The Rebel Nun

by Marj Charlier

Marj Charlier’s The Rebel Nun is based on the true story of Clotild, the daughter of a sixth-century king and his concubine, who leads a rebellion of nuns against the rising misogyny and patriarchy of the medieval church.

At that time, women are afforded few choices in life: prostitution, motherhood, or the cloister. Only the latter offers them any kind of independence. By the end of the sixth century, even this is eroding as the church begins to eject women from the clergy and declares them too unclean to touch sacramental objects or even their priest-husbands.

Craving the legitimacy thwarted by her bastard status, Clotild seeks to become the next abbess of the female Monastery of the Holy Cross, the most famous of the women’s cloisters of the early Middle Ages. When the bishop of Poitiers blocks her appointment and seeks to control the nunnery himself, Clotild masterminds an escape, leading a group of uncloistered nuns on a dangerous pilgrimage to beg her royal relatives to intercede on their behalf. But the bishop refuses to back down, and a bloody battle ensues. Will Clotild and her sisters succeed with their quest, or will they face excommunication, possibly even death?

In the only historical novel written about the incident, The Rebel Nun is a richly imagined story about a truly remarkable heroine.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Medieval, France, Religion, Audiobook

315 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2021

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I chose to listen to this audiobook:
1. I was intrigued by the premise after reading GR friend, Annette's review;
2. the audiobook is a free loan on Hoopla; and,
3. August 2023 is my "Historical Fiction Month"!

Praises:
1. author Marj Charlier really did her research about Clotild, a nun I knew nothing about who lived during the 6th century in western Europe at the Monastery of the Holy Cross. I appreciate how Charlier used information from historian, Bishop Gregory of Tours' book The History of the Franks in which he paints a most negative depiction of Clotild and how she led a "bloody" rebellion with 39 fellow nuns. Using various details, Charlier chose to write a biographical fiction featuring Clotild's point of view of how things might have really went down;
2. I was also pleased that this audiobook includes Charlier's Author's Note (something many audiobooks neglect!) In it, Charlier shares some interesting and detailed facts about the people involved in this historical event. I admired her readiness to divulge what was fiction and what was not in her novel; and,
3. narrator Kate Reading was the perfect choice for this audiobook!

Niggles:
I can't think of any!

Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this memorable story that truly focused on the main character, Clotild, a little-known woman in history.
If you are interested in reading a tale which showcases misogyny at its finest, then look no further! Charlier took pieces of history and wove a superb narrative about greed, betrayal, guilt, regret, and determination.
Highly recommend for historical fiction fans!

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Monastery of the Holy Cross was once the most prestigious royal monastery in Gaul (Western Europe) of the early Middle Ages, “populated largely by Frankish women of royal and noble birth…” The monastery started declining after a rebellion of nuns against the rising misogyny and patriarchy of the medieval church. This story is based on the true story of Clotild, the rebel nun.

Poitiers, 588 AD. Sister Clotild of the Holy Cross Monastery is a witness to drastically changing approach toward women, who “were declared unclean, and (..) were prohibited from touching the sacramental objects. Priests could no longer sleep with their wives…”

Clotild is illegitimate daughter of King Charibert and with her curious mind as a child she was allowed to study alongside her half-brothers. She learned the purpose of different herbs from her mother. She was expected to be the next abbess, but that’s not what happens.

Under the new abbess controlled by a bishop, whatever joy the sisters were allowed to have gets eroded. Despite the cold, the bishop cuts the rations of wood and food. Thus, the first plans for escape spark the nighttime conversations.

The routine of prayer and work satisfied Clotild in the way it absorbed the hours of the day. But the cloistered life under the new abbess and the controlling bishop leaves her bereft of purpose. And that’s when she starts questioning the purpose of life. Before she saw purpose in reading and copying old manuscripts, deepening intellectual curiosity with classics and philosophy. That is what she considered a life worth living. Now, there is only gnawing left.

In the 6th century Europe, women’s choices were very limited. Many of them entered the monastery to escape marriages and the danger of childbearing, not for their piety. As a woman, you had three choices: marriage, prostitution, or the cloister.

Clotild is a truly remarkable heroine and fully captured in this story. She enters the cloister willingly to seek protection for her uncertain future. She adapts to the simple life and under the right tutelage finds some joy in daily tasks. But with the new abbess, when the little joy she was allowed to have is squished out of her life and constant hunger reminds her of her existence and when she sees wrong-doing such as thievery, adultery, gluttony. What do you do? Do you just close your eyes and accept the corruption. No, she is an inspirational character who refuses to stand by and watch the values of Christianity crumble to the ground. She stands up for what she believes is right.

I applaud authors who shed light on little known pockets of history. Not only that, but the craft of weaving such poignant story and illuminating with such beautiful prose, I’m full of admiration and grateful for such authors. This gem of historical fiction, penned by a very talented writer is the kind of story that makes this genre very fascinating.

Brilliantly written. The voice of Clotild pulled me into the story from her first words. I was very captivated by her story, wanting to know what happens next, when the tipping point comes, how she handles the rebellion and how it ends. The setting is very real, you can feel the cold walls of the cloister and the simple life they experience with some hunger; and how that affects them. The feelings of disappointment, shame, starvation and isolation are very real as well. But there is still a glimpse of hope that fairness would prevail.

This is one of those moving stories that when the end comes you’re not ready to part from this heroine and this gifted writing.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review upon reading

Considering how excited I was for this book, I REALLY REALLY wanted to love it and I just...didn't.

And that is just SO disappointing.

And I didn't actually dislike it either, but I just so wanted to love it. This is my era! And nobody ever writes about it, even though it's SO interesting.

Though part of this is that it isn't the most...accessible era to read about. I have a degree in this time period and I still tend to get confused between all the Childeberts and Sigiberts and Clothars and Clotilds who were running around in the 6th century. You don't have any of the familiar countries of Europe; there are just all these tiny kingdoms ruled by kings who all sound the same. And if you do it right, it's so interesting. But I can see why a lot of people don't make the leap to write about it when you can write about Eleanor of Aquitaine instead. At least then you are dealing with the recognizable countries of France and England.

Partly it was the lack of atmosphere of the time period - I never got much of a sense for what was going on outside the main story. Nothing felt very sixth-century France to me. I very much got the sense that the author was using this story to make a point rather than telling the story itself (the author basically admits this straight up in the author's note). And it's a point I obviously agree with, but this is centuries before even proto-feminism. Your main character should not sound like Gloria Steinem.

(The author also admits she was told this by multiple medieval scholars and proceeded to ignore them).

Which I go half and half on, because look, I don't think women weren't conscious of being oppressed until Christine de Pizan wrote City of Women. I also don't think this was an overarching concern during an era that was famous for war, death, disease, murder and constant political instability. One of the things the author gets right is the feeling of a convent as a sanctuary, because while we tend to think of the stories of women forced into convents who tried to climb the walls to escape, for just as many women they had to be refuges from the dangers of marriage and childbirth when there were no other options available. This aside from the women who simply did have a true religious calling. It's all about how the person at the time would have thought of it. Was Clotild rebelling because the men of the church were slowly taking away women's authority? Overall, yes. Would she have understood it that way? Probably not. She probably would have thought she was rebelling because an unjust abbess was disobeying the rules of their order and after applying to the church mechanisms in place, she got nowhere. Would she have gotten on some level that it was because they were women? Maybe. Would it also have been because they were bishops and kings and she was a nun? Also yes.

(I also need to point out that several medieval scholars bring Clotild's rank into this. She was a princess, and legitimacy really meant nothing to the Merovingians, so despite her mother's low status Princess was indeed her title, and it has been stated that her motivation in rebelling was that a lower-ranked nun was made abbess over her. Medieval Europe was a class-conscious society to the nth degree. You cannot act as if this was America where all are ostensibly equal. Clotild would have thought leadership was her birthright as a royal).

You have to remember that as Rome waned (and the author does succeed in occasionally still mentioning the emperor and legions, as this was not that far removed from the official date of the fall and Rome's demise was loooooong. The Senate was, at the time period of this book, still meeting) the Church was the ONLY stable authority as everything else collapsed around them. And the Church's authority was not strong. No one had any real interest in taking down the only uniting, stable organization of the era. Because nothing would have been left.

Also, I just have to say, while I'm sure there were incidents of these things in the 6th century, the Church did not crack down heavily on women-led monastic communities and married priests until the 11th century. There were many powerful abbesses in the centuries after Clotild (Von Bingen? Anyone?). Priestly marriage, while always discouraged, was not forbidden until the Gregorian Reform in the 1070s. (This is where cardinals and conclave come in as well. If you are looking for the modern Catholic Church, you need to start in the 1080s. Until that point it was much more concerned with conversion and with bringing heretics, like the Arians mentioned in this book without an explanation, and whole alternate churches like the Celtic Church under their umbrella. Not to mention with mediating between kings and trying not to be invaded.)

So yeah. That annoyed me. Because I would LOVE to read this actual story, as told by a medieval nun instead of some third-wave feminist masquerading as one.

A couple of other minor things. The addition of Clotild being sort of half pagan and half Christian could have been SO interesting, as a glimpse into the way the Catholic Church sort of subsumed the pagan traditions of places it converted (they were not as hardline back then. They were perfectly happy if you continued to worship your spring goddess, they just called her a saint instead. They were fine if you kept worshipping at your sacred tree. Just build a church there). But this was handled in a very good-matriarchal-pagan religion vs. evil-patriarchal-Christianity way that felt very dated, like from every Celtic fantasy in the 90s written by someone who'd read The Mists of Avalon. Which is pretty funny considering that the pagan religion in question was not actually the Celtic gods, but the Germanic ones. Not exactly a matriarchal utopia.

I do have to commend the author on throwing in a line about Mary (as in the Virgin Mary) being intimidating in her perfection, because that is exactly the attitude of the Early Middle Ages, when people tended to be more devoted to local saints. It wasn't until, again, the 11th century that the Catholic Church pivoted and decided it liked Jesus's mom better than him.

I also needed to get out my annoyance about the random romance at the end that was just added with NO development whatsoever and was totally unnecessary.

I feel like the real Clotild deserved a little more consideration and respect than being used as a sounding point for the author's modern views and then thrown into a romance with a random Arian Germanic warlord.

Review upon shelving

Is this real life? Is there light at the end of the endless WWII tunnel historical fiction as a genre has been stuck in for the last four years? Is it a novel set the early Middle Ages that is NOT about the Vikings? That isn't even set in Britain?

I mean, this checks all my boxes, and that's weird because nothing checks all my boxes. My boxes are weird. Early medieval church politics? Yes, please. Sixth century French royalty? Yes, that too. Nuns? Always yes. The amazing women of the early Middle Ages leading a feminist rebellion? UH. YES. PLEASE.

THIS IS SO RARE I AM SO HAPPY.

PLEASE, PUBLISHERS. MORE OF THIS PLEASE.

[Emily Coffee and Commentary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The intense and lesser known true story of a nun who resisted gender-based oppression in early European history. This is a feminist tale that tackles religious nuance and contradiction when it comes to issues of gender, politics, and personal vendetta. Interesting and told from the sharp, bitter voice of our heroine, we see a bleak world in which women regularly chose between the lesser of two evils. A short and compelling read, worth exploring.

[Noreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun fun history. First book I’ve read covering what happened in France after the Romans left and Germanic tribes made “France” their permanent home.

The effect of Arianism vs Catholics people local tribes. Some Germanic tribes, have old Viking ancestors.

The killing of fathers, brothers, cousins, anyone who was a rival or potential rival was a threat. She is old at 51.

Suspect similar dynamics for women in Japan 1173. When did a barbarian tribal chief become royalty? Were the Merovians aboriginal or Germanic/Viking invaders?

Thank you for all your research, Marj Charlier.

[Amanda Hupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, Marj Charlier, and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!

Gregory of Tours discusses in book 10 of his History of the Franks about the daughter of a king, named Clotid who leads a rebellion at a nunnery. The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier takes Gregory of Tours’ account and gives us historical fiction from Clotid’s point-of-view. Clotid wants to be abbess of her monastery. She is devoted to her monastery but was raised in a completely different life. She was raised by a healer and Pagan rituals and that part of her did not disappear once she entered the life of a nun. When her aspirations to be an abbess are destroyed and the women and bishop who took that away are abusing their priveledges. The bishop and the abbess start withholding food, wood, and blankets. Also, many items begin to go missing…then begin the whispers. They happen in secret, but as the situation gets more extreme the more Clotid becomes aware that it is time for change.

I am here for this book! It is pretty well-known that Gregory of Tours loved to exaggerate and show himself in spectacular light. He wasn’t the only one, the Church loved controlling the narrative. So seeing this part of history from a woman’s point-of-view is everything. The monastery wasn’t for women who wanted to spend their life praying to God. It was for the women looking for a safe place to escape an unwanted marriage, those in domestic abuse situations, homeless women, those trying to avoid prostitution, and many more scenarios. Women didn’t have many options. They either became prostitutes, got married, or became a nun. I really appreciate that the author shows several examples of the limitations forced upon women. You see what happens when the Church gets REAL threatened by women in the 1400s…that is when you see the rise of Witch Hunts. However, this takes place in the 6th century but that doesn’t mean that misogyny isn’t a thing. Women have always been rising up, but their stories are written by men.

While the first half of the story was pretty slow and the writing a little choppy, I was still hooked from beginning to end. It is the perfect book to read for Women’s History Month and just released on March 2nd, so be sure to pick it up! I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, start to finish. I love a novel with a strong female protagonist! To learn that Clotild actually existed in ancient Gaul, just enhanced my pleasure!
This novel aptly describes the lives of women in the Middle Ages: the limited life choices, the increasing role of the Church, the chaos of the regal power struggles … and ultimately the truth that history has always been written by men.
Congratulations to the author for finding Clotild & this kernel of history. Her recreation of the story is engaging & believable. Her Author’s Notes enrich the story. Thank you!!

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Rebel Nun focuses on Clotild, who has taken up the life in an abbey to protect her from the possibility of assassination, as she is a potential heir to the throne of King Charibert I, who had a number of children with several wives . These heirs have been highly competitive to assume the throne and already several heirs have already been some murdered by siblings. Though she is unlikely to be chosen as a female and illegitimate bastard of a favorite mistress (a slave woman, who refused to marry the King Charibert, she is still perceived as a potential threat. So, she takes vows at a nearby monastery for nuns, at Holy Cross.

Due to terrible conditions resulting after a new abbess, Lebover is selected (what we call the Mother Superior), who violates many of the vows taken and the rules of Holy Cross as set forth by the founding member. Bitch is guilty of sexual immorality with a man who hides in her room and disguises himself poorly by wearing the same customary costume of the other nuns, she also has stolen and given away things that belong to the monastery enriching herself and family members while depriving the other nuns of subsistence level food, proper heat, bedding and even clothing to the point that several are at the verge of death. Clotild's leadership capabilities makes her the appropriate spokesperson for the nuns in need. These conditions have resulted in a divided camp, those who obey absolutely regardless of the deprivation they are living while others wish to appeal to church hierarchy and ultimately the area Kings.

Clotild and others are initially hopeful that the dire situation will bring intervention but repeatedly they are censored for not accepting their lot with pure obedience and submission. Events spiral with greater and greater emotions and actions that none anticipate will lead to great stakes. Things go severely awry and ultimately conclude with her experiencing extreme attacks on her credibility and little compassion.

This is a very intricate look at church politics, the true intentions of many that held power in that era and the utter powerlessness of women during this time. It was repeated over and over that women either married or became prostitutes or nuns. During the 6th century there was n0 such thing as a spinster or an unaccompanied woman in public. The boldness and strength these nuns showed demonstrate the great austerity of these times. Women were only valued for the children they produced or the prayers and other services the monastery offered to the community (which in this instance was handwritten copies of the liturgy for use in other Catholic churches).

The first 100 pages were bogged down with introducing characters, the detris of community life and it took me more than 6 weeks to get through, many times I considered putting the book aside. I saw that others had also shared this viewpoint but urged readers to push forward that the story escalated in activity and interest, which it did. I was able to read the remaining 200 pages in 4 days. I'm glad I finished as my understanding of European history is astoundingly deficient and I recently learned of my family ancestry tracing back to a kingdom castle built in 1208, which remains today and is open to the public! This book though complicated with many characters opened my understanding of the era in fullness.

Thanks goes out to Goodreads, the publisher and author, Marj Charlier for a free ARC to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will always be drawn to a book about nuns, a book that takes place in 588 AD, and a book about female rebellion. This book has all that, and more. What an interesting historical fiction about a previously untold story.

[Caroline Trussell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rebel Nun was a thrilling, exciting and informational read. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was my style, but as I began to read I could NOT put it down.

I didn’t realize, upon reading it, that some of the book was historically accurate and that Clotild, Basina, and some of the other vital characters were real individuals in the early 500s. I think this makes the story that much more interesting.

There are so many aspects to this book that I loved. Clotild’s competing piousness to her pagan religion and Christianity, her battle of self righteousness and humility, her fight to be a leader and not have self doubt, and her need to protect her sisters while still preserving her own sanity were all themes that drove the book forward. I think that Clotild’s character truly represented a woman who is fighting for independence but for all of the right reasons.

Many of the characters in the book truly interested me such as Covina and Desmona. I feel that the characters were so realistic and relatable and each had their own distinguishable and admirable characteristics.

This story really had it all: action, romance, women’s rights, historical aspects, and themes that outlast time and will always be relevant. I highly recommend this read to anyone who is a history buff- particularly for Medieval times, anyone who enjoys reading books with a religious spin, female readers, and those who like an action-packed story.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rebel Nun is historical fiction based on true events from the sixth century. The storyline follows Clotild, a cloistered nun living in Gaul at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Poitiers. Charlier reimagines a historical incident mentioned briefly in Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks. The novel opens with an older Clotild, who decides to write a counternarrative to Gregory’s “official” version. She tells of her actions in leading a group of nuns on a journey to obtain help from church leaders to restrain an abbess who was withholding food and violating religious instructions.

Clotild is a complex protagonist caught between worlds. She is devoted to her monastery but was raised with pagan healing traditions that remain part of her identity. It is written in first-person, allowing readers access to Clotild's thoughts and emotional struggles. The author provides a note at the end indicating what is true versus fictionalized, which I always appreciate.

This novel highlights a strong woman who challenged patriarchal authority in an age when women had very little power. It is an engaging read, mostly character driven in the first half, and more action-oriented toward the end. Recommended to readers interested in stories of medieval Europe or rebellion against oppression.

[Joy Matteson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's one thing we need now, it's brave stories of women of bygone years who stood up to forces of evil who never got their stories told in their lifetimes--even if they didn't all get the happy endings we wanted them to. I loved this story. Clotild is a nun in a monastery outside of Poitiers in the late 6th century. This is a period of upheaval for France--the Church is wrestling with deepening its roots into French religious culture of the period. You don't need to be a historical theologian to appreciate Clotild's story of bravery as she attempts to free herself and her fellow nuns from the oppressive abbess and her prioress, facing unimaginable treachery and stumbling blocks. Based on a true story of the Monastery of the Cross outside Poitiers, France, I was glad I picked this one up. Historical fiction fans, rejoice!

[Rajiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin]




Wow! I honestly cannot believe that this bases off on a true story. The Rebel Nun is a compelling tale of a group of nuns who rebel against the injustice of the church, and I enjoyed reading it.

To begin with, the story was a little hard to grasp over the first few pages as the author introduces many characters. But once I got the hang of it, I could not put it down. The author sets the pace gradually and helps us get into the characters and the situations, and I rooted for Clotild throughout her mission.

Clotild is a dynamic character and shines in the tale. The author writes the story compellingly, where you feel like you are with Clotild and the other nuns of the Holy Cross. She writes the characters wonderfully, where you immediately hate people like Lebover and Maroveus. I also enjoyed how she describes Clotild’s background and her relationship with Radegund and the other members. However, I was fascinated with her conversations with Alboin. Alboin is one of those mysterious characters who intrigued me from the first page. If the author ever writes a spinoff or a sequel to the tale, I would love to revolve around Alboin’s life.

Interestingly, the book’s tone became more severe and graphic towards the end and impacted me towards the climax. The author also shocked me in some scenes, like what happens to Marion in the beginning or Justina later. The story is gripping until the end, and the author glued me to the pages during the trial scenes. While I enjoyed reading the story throughout, the last few pages made me admire it profoundly.

Overall, “The Rebel Nun” is worth reading if you enjoy historical fiction with memorable characters.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good medievil rebellious nun story? I've read many, and I'm always cheering along side her. This book was fabulous. Flowed so well. So many distinct characters that are unique, yet not, but well defined. You don't have to have a pat ending with roses to appreciate the changes that rebellion brings!

[JC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful book! If you enjoy historical fiction and rebellious women, then this is a must read.

[Rhiannon Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.





As a woman in 6th century Europe, you had three choices: marriage, prostitution, or the cloister. Marriage wasn't necessarily "safe" in that even if you were lucky enough to not be used as a bartering tool to form an alliance between families and your husband didn't beat you mercilessly, it still meant endless child-bearing, often resulting in the deaths of the mother, child, or both. Prostitution was (and still is) a highly dangerous profession for myriad reasons. When faced with those two options, it is easy to see why many women became nuns for the safety and security provided by the cloister, not necessarily for their piety.

The daily lives of the nuns of The Monastery of the Holy Cross are uprooted when the local bishop anoints an unexpected predecessor upon its abbess' death. Together the bishop and the new abbess slowly strip away the rights and "luxuries" previously given to the nuns...ya know, little things like safety, warmth, and food. As nuns, they try to learn how to live with these changes but when their larders get dangerously low and there is a threat to their sacred relic, they hatch a plan. I enjoyed diving into this little known pocket of history and was so glad to see a new historical fiction release that isn't set during WWII or is a mythological retelling.


Come chat with me about books here, too:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rather timely read given that the US Council of Bishops has voted to draft a resolution to deny the second Catholic president - Joe Biden - communion due to his pro-choice stance. The 6th century still has its hold on the 21st, especially its views of women. Much has improved, yet there is still much left to do, and the Catholic Church is still stuck in a medieval mindset where women are concerned.

The 6th century Merovingian world is one I know little about, but am very fascinated by. The fact that The Rebel Nun is based on an actual event whets my appetite for more historicals - both fact and fiction - set in this turbulent era.

The idea that medieval women did not seek independence is rather ridiculous. The desire for freedom transcends age. Sister Clothild - the narrator and driver of the story - her feelings of wanting more than circumscribed roles, of struggling with faith - these are universal needs. Thing is, she and her fellow nuns weren't asking for anything anachronistic. They wanted a small bit of autonomy - to chose their own leaders, to worship and serve God their own way. She wanted to be of service rather than live out of world.

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick synopsis: A band of nuns, led by our protagonist Clotild, rebel when their happy cloistered lives are turned upside down after the death of their beloved abbess. Her replacement is corrupt and in cahoots with a cartoonishly villainous bishop.

The good news is, it was nice to read a book about a period in time that I rarely read about- so I learned many things about that era as well as about life as a nun, and the facets of religious life back then in general. So for that, I am glad I read the book. My favorite sections involved Clotild's mother and grandmother, and their paganism.

However- there were things that just didn't work for me:
1. The writing, the dialogue- it felt like the further in the book I got, the more awkward it was. A lot of repetitiveness- so many chapters ended with some variation of, "Oh how I wish I knew how much worse it would get!" and if I had to hear about Basina and her indecisiveness one more time......
2, The strange romantic plot line.
3. The protagonist- I just didn't find anything about her that made me root for her or her cause. For that matter, the other minor characters were pretty flat as well. It just made it hard for me to get behind the nuns' cause, especially when taking into account the misery they encountered when they left the monastery. How could they stick to their mission of trying to win back their cushy lovey cloistered lives when there was so much death and corruption and hunger all around them? It just seemed self indulgent. Again, this is based on a true story- so this storyline is not solely the creation of the author. There was some definite cognitive dissonance in my brain whenever I remembered that this book was based on history, as I found most of it just so unbelievable. It made the book hard for me to finish because I just wasn't invested in whether or not the nuns got their happy ending- because whether or not they did (no spoilers here)- it all seemed a little silly.

Unfortunately, this book and I just did not click. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

[Dana K · Rating 3 out of 5]

{3.5 stars}

"'Perhaps you should think less and pray more.' I shook my head and dropped back down on the bench. Was even this champion of the Holy Cross now adopting the church's new attitude toward women? 'What would you say if I suggested you think less and pray more.' I asked. 'But I'm a m-... poet.' He was about to say 'man' but caught himself just in time."

-------------------------------

"You will find few clergy these days who would support this monastery's continued independence. Especially since the councils have declared your sex and its weaknesses make you incapable of judgment in these matters."

-------------------------------

The Rebel Nun is the story of women in the 6th century. These women may be in a monastery but we learn quite quickly that many of these women did not willingly join the order because they were devoted to the Lord but due to their circumstances. Living as a nun was often a refuge from the life that may have been thrust upon them or that they may have had to result to due to poverty or lack of options. In the case of our main character Clotild, she was the bastard daughter of a king and simply put, a threat to his legitimate children. So she joined an order where her aunt was the abbess, when her aunt dies, she expects to be elected in her place. When she surprisingly is not, she is hurt and jealous. Quickly the order begins to run in a way that focuses on suffering inordinately 'for Jesus' but the truth may be more sinister. As she begins to discover the truth about the abbess and the religious leaders in charge of the order, she realizes that it is simply about power and control. She begins to try to rally her fellow sisters and use her connections to set things to right and the story follows their suffering and their journey to re-set the monastery to its proper place.

The pace of the story is slow but thorough and you really see just how little women's thoughts and opinions were valued. As a Catholic, I struggled with the point of view the church had during this period with a focus on suffering and fasting of those at the bottom while the top revel in riches (not sure that that much has actually changed there... but I digress...). I was also surprised at how many of the women still believed in their pagan gods and just thought of the Christian god "another one." You'd have thought women in a monastery would be there to be so devoted to the Lord but that seemed to be quite the afterthought. I also found it quite frustrating how little the women supported each other and how often they jumped to jealousy and accusation of one another.

This was a well written piece of historical fiction about a time period I wasn't familiar with before.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.

[Molly Trammell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ARC Review. Many thanks to Blackstone and Edelweiss.

I'm really struggling whether to rate this a 4 or a 5, so I'm calling it 4.5. I don't have too many complaints (as should be obvious by the following review), but I would have liked a little more information about Lebover. While I understand she wasn't the most important character, I was interested in her motivations and I feel like there was a lot left to explore with her character. Though, admittedly, I'm not sure how Charlier could have given readers more information on her considering the book was written from Clotild's perspective and Clotild herself doesn't find much out about Lebover.

This book was such a sucker punch of a historical fiction that I couldn't put it down. Charlier has created a beautiful story and seen to the reemergence of an important dialogue on the treatment of women in the Catholic Church. I was blown away.

The story follows the fictionalized life of Clotild, a very real historical figure who led a rebellion at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in sixth-century Gaul. The fictionalization of her struggle and her conviction breathe such life into this historical character and draw her back to us from the obscure past to which she has been relegated for so long. Charlier must know that readers will find something special in Clotild and her fight, and so includes in her "Author's Note" both her research and lists of the facts vs. the pieces of the story that she fabricated for the novel. More historical fiction books should have this; it is absolutely invaluable.

I was particularly struck by the skilled writing of certain passages in this book. The amount of sheer emotion Charlier manages to evoke within the first few pages is evidence of masterful ability. For example:

"[T]he story does not begin or end with the bloody clash at the Holy Cross. It began when Christianity first swept across Gaul, and the church demanded the obliteration of the pagan rituals, shrines, and deities that had guided our tribes for centuries. It continued as the church declared women unclean, threw us out of the clergy, and denied us the right to sleep with the priests to whom some of us were married. [...] The story of our struggle will end only when our kingdom is no longer at the mercy of the patriarchy and the church, the matriarchy flourishes anew, and pagan traditions are again celebrated across the land with impunity."

Are you hooked yet? Because I was. Charlier's historically accurate juxtaposition of the looming beast of the Church (that went so far as to suggest women didn't have souls!) and the women just trying to survive in its shadow is heartbreaking, enraging, and illuminating. Clotild's character as Charlier wrote her is a personification of the female in a fight for her life against an institution that not only devalues her, but hates her. In her fight to save her monastery and her sisters, Clotild realizes that there will never be a place for women in patriarchal ecclesiastical society, and turns again to the female-empowering pagan traditions of her youth, melding Christianity and paganism as many have done throughout history. Through this, and through the sisterhood she finds among her fellow nuns, she discovers her strength to stand against injustice. Through her rejection of organized Christianity, one could argue that Clotild becomes more "Christian" than the bishops, priests, and kings she fights against.

One of my favorite passages, and another examples of Charlier's magnificent prose, is when Clotild is summoned to meet the villainous, and yet piteously subjugated, Mother Superior Lebover:

"Lebover knelt in the front of the nave with her back toward me - a lump of dark humanity surrounded by a halo of altar candles."

What a profound way of illustrating the discrepancy between the dark human drives that hide behind the mantle of a Godly creed. Other sections build upon this idea as well, such as when Clotild wonders (about a bishop):

"[W]here was the love in his theology - the love that Radegund had extolled? Where was the joy in the creation? In the resurrection?"

This bishop's motivation, as we see through Clotild's eyes, is pure human greed and ambition. This, really, is where organized Christianity has failed us. It quickly became a place for the avaricious and sinful to hide behind the power of religious doctrine largely written to further their own agenda. To this day, so many that follow the Church do not understand or embrace the simplicity and love that Jesus preached, nor do they want to. Clotild and her sisters suffer because of zealots like this controlling Holy Cross through thinly veiled hatred and intolerance. So they decide to do something about it.

While Clotild's rebellion was ultimately a failure, and therefore recorded with disdain by male historians, the truth behind her actions reaches us even now through the veil of history and the continued discrediting of historical women. Charlier mentions, in her note at the end, that when researching and discussing the events with a (male) historian, he "rejected [the] theory of Clotild's motivations, suggesting that the concept of female independence and leadership is a twenty-first century phenomenon, and that no such ideas could have occurred to women in a sixth-century monastery." I think women readers will collectively roll their eyes at that. While men may have had the final say and written the "definitive" history of the event, we know in our souls what the truth of the matter must have been - women, struggling to live in a society built against them, finally had enough. It didn’t end in success for Clotild and her sisters, but it helped set the stage for the advances women - fighting tooth and nail - would achieve later in history and continue to achieve to this day.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier because I have a huge interest in Medieval stuff. Whenever I find a book or any other media about this time period, I get really excited about it. I was thrilled to pieces when a beautiful hardcover copy of The Rebel Nun arrived at my house in exchange for a review.

Prior to hearing about this book, I had never heard of Clotild or the big uprising that she led during the sixth century. Clotild was born into royalty, the daughter of King Charibert and a peasant. Clotild was taken to the monastery to live because it was dangerous for people like her during those times. When the King had children, it was expected that their life would be in danger as the mothers of the children would want to ensure that their child would ascend to the throne on the death of the King. Clotild seemed to take to her time at the monastery well, growing close to her relative the abbess. When the abbess died, she expected to take over the role. However, that did not happen and the quality of life decreased significantly for the nuns living in the monastery after a ton of harsh, new rules were instituted. This led to a rebellion after Clotild and the other nuns finally got fed up enough with their treatment.

This is so interesting to me because it had to have taken a ton of courage. Women during this time had no power at all. Only the royalty-born women had some semblance of power, but it still was very little. Women were just not seen as respected and worthy. The character Clotild in this book gave a lot of thought to how things were deteriorating before she came to action. She had to know she may not win and lives could be lost. But she and her sisters, the other nuns, were starving and continuously stifled. They weren’t allowed to even have conversation. They were watched almost constantly. They were verbally belittled. Certainly Clotild thought that she deserved better treatment than this because of her parentage (even though she was a bastardis). But I think that ultimately, the miserable conditions were at the center of the rebellion.

This book is good, really good. I enjoyed the deep dive into a time that isn’t often explored in historical fiction. It was easy for me to visualize the small world of the convent, with its dark, dank, smelly, cold rooms and hallways and kitchens. It was easy for me to visualize the misery on the faces and in the bodies of the women living there. This was my favorite part of this story.

It is also obvious that it is well-researched. I think that this works two ways, though. For someone like me, who is very very interested in the politics and details of the time, I loved it. But the attention to detail did slow down the narrative and it actually took me a lot longer than normal to finish this one. I found that if I tried to digest too much at once, I felt confused about names and lineage. I could get through a chapter or two at a time, and then I would have to put it down and do something else so I could think about what I had been reading.

There is a beautiful family tree and map at the beginning of the book to help out with all of the similar names and marriages, children, and bloodlines. I spent a lot of time looking at the family tree, in particular. I think this one will appeal to lovers of a more “literary” type of historical fiction. I think it best to take it slowly, too. Read a little bit and let it all soak in, and then go back for more. Beautiful book, very interesting story. I enjoyed reading it. Oh! And the Author’s Note is glorious-I recommend reading it before starting the story.


I received a hardcover copy from the publisher via HFVBT in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Blackstone Publishing!

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marj Charlier's historical fiction novel The Rebel Nun is a unique one in that it tells the story of a monastery who's undergoing a power struggle of sorts in 6th century France.

Not only though is this a story of a power struggle, but also a story of nuns who wants to see change and is not afraid to fight for the change . . .

In The Rebel Nun, the author presents to readers a little known historical event (actually, this novel is the only written record of this historical event) set in a time when women weren't valued as much as men were in all aspects. As well, the author provides a window and education of what it was like in 6th century for women. For example, the author paints the picture of what choices women had during this period of history.

"They had accepted cloister to avoid childbirth, bad marriages, murder and starvation at the hands of their relatives, yes. But they also had pledged their lives to prayer and worship and were certain it would save their souls".

Speaking of the little known historical event mentioned above, The Rebel Nun tells the story of Clotild who was the bastard child of the King. Not only was she the bastard child, but was also the rebellious leader of a group of nuns who rose against the tyranny of men having power, where as I mentioned before women were not seen as the equals.

I present you with this from the novel to explain better what Clotild and the nuns were fighting for with the below:

"Our skirmish represented much bigger battles; the war against women in the church, a disagreement over the proper location for relics, a conflict over the role of bishops in female monasteries".

