![]() ![]() The novel opens with a kind of preface set at Cluain Mhic Nóis, a relatively new monastery with about three dozen monks in the center of Ireland. But “Haven” creates an eerie, meditative atmosphere that should resonate with anyone willing to think deeply about the blessings and costs of devoting one’s life to a transcendent cause. In short, few readers have been praying for a novel like this. And third, her characters live and move and have their being in an atmosphere fully imbued with their primitive Christian faith. Second, she portrays a culture inhabited only by men. ![]() But Donoghue has ratcheted up the stakes by taking on a trifecta of bestseller killers: First, she moves the clock back even further, to around A.D. Now comes Emma Donoghue, another popular and critically acclaimed novelist, with “Haven,” a monastic story of her own. But in addition to her enormous fan base – which includes Barack Obama – the novel succeeded because it eschewed fusty Christian theology and projected modern feminist ideals onto its ancient canvas. Maybe two years of COVID seclusion had primed us for a story of monastic adventure, and certainly Groff’s rich style helped the book sing to many readers. Last year’s most unlikely bestseller was “Matrix,” a novel by Lauren Groff about an obscure medieval poet named Marie de France and a 12th-century nunnery. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |