Mary NovikReseñas

I tried, I really did. But at 200 pages I gave up the ghost. I'm not willing to blame this on the book - I love Donne's poetry but had little interest in reading about his romance with Anne. I didn't mind Pegge and was intrigued by her story enough to persist, but that's interrupted in the middle by the Romance between John and Anne. I ditched at page 200.

I think that in a different head space this book could be real fun.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Goodreads.

I have to admit, it took several pages before I was drawn into this novel, possibly because the writing style was slightly different than I was use to and I was just finishing up another historical fiction.

Although this is set in the 14th century, the actions and emotions of Solange mimics those in recent times. The best times that Solange experiences, albeit slightly dull and filled with daily rituals, is her time at the abbey. However, that peace is torn away and she is thrown back into the world that she grew up in.


I found Solange to be extremely foolish and naive to believe that she would be able to succeed in a man's world as a scribe. However, I must commend on her ambition and determination, which eventually leads to her success...only for it to be torn away by men. Throughout her entire life, she is used (either for her visions or her words to achieve success in society) and then thrown aside the moment she is no longer viewed as valuable.

I want to sympathize with the heroine of the story, however there are times that I felt a dislike due to certain actions. Yes, desperations lead to desperate actions. Solange plays the sacrifical lamb far too many times for her to able to live that long, although I do understand it does add drama to the overall story. It's interesting how she is revered as a whore and as a prophet, and eventually near the end be compared to Mary Magdalene. As a fairly intelligent woman, she eventually fights for what is near and dear to her heart, but that is barely enough to justify her actions much later in the novel. Although, I do wonder what happened to her brilliant mind after her sudden flight from the abbey and the destruction of her thriving scribing occupation. She appears to have become more manipulative and deceptive as time went on, most of it is understandable because her hopes and dreams were destroyed and taken away by her lover (who she obsesses over throughout the novel). I thought she would have wised up and accept that things can never be with her lover, instead she just had to use underhanded techniques and poison her out of reach 'rival' in love and much more, only to find out that nothing she does can stop her lover's obsession (whether the lady is locked up or dead).

While this novel is a fairly good read, it certainly was not an instant hit with me due to the heroine being the way she is for a good chunk of the book. There were also moments where it felt like the author was trying to make the novel more than it really is by using lots of fancy words. However, it might just be the author's writing style that I am not an instant fan of. Some characters could be fleshed out more instead of being one dimensional characters. Also the use of these 'visions' are a decent touch, adding a certain element to the story, however it becomes too predictable and pointless when it occurs at the most crucial time. I have to say, Mary Novik, the author, does in succeed in developing and portraying 14th century Avignon in both lights (through prosperous times and plague times). Also how she portrayed some of the characters (Pope Clement, Francesco, Laura, etc), made me want to read and discover more about these historical figures. The incorporation of Francesco's poetry throughout the novel was wonderfully weaved and stitched together.

This was a good book, but in the end it was a bit of a slog. I'm not sure what it was that dragged me down, since it has all the elements that I enjoy in historical fiction: strong characters, accurate history, good story. Except, maybe that last bit was lacking. I think, although the story itself was interesting (medieval woman is orphaned when her mother dies in childbirth, is raised among nuns, is forced to leave the nunnery and make her way in the big bad world, finds herself a woman among the highest level of religious authority, eventually finds her way back to the nunnery where she was raised) but there weren't the right number of boosts to keep the plot moving in a really exciting way. It seems weird to say that after mentioning all those things above, each of which is pretty interesting. Especially when you add in things like love affairs with a rising poet and a pope, as well as a plague. There were elements I did enjoy, such as the heroine's career as a copyist in a scriptorium, since anything related to the history of libraries is close to my heart. But the early part of the plot (as well as the jacket copy) emphasized the protagonist's gift for prophecy as the thing that directs her life's trajectory, and to an extent it does, but it mostly seems somewhat incidental. What I mostly enjoyed about this book was the fact that is is so rooted in history, to the point that when I looked stuff up in Wikipedia as I was reading, I found direct correlations. Of course, that made me wonder whether the author did the same thing, but I'd like to think her research was a little more in-depth than that. I didn't like this as much as the YA novel Catherine Called Birdy, which is also about a medieval girl who rebels against her lot, with mixed results. Anyway there was a lot here to like, even if it was a little uneven overall.

Conceit is Mary Novik's fantasia on the life and poetry of John Donne. As any English major has been taught, Donne's literary output divides itself between the erotic and satiric poetry of Jack Donne, the rake, and his later self, John Donne, the Dean of St. Paul's, poet of the Holy Sonnets and renowned sermonizer.

Personally, I have always been fondest of Jack -- poet of "The Flea," "To His Mistress Going to Bed," and "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" while admiring the Dean's "Death Be Not Proud" and "Batter My Heart" ( see Poets.org: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/243)

Novik's historical novel, while focusing mainly on the viewpoint of Donne's next-to-youngest daughter Pegge (Margaret), jumps in and out of the consciousnesses of Pegge; her dead mother, Ann More; her husband William, Samuel Pepys, Izaak Walton, and Donne himself. Pegge, who cared for her father as he died, proves to be far less interested in his religious concerns than his relationship with her mother and his secular poetry -- especially as it relates to her own personal relationships.