Overall, I found this historical fiction novel to be not one that I was truly expecting but gave me a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction in that I am not sure that I've read before a historical fiction novel set in the 6th century France time period, and definitely not one about a group of resilient but rebellious nuns.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! This book is incredible! It is moving, unique, heart-wrenching, heartwarming, and very interesting! Whenever I picked up "The Rebel Nun", I was whisked back in time to the sixth-century, and found myself drawn in from the first page to the last.

This is the first book I have read by Marj Charlier, and I can't wait to read more! She seamlessly blends history and historical fiction, and the story she brings to life truly jumps off of the page. I can only imagine the amount of research she must have done, as each and every detail felt authentic to the time period.

Clotild is such a courageous, intelligent, brave, and kind woman who wants those around her to feel safe and protected. As she begins to realize that the oppression and maltreatment of herself and the other nuns at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Poitiers will not improve, nor stop, she realizes something must be done. As she encounter those trying to stop her at every turn, and unexpected allies, what ensues is absolutely heartbreaking at times, yet, very hopeful in others. Told from Clotild's perspective years in the future, you feel like you are truly sitting in a room with her as she tells the story, and you can see it unfold right before your eyes.

I did feel that the pacing of the book was little bit slow from time to time. However, even with that being said, it did not take away from my enjoyment of the book in any way. I feel everything was done for a specific reason, and the slower pacing was counterbalanced quite well with scenes that truly had me on the edge of my seat with how quick everything moved.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning the pages to see what would happen next, and I can't even begin to imagine what many of the women in this book had to endure. Yet, they persevered with kindness, strength, and heart...and I was so moved.

Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing for the ARC of this book, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction with a note at the end about the source material and what liberties were taken. This was the winner I was looking for after being disappointed by Lauren Groff's Matrix.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuns, rebellion and smashing the patriarchy - boxes ticked for me 👍

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rebel Nun is based off medieval records about a group of Nuns fighting for their survival.  As the power and control of Catholicism grew, the rights of women in previously held religious positions were stripped.  Women were stripped of their standing, their husband's, their homes, and their religion.  Being a nun at this time was rarely because women wanted to dedicate themselves to God but to SURVIVE.
.
The conditions these women were forced to live in for the sake of "piety" were abysmal.  They accepted their fate of Catholic devotion over being murdered by family members or married to brutal husband's but starvation and misery pushed their limits.
.
Their story of rebellion and survival was so so intriguing yet sad.  I felt for these women.  I ached for them and wanted to stand up with them. 
.
The themes in this book sadly have survived thousands of years, they have changed slightly but the overwhelming need to limit women and minimize their strengths and equality still exist.
.
A really resonating read. I think the author did a great job with the only source of historical information being from a male bishop 🙄.  It can be a bit dry in parts but that information was critical to understanding the background during that time.  It did not take away from the main aspects of Clotilds story. Worth the read!!

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, how I wanted to love this book. To be fair, some parts were really good - I was really into it for about the first third, and generally speaking I found the plot interesting and engaging. (It faltered a bit toward the end for me, around the time when it became apparent that these nuns really weren't going to accomplish even the smallest of their goals. That's the fault of history, though, not the author.) The parts that didn't work: occasionally, at the end of a chapter, Clotild would return to the present tense in a way that was largely reminiscent of unexceptional memoirs, and it never failed to pull me out of the story. Also... how did the word "kilometer" make it into this book, when a quick google shows that the word was coined circa 1795? That and a few other anachronistic vocab choices shattered the illusion that this was meant to be narrated from the sixth century, which is a shame because the majority of the book handled that challenge remarkably well. In short: by no means a terrible read, but not exactly great, either.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for this fictionalised account of true events in a 7th century monastery. Feminism was a bit more hardcore then.

[Elysium · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clotild is an illegitimate daughter of Frankish King Charibert. After her father’s death, she is sent to a monastery called Holy Cross in 6th century Poitiers. It’s believed to be the safest place for her. When the previous abbess dies, Clotild is believed to be the next abbess. But instead, bishop Maroveus appoints Lebover to be the next abbess and life under her rule sets out to be a difficult one when she cuts food rationing drastically.

Christianity is still a fairly new thing, and she has learnt about herbs and traditional gods and goddesses from her mother and grandmother. Around this time the church has started removing women from any positions they held in the church. Because women are seen as “unclean”. Clotild has accepted Christianity and her life in the cloister, but little by little she starts to question the churches decisions and how they treat women. Many of the women are at the monastery to avoid unwanted marriage, bloodthirsty relatives or prostitution rather than their devotion to religious life.

6th century France is certainly not a place that is often featured. It was great to read something from Merovingian time. I was a bit hesitant towards the book since it’s set in a monastery, but I didn’t mind it at all. It didn’t feel preachy or boring at all.

The bishops and kings weren’t interested in listening or believing what the nuns were saying. They just assumed Clotild was jealous of Lebover. So not much changed there… Just be more pious and obey men. No matter if you starve because apparently it brings you closer to heaven or something.

My one problem was the romance plot which I thought was unnecessary. But other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

[Ryana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s neat that the author was inspired by a Great Courses lecture from a Purdue Professor. Other than that it was good but some aspects of the story telling were a bit odd.