three of whom are women, at a time when the CofE had just started allowing women to train for the priesthood. The tensions that this brought are raised within this book, as are some of the historical moments of the 90s, such as Princess Diana's funeral, giving the novel a real sense of time and place. This is not a slow burner- from the offset, the reader is drawn into a mystery which develops and twists and turns throughout the pages.
I must admit, when I saw that the book had strong mediaeval themes, I wondered whether I would get lost, as this is not an area I have studied in depth. I needn't have worried- Rachel Mann deftly introduces and develops the themes in a way that is neither patronising nor excluding for the likes of me! The themes of confession and redemption thread through the whole book-- it fits the description of 'theological thriller' very well.
If you are looking for a clever and intriguing mystery, you need look no further than The Gospel of Eve. This is Rachel's Mann's debut novel and I hope there are more to come.
The setting is a theological college, of which I have studied at two, and some of the descriptions did make me laugh out loud.
The plot follows a group of six twenty-something ordinands, three of whom are women, at a time when the CofE had just started allowing women to train for the priesthood. The tensions that this brought are raised within this book, as are some of the historical moments of the 90s, such as Princess Diana's funeral, giving the novel a real sense of time and place. This is not a slow burner- from the offset, the reader is drawn into a mystery which develops and twists and turns throughout the pages.
I must admit, when I saw that the book had strong mediaeval themes, I wondered whether I would get lost, as this is not an area I have studied in depth. I needn't have worried- Rachel Mann deftly introduces and develops the themes in a way that is neither patronising nor excluding for the likes of me! The themes of confession and redemption thread through the whole book-- it fits the description of 'theological thriller' very well.
If you are looking for a clever and intriguing mystery, you need look no further than The Gospel of Eve. This is Rachel's Mann's debut novel and I hope there are more to come.
January 5, 2021
I found Rachel Mann's debut novel, The Gospel of Eve, hard to put down. This dark thriller is set in a theological college in Oxford in the 1990s, when the ordination of women in the Anglican Church was a very recent development. The first-person narrator, Kitty Bolton, is an academically gifted but emotionally scarred young ordinand, whose desperate yearning to belong to the time-honoured, cultured spiritual world her peers seem to inhabit leads her down a dangerous path. Nothing is quite as it appears: even the beautiful medieval manuscripts she covets to the point of obsession have their dark secrets. The characters are finely drawn and complex, their world beautifully and evocatively described. The reader can feel the narrator's longing for a fantasy of the medieval past, her intoxication with the elite spiritual world she thinks her friends are inviting her to join, her fear of being left out and left behind. In their search for the mythical 'magic' that has gone out of the world, the students seek a deeper spirituality in the medieval past, and we share Kitty's fascination with their quest and a growing sense of horror as we realise where it is leading them. If you like dark thrillers and the study of complex characters, you will love this.
January 3, 2021
This is an excellent novel. The story is gripping, the characters are fascinating and you can't help but get sucked into it all. It is very well written and it is easy to get immersed and feel like you are there with the characters. I won't give away anything about the ending, but I was struck by how good the ending was. I have read so many books recently where it has felt like the writer got bored and quickly finished the story off. Whereas, the structure of this novel is perfect. I would especially recommend it to anyone who has been through ordination training.
May 9, 2021
A Gem of a Novel
I'd read and heard several good reviews of The Gospel of Eve before finally getting around to picking it up and reading it. I'm pleased to say that every good word I read was true. I ripped through the book over a weekend and genuinely didn't want to put it down. Connections with Donna Tartt's The Secret History are apt, but Rachel Mann's story is still very much her own, with a distinct and evocative style that is both fluid and beautifully compelling. Recommended.
I'd read and heard several good reviews of The Gospel of Eve before finally getting around to picking it up and reading it. I'm pleased to say that every good word I read was true. I ripped through the book over a weekend and genuinely didn't want to put it down. Connections with Donna Tartt's The Secret History are apt, but Rachel Mann's story is still very much her own, with a distinct and evocative style that is both fluid and beautifully compelling. Recommended.
January 1, 2021
I inhaled this novel within 24 hours! This is a gripping gothic tale set in an Anglican theological college in the 90s. It is a mystery that delights and teases the reader until the very last page. Rachel Mann paints vivid characters and explores themes of death, sex and religion in a deftly erudite manner without patronising the reader. I couldn't put it down, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 25, 2024
Absolutely fascinating concept, but falls emotionally short.
First of all, I unashamedly love the Secret History playbook, and so I have no issue with the similarities between that and The Gospel of Eve. Trappings of wealth and tradition as observed by someone repressing a working-class background? Great. Inevitably toxic friends who get way too carried away in their academic interests? Fantastic. Homoeroticism? Essential. This book had the makings of a great, even if not fully original, novel.
I did really appreciate the pacing. It was riveting and never felt like it dragged, nor did it get bogged down with unnecessary rambling. Truly, I couldn't put it down. At the end of the day I was deeply entertained. that's the most important part of a novel.
The main issue is just that I think the author is a nice person. With a book like this, the reader should kind of be asking if the author is, like... okay. You want the sense that the person writing about torture and bacchanals and revenge is teetering on the edge of unhinged. I did not get that. Rachel Mann and I could probably have some interesting dinner party conversations but I think I would leave feeling enlightened. I wanted to be disturbed and shocked. The electricity was missing.
There wasn't much of a central focus, I think. Was this a book about Kitty's obsession with Evie? Was it about flagellation? Was it about the titular Gospel of Eve? Feasibly it could have been any of these, but none were given deep emotional depth. I felt no chemistry between Kitty and Evie. I barely got a sense that they even liked each other, and no tension ever built up because they just slept together immediately. Which, by the way, the audience is told, rather than shown. (Literally. I don't need graphic details but I'd appreciate something more than 'I wanted to sleep with her and then I did.') Same goes for the flagellation. Kitty says she feels God through punishment, but we never actually see her do anything. And for all the buildup about The Book, it's given a pretty anticlimactic ending.
(Side note: I don't think that the emergence of the Gospel of Eve would actually shake the foundations of Christianity at all. It would 100% be considered a Gnostic text and might gain some adherents but mainstream Christianity wouldn't be rewired like the novel tries to suggest.)
Anyway, while I was entertained I don't know how long this story will stick with me.
First of all, I unashamedly love the Secret History playbook, and so I have no issue with the similarities between that and The Gospel of Eve. Trappings of wealth and tradition as observed by someone repressing a working-class background? Great. Inevitably toxic friends who get way too carried away in their academic interests? Fantastic. Homoeroticism? Essential. This book had the makings of a great, even if not fully original, novel.
I did really appreciate the pacing. It was riveting and never felt like it dragged, nor did it get bogged down with unnecessary rambling. Truly, I couldn't put it down. At the end of the day I was deeply entertained. that's the most important part of a novel.
The main issue is just that I think the author is a nice person. With a book like this, the reader should kind of be asking if the author is, like... okay. You want the sense that the person writing about torture and bacchanals and revenge is teetering on the edge of unhinged. I did not get that. Rachel Mann and I could probably have some interesting dinner party conversations but I think I would leave feeling enlightened. I wanted to be disturbed and shocked. The electricity was missing.
There wasn't much of a central focus, I think. Was this a book about Kitty's obsession with Evie? Was it about flagellation? Was it about the titular Gospel of Eve? Feasibly it could have been any of these, but none were given deep emotional depth. I felt no chemistry between Kitty and Evie. I barely got a sense that they even liked each other, and no tension ever built up because they just slept together immediately. Which, by the way, the audience is told, rather than shown. (Literally. I don't need graphic details but I'd appreciate something more than 'I wanted to sleep with her and then I did.') Same goes for the flagellation. Kitty says she feels God through punishment, but we never actually see her do anything. And for all the buildup about The Book, it's given a pretty anticlimactic ending.
(Side note: I don't think that the emergence of the Gospel of Eve would actually shake the foundations of Christianity at all. It would 100% be considered a Gnostic text and might gain some adherents but mainstream Christianity wouldn't be rewired like the novel tries to suggest.)
Anyway, while I was entertained I don't know how long this story will stick with me.
February 28, 2022
2 stars for this novel set in an Anglican training college for clergy; unfortunately I found this a really disappointing read.
The story is narrated by Kitty Bolton, a mildly repellent woman of about fifty, as she looks back on the death of fellow Littlemore College ordinand Evie some 25 years previously. Kitty holds a PhD, and makes sure that the reader knows it: we are constantly informed of her intelligence, which she seems to try to prove through the copious use of commas.
There is some amusement to be had in Kitty’s snobbery but this wears off fairly quickly, and her hatred of her working-class childhood and parents leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Again, at times I quite enjoyed Kitty’s lack of self-awareness – for example she seems to forget she is a middle-aged woman herself in her dismissal of other women as mumsy, matronly, or Aga-bound – but once again her spite curdles the fun: ‘a whole swathe of plump, middle-aged women with undyed hair called things like Audrey and Jeanette. We christened them the pastoral vampires because they instinctively sensed other people’s vulnerabilities and fed on them in a mumsy way’.
More problematically, this reduction to caricature extends to main characters too. The writer portrays Kitty as so self-absorbed that she is unable to see or demonstrate any depth in her friends Evie, Charlotte, Ivo, Piers and to a lesser extent Richard – but this leaves the reader (this reader at any rate) indifferent to their lives. In fact, I confused Ivo and Piers throughout the book as they were completely interchangeable to me.
It must be fun, I imagine, to create an unlikeable narrator but I felt I was reading someone overwordy and dull (Russell Brand sprang to mind) – a pity, especially given the novel’s setting. I would have enjoyed reading more about the early years of women vicars, and learning something about the world of high Anglicanism that seems to smudge into catholicism.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.
The story is narrated by Kitty Bolton, a mildly repellent woman of about fifty, as she looks back on the death of fellow Littlemore College ordinand Evie some 25 years previously. Kitty holds a PhD, and makes sure that the reader knows it: we are constantly informed of her intelligence, which she seems to try to prove through the copious use of commas.
There is some amusement to be had in Kitty’s snobbery but this wears off fairly quickly, and her hatred of her working-class childhood and parents leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Again, at times I quite enjoyed Kitty’s lack of self-awareness – for example she seems to forget she is a middle-aged woman herself in her dismissal of other women as mumsy, matronly, or Aga-bound – but once again her spite curdles the fun: ‘a whole swathe of plump, middle-aged women with undyed hair called things like Audrey and Jeanette. We christened them the pastoral vampires because they instinctively sensed other people’s vulnerabilities and fed on them in a mumsy way’.
More problematically, this reduction to caricature extends to main characters too. The writer portrays Kitty as so self-absorbed that she is unable to see or demonstrate any depth in her friends Evie, Charlotte, Ivo, Piers and to a lesser extent Richard – but this leaves the reader (this reader at any rate) indifferent to their lives. In fact, I confused Ivo and Piers throughout the book as they were completely interchangeable to me.
It must be fun, I imagine, to create an unlikeable narrator but I felt I was reading someone overwordy and dull (Russell Brand sprang to mind) – a pity, especially given the novel’s setting. I would have enjoyed reading more about the early years of women vicars, and learning something about the world of high Anglicanism that seems to smudge into catholicism.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.
April 15, 2021
When I first saw this title - I was expecting something else! I couldn't seem to get into this book at all and I tried a few times. After writing my MA dissertation on Lilith - I assumed this would be providing an account from the perspective of Eve.
The story concerns a young woman who is embarking upon priesthood and then begins a lesbian relationship with one of her fellow ordinands. I think Mann is trying to point to the feminist side of the Anglican church which is an admirable task but I just couldn't find a connection to the characters. I found that the chapters dragged on and it was difficult to engage with the text. I started and stopped it several times and then just had to give up.
Her writing style reminds me of A Secret History - so for fans of that - I would defo recommend this. It also seems as though the novel has been researched well - but I think the content wasn't for me! I appreciate the rebellious nature of her characters but not enough to become invested.
I would definitely read something else by this author but for now I will have to metaphorically shelf this book and return to it at a later stage.
Thank you to #Net Galley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story concerns a young woman who is embarking upon priesthood and then begins a lesbian relationship with one of her fellow ordinands. I think Mann is trying to point to the feminist side of the Anglican church which is an admirable task but I just couldn't find a connection to the characters. I found that the chapters dragged on and it was difficult to engage with the text. I started and stopped it several times and then just had to give up.
Her writing style reminds me of A Secret History - so for fans of that - I would defo recommend this. It also seems as though the novel has been researched well - but I think the content wasn't for me! I appreciate the rebellious nature of her characters but not enough to become invested.
I would definitely read something else by this author but for now I will have to metaphorically shelf this book and return to it at a later stage.
Thank you to #Net Galley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 6, 2021
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I was expecting, but perhaps my expectations were too high. I found it difficult to care for any of the protagonists, including the first-person narrator, which is always a barrier to enjoying a work of fiction. It shattered my remaining illusions about ministerial training colleges – not because of the sex, drugs, excessive alcohol consumption and misogyny, which I was half-expecting, but because the main characters seemed to spend so much time on obscure academic study, rather than on learning anything that might be of use to them in caring for their flocks after ordination. Why, for example, was a student who had come from a career researching the mediaeval period, with a doctorate in that subject permitted to fritter away time studying yet more mediaeval manuscripts? Why was she not, instead, encouraged to focus on applying her faith to contemporary issues?
However, the book does give insight into the insidious desire to belong to a particular “in-crowd” and the evil that can arise as a result. I do hope that theological colleges are not really filled with quite so many students and staff with severely damaged personalities as a result of past trauma.
However, the book does give insight into the insidious desire to belong to a particular “in-crowd” and the evil that can arise as a result. I do hope that theological colleges are not really filled with quite so many students and staff with severely damaged personalities as a result of past trauma.
September 19, 2025
⭐️5/5⭐️
WHY HAVENT MORE PEOPLE READ THIS BOOK !! I am not religious, nor do i have a deep understanding of theology but this book and the medieval dark themes within a modern theological college was so dark and enthralling! I wish I had more time to read lately because i could’ve devoured this book. I loved how every character was deeply flawed and the uneasy sensation I felt whenever any character was mentioned because you could never really tell who to trust. The main character was one of the most untrusting narrators but it made the story so much more thrilling especially because she was so self aware of her previous actions. It felt real and humanistic in the way that it was told twenty years after the events with the narrator acknowledging her actions and not trying to unrealistically justify them but also not apologising for them either. Kitty reminded me of myself in the sense that she just wanted to be liked and would hate for anyone to have a bad view of her, the difference is the extent that she would go to ensure that though. This book was so well written and I definitely think it needs more recognition!!!
WHY HAVENT MORE PEOPLE READ THIS BOOK !! I am not religious, nor do i have a deep understanding of theology but this book and the medieval dark themes within a modern theological college was so dark and enthralling! I wish I had more time to read lately because i could’ve devoured this book. I loved how every character was deeply flawed and the uneasy sensation I felt whenever any character was mentioned because you could never really tell who to trust. The main character was one of the most untrusting narrators but it made the story so much more thrilling especially because she was so self aware of her previous actions. It felt real and humanistic in the way that it was told twenty years after the events with the narrator acknowledging her actions and not trying to unrealistically justify them but also not apologising for them either. Kitty reminded me of myself in the sense that she just wanted to be liked and would hate for anyone to have a bad view of her, the difference is the extent that she would go to ensure that though. This book was so well written and I definitely think it needs more recognition!!!
March 26, 2021
The Gospel of Eve tells the story of a group of six ordinands studying at Littlemore College. The story is based around Catherine, known as Kitty and her relationship with Eve. Professor Albertus Loewe takes the group under his wing and introduces them to his collection of old books. To deepen their faith, they begin experimenting with ancient practices such as praying naked, inflicting pain and wearing a chalice.
I found it a gripping and thought-provoking read . The author's writing was engaging and I felt invested in the well-painted characters. My only criticism was that it didn't seem to paint Christianity in a positive light. Given that it was a theological college, it would have been good to have that. Having said that, Rachel Mann has done a great job of exploring the darker side of their faith /college journey. The dynamics of the friendship group were particularly interesting with Kitty often left out and also her relationship with Evie. The ending was well thought out and gave a nice sense of closure.
Thanks indeed to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
I found it a gripping and thought-provoking read . The author's writing was engaging and I felt invested in the well-painted characters. My only criticism was that it didn't seem to paint Christianity in a positive light. Given that it was a theological college, it would have been good to have that. Having said that, Rachel Mann has done a great job of exploring the darker side of their faith /college journey. The dynamics of the friendship group were particularly interesting with Kitty often left out and also her relationship with Evie. The ending was well thought out and gave a nice sense of closure.
Thanks indeed to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
April 5, 2021
Kitty has recently arrived at Littlemore College for ordination training. She’s well qualified with a PhD in Medieval Christianity and keen to learn and make connections with other ordinands so that she can fit in with the right crowd.
The story starts with tragedy, with Kitty discovering her friend Evie hanging in the chapel. The story unfolds, in part as a long confessional, revealing obsessions with medieval mysticism, lust, love and betrayal between Kitty and Evie and their fellow ordinands Ivo, Charlie, Richard and Piers.
The description of Littlemore, settled on the edge of Oxford is fantastic and evocative, as are the trips into the wider Oxfordshire countryside.
I really enjoyed the read and was gripped by the plot, the characters, the intellectualism, and the history and theology weaved throughout the book. Whilst it is reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s A Secret History, I found The Gospel of Eve far more compelling and engaging.
The story starts with tragedy, with Kitty discovering her friend Evie hanging in the chapel. The story unfolds, in part as a long confessional, revealing obsessions with medieval mysticism, lust, love and betrayal between Kitty and Evie and their fellow ordinands Ivo, Charlie, Richard and Piers.
The description of Littlemore, settled on the edge of Oxford is fantastic and evocative, as are the trips into the wider Oxfordshire countryside.
I really enjoyed the read and was gripped by the plot, the characters, the intellectualism, and the history and theology weaved throughout the book. Whilst it is reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s A Secret History, I found The Gospel of Eve far more compelling and engaging.
May 6, 2023
I wanted to like this book so badly because it has such an intriguing premise but I finished it feeling very disappointed. I wish books would stop being advertised as similar to other books when they simply cannot live up to the expectations set by those famous books. A bunch of people compared this book to The Secret History and while I felt similarly like I was missing too much information to understand both this book and The Secret History, that book has many redeeming qualities that I did not feel were present in this book. I didn't feel as though any of the male students in this book were fleshed out enough so they all bled into one person in my mind, the setting of Oxford is incredibly underutilized when crafting the atmosphere of the book, and the suicide/potential murder is set up on the first page but there is essentially no pay off at the end and I was left feeling incredibly bored. Overall I was very confused but also unenthused about this book.
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November 6, 2020I attended the launch event on Zoom and the author called it a 'theological thriller', possibly by comparison with a 'psychological thriller'? Anyway, it's set in a theological college in the mid nineties, though it opens with a prologue in which the narrator looks back from about now at the moment she discovered her lover's body hanging in the chapel. Kitty, the narrator, is attempting to escape her working class background. Her relationship (first friends, then lovers) with Evie is a step in that direction; her PhD in medieval history gets the two of them the entrée to a clique of
with an interest in rare books and unconventional disciplines. Inevitably, it all goes horribly wrong; the fascination lies in how. Recommended if you like the gothic, and things where you never quite know what's going on or what the characters are up to.
with an interest in rare books and unconventional disciplines. Inevitably, it all goes horribly wrong; the fascination lies in how. Recommended if you like the gothic, and things where you never quite know what's going on or what the characters are up to.
August 9, 2021
Kitty has managed to escape from her working class background & has earned a PhD in Medieval Christianity. Now she is attending Littlemore College near Oxford to train for the priesthood. From the start she is determined to fit in with the charismatic group of students who are part of Professor Loewe's favoured group of students. From the start we know she is telling the story from a future perspective & that the death of one of their group had a huge impact on them.
I find it really hard to review this book. The characters were all pretty nasty & the fact that they were supposedly the best & brightest of the Anglican church were pretty depressing. The book was well written & captured the claustrophobic environment of the college but at the end I couldn't say I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
I find it really hard to review this book. The characters were all pretty nasty & the fact that they were supposedly the best & brightest of the Anglican church were pretty depressing. The book was well written & captured the claustrophobic environment of the college but at the end I couldn't say I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
June 2, 2022
A stunning read
I can't tell you what genre of book this is. I can tell you that it's a stunning read, that I read it in a single sitting, that it manages to depict the Church of England, Oxford University, at least two Theological Colleges, and ECRs with enough accuracy that I recognised several people and institutions I know in the threads of the story. Though none so well that the esteemed Rev Dr Mann (who is frankly one of Queer Anglican Twitter's greatest treasures!) should need worry about defamation suits or even mere ruffled feathers.
The story is a heady weave of sex, intrigue, lust, mysticism and feminism, wrapped in an inoffensive Anglican wrapper. But don't be fooled. This is a thriller, a romance, an intellectual mystery and a theology essay in one unassuming text and I wholeheartedly reccomend it.
I can't tell you what genre of book this is. I can tell you that it's a stunning read, that I read it in a single sitting, that it manages to depict the Church of England, Oxford University, at least two Theological Colleges, and ECRs with enough accuracy that I recognised several people and institutions I know in the threads of the story. Though none so well that the esteemed Rev Dr Mann (who is frankly one of Queer Anglican Twitter's greatest treasures!) should need worry about defamation suits or even mere ruffled feathers.
The story is a heady weave of sex, intrigue, lust, mysticism and feminism, wrapped in an inoffensive Anglican wrapper. But don't be fooled. This is a thriller, a romance, an intellectual mystery and a theology essay in one unassuming text and I wholeheartedly reccomend it.
December 30, 2020
I chose to read The Gospel of Eve because of the review comparison to one of my favourite books 'Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Yes it shares the concept of a death set in a 'secret' society in a learning institution by that's about it. It should have all the ingredients of a compelling, dark mystery, that examines some of the darker elements of Anglican religion. But the characterisations seem generic, even formulaic in their description of 'private school educated' characters. The author fails to get under the skin of anyone, even her protagonist. It all comes across as false as if the writer is trying too hard to make everything fit. There is certainly very little mystery. I struggled to finish it.
April 8, 2022
I had to wait 5 months to read this as got it for Christmas in 2020 but lockdowns postponed my gift opening.
Well worth the wait and I devoured it pretty quickly. A really thrilling, spine tingling read with perhaps a few uncomfortable, relatable reminders in the power dynamics of the Church explored in some of my own experiences in the discernment process. You really got to know the characters and where they lived. I really appreciated the detail included. The book was challenging, emotional and at other points entertaining.
Look forward to reading future fiction from this very talented author!
Well worth the wait and I devoured it pretty quickly. A really thrilling, spine tingling read with perhaps a few uncomfortable, relatable reminders in the power dynamics of the Church explored in some of my own experiences in the discernment process. You really got to know the characters and where they lived. I really appreciated the detail included. The book was challenging, emotional and at other points entertaining.
Look forward to reading future fiction from this very talented author!
November 3, 2020
A fascinating, thought provoking and well written story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I liked the style of writing and the character development.
The setting is vivid and well described, the characters are interesting and the plot flows.
It's an engaging read that I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I liked the style of writing and the character development.
The setting is vivid and well described, the characters are interesting and the plot flows.
It's an engaging read that I recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
January 29, 2021
Complicated
This novel is written by an Anglican priest and tells the story of a group of Anglican ordinands at a college in the village where Newman ministered. Woven into the story are obsessions with medieval manuscripts, strange religious practices and dysfunctional relationships.
This novel is written by an Anglican priest and tells the story of a group of Anglican ordinands at a college in the village where Newman ministered. Woven into the story are obsessions with medieval manuscripts, strange religious practices and dysfunctional relationships.
February 8, 2022
This is a remarkable book by a remarkable theologian and author. The theological background was intriguing and gave an added dimension to this story of young ordinands and their sometimes peculiar and dangerous proclivities. Definitely a page-turner but for me there is a question mark about how realistic it is.
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