This is not a Hilary Mantel historical novel, steeped in details and much research, but Novik has done her research. It's a literary tour-de-force -- playing with Donne's words, poetry and the milieu of 17th c. England. While granting its probable historical shortcomings, I found it quite delightful. Recommended for those who have at least a passing interest in and knowledge of Donne's poetry and life.

This novel has become a new favourite. I've been recommending it to friends because I enjoyed it so much myself. I found Solange LeBlanc a very sympathetic character and Novik's depiction of medieval Avignon, with its popes and cardinals and harlots, is very believable. I was there from start to finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Another stunner from Mary Novik, the author of Conceit.

The protagonist of this novel is Solange LeBlanc who, according to the publisher’s description, is “the charismatic woman who was the inspiration for Petrarch’s sublime love poetry.” Set in 14th century Avignon, this book, contrary to this description, is not the story of Laura de Sade who was Petrarch’s muse, the one without whom Petrarch claims his poems “’have no substance.’” Instead, the book is the story of Solange who is his lover but, in terms of Petrarch’s poetry, could best be described as his editor. The novel details several rises and falls in the fortunes of a woman who is viewed at various times as a prophet, harlot, witch, and saint.

My major problem with the book is the character of Solange. I wanted to feel sympathy for her because she is certainly used and then discarded by men, but she does nothing to help her situation. She does stupid things (cheating on Pope Clement VI) and then seems amazed when there are negative repercussions for her behaviour. Her relationship with Petrarch also makes no sense. Over and over and over again, he mistreats her horribly, in private and in public, yet she still goes back to him? He even tells her, “’I can never give you everything you want from me’” and says that he loves her but only “’With my flesh, but not my soul. That belongs to Madonna Laura.’” Nonetheless Solange keeps going back to him and she justifies her actions by saying, “He will change the face of literature forever. Much can be forgiven a man of such greatness.” She also states, “I have learnt that it is possible to love and hate the same man,” yet none of this hate is evident. Instead, she reserves her hatred for Laura who really does nothing and who, because of her marital status and social position, has virtually no contact with Petrarch.

The pacing of the novel is uneven. Sometimes, years are dismissed in a few pages; at other times, tedious details are given. For example, several times, parades of people are mentioned: “Advancing were Clement’s nephews, Nicolas de Besse and Guillaume de La Jugie, followed by the men who had married into the family, then the uncles, cousins, officers, and Limousin nobles.” And “I was pulling on my azure robe when in came Hugues Roger with the surgeon de Chauliac . . . After them arrived Captain Aigrefeuille of the pointed stars, with the jailer Renaud de Pons. Five or six other men, all vital to palace operations, entered the room.” And “the rank and file of papal functionaries marched past, followed by squires and knights in battle armour, then the city marshall, the camerlengo, and the grand penitentiary . . .” And “We were met by sixteen cardinals, plus counts, bishops, damoiseaux, captains, chevaliers, down the line to ecuyers . . . ” These lists serve little purpose except to indicate that the author did considerable research for the book. That research is commendable, but sometimes information is needlessly repeated. Twice we are told that prostitutes had to wear “crimson ribbons” and four times it is mentioned that people believed that the soul entered the body on the eightieth day.

There are events that are unbelievable. Women become pregnant almost on demand. Solange twice arranges to conceive, each time after having intercourse only once. Laura manages to do the same as well. One minute Solange learns that the pope is finished with her and the next minute, when she returns to her room, she finds her maids “already pawing my garments”? One day Solange has difficulty having any physical contact with Angiere but shortly afterwards Solange wants someone else to assist Angiere as she gives birth, “someone else to attend her, someone who did not love her as I did.” The juxtaposition of Solange’s arrival at Clairefontaine and Mother Agnes’s illness seems coincidental.

Despite my hopes, this book was disappointing.

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

See the snazzy YouTube booktrailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdmSJmraBic

There is a certain eternalness about the characters who are carved so sharply, so beautifully from the words that flow together as poetry. This was a beautiful book – it is a classic. And I am entirely enamored by the world created by Novik. The story of Pegge, who might have been Cinderella in some other story, who dreams and wants as feverishly as her genius father. Her genius has no audience, and her desires are largely unspoken. However, at the end of it all, she finds fulfillment. And love.

Conceit is the story of Pegge, daughter of the poet John Donne, a woman obsessed with the desire to understand and experience true passion--the kind of passion expressed in the erotic poems her father penned in his youth. Pegge barely remembers her mother, who died giving birth to her twelfth child, and her father, now Dean of St. Paul's, has striven to suppress both his poems and his passion as he approaches death.

While there is much to admire in Conceit, it is not without its flaws. Mary Novik has obviously conducted extensive research into seventeenth-century London, including its architecture, history, society, family life, and literature. For the most part, these details are effortlessly woven into her fine prose. Oddly, in a book featuring John Donne, Isaak Walton, and Samuel Pepys, the literary allusions themselves seemed stilted. One example: when Pegge's husband William shares a cup of sack with Pepys, the latter's conversation is peppered with the coded sexