The Mirror of Simple Souls

Feminism and religion!

The day to day intimacy of a "Béguines" community in Paris at the beginning of the 14th century. A colorful fictional tapestry beautifully presented and blessed with a terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters. This literary accomplishment is also a stunning portrait of urban life and customs in medieval France.

Highly recommended and to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for this terrific ARC!

This is a beautifully written fictional story surrounding real events in 14th century Paris, providing a vivid insight into the lives of the women of the Great Beguinage, “an oasis in the heart of the city”. For almost a hundred years widowed or unmarried women were able to live, work, pray and study, free from the control of men, free from marriage and the nun’s cloister, under royal protection. This follows the lives of several beguines living in and outside of the beguinage. Ysabel finds a young woman on the doorstep of the beguinage seeking refuge after escaping her cruel husband and from here the story unfolds mingling with the real events of The Templars, the King of France and Marguerite Porete, the mystic and author of The Mirror of Simple Souls who was burned at the stake for heresy.

The level of historical detail used to create this picture of Parisian life in the Middle Ages, a thronging city full of religious life and trade, is phenomenal and for those who appreciate history and the stories of the women who came before us, this is a great read. This time seems far away but there are comparisons to be drawn from the fears and desires of these women in the 14th century and now, drawing it closer than it seemed before. “Outside these walls, the world is harsh for women. We must be bound to one another.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel which told the story of a community of women, the beguines, who were able to live, work, learn and pray within the safety of the beguinages under royal protection in medieval France. Times were harsh for women who had the choice of marriage or a live devoted to God in a convent, until King Louis IX founded the Royal Beguinage, a safe sanctuary for women. One day a young girl is found on the doorstep seeking safety and obviously having suffered great cruelty. The beguines take her into their care and thus begins the story of Maheut, the girl, and Ysabel the infirmerer who cares for her.

The strength of the community amongst the women, their friendships, loyalties and ultimately betrayals is incredibly powerful. The depth of research that has gone into understanding the beguines and the way of life in medieval Paris is incredible, both by the author Aline Kiner and then by the translator in order to understand the original text. It was a period of great turmoil and cruelty, full of crusades and power battles between the Pope and the Kings of France and Europe. The streets of Paris really did come to life amongst the pages for me. I found myself constantly picking up the book, so invested was I in the women’s stories. A fascinating period of history that I now feel I have a much greater understanding of.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc in exchange for a review.

This was a very interesting historical fiction focusing on an area that had been completely unknown to me previously; that of the beguines of Paris, in the medieval period of around 1310. The beguines are a community of relatively free women - these are women who have chosen neither to marry or enter a convent, which would usually have been the only choices available - unlike nuns, the beguines are free to retain property and their own affairs. But the religious persecution of the era is ramping up, with the order of the Templars being scrutinised and worrying signs for the beguines as well. The book follows several of the women in and around the beguinage, most notably Ysabel, who is a healer and wise woman of sorts, Ade, a gentle and quiet member of the beguinage who teaches some of the younger members, and Maheut, a red-headed noblewoman who has sought shelter at the beguinage after running away from her husband. Ysabel and Ade help Maheut, but this brings them into the orbit of a Franciscan monk named Humbert, who himself will unwittingly connect them to much more dangerous political currents and has repercussions for the whole beguine way of life. I thought the book was cleverly structured between the personal and the wider currents of the times, with an intriguing plot, although at times I felt like it skipped about a bit too much. The characters are particularly well painted, with many complex motives and passions pushing them into situations, and I liked that it shed light on such an obscure and forgotten corner of history - the royal beguinage in Paris where all of the action takes place has been almost entirely forgotten, but the postscript at the end gives some interesting insight about how the topic has resurfaced.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Mirror of Simple Souls is a book written by Marguerite Porete, a mystic burned at stake as heretic.
She's one of the characters of this book, an excellent historical fiction set at begining of XV century.
It mixes fiction and history, features strong and intriguing characters, and i loved the storytelling and the great story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The story takes place between 1310 and 1317, during the final years of the béguinages of the middle ages. But the story is so vividly told that it feels immediate, even quite contemporary.

The Mirror of Simple Souls recounts events happening in and around one of the last royal béguinages, in Paris. These communities housed independent women, neither fully civilian nor religious, but hardworking, educated, pious and reclusive, (comparatively) free of male control. They are free to decide for themselves whether they will live a life of work or contemplation, whether they will focus on study or devote themselves to serving the community. At the height of the Inquisition, these women are a thorn in the side of the Church and of male authority in general.

King Philippe le Bel has just burned Templars at the stake and abolished the order. In March 1314, Pope Clement V publishes the decrees of the Council of Vienna against the beguines, condemning their way of life, their dress, the links they have with certain brothers. They are accused of pretending to be pious so that they can manage their own property and fortune. They are said to be heretics, disobedient to the church.

The novel wears its erudition lightly, and the tone is soft, dare I say 'womanly', in the very best sense. We are pulled into the day to day domestic life of the béguines, both within the walls of the béguinage and outside in the busy streets of Paris. Several of the characters are wise, generous and kindly, aware of how lucky they are to be strong and free, and of how fragile that status is. They protect each other. Given the horrifying way in which strands of modern society are veering towards authoritarianism and suppression of women's rights, the struggles of the béguines feel very real and current.

It is hard to find good historical novels set in the middle ages that focus on ordinary lives - especially women's lives - rather than on royalty and political (mostly male) power struggles. This is a refreshing exception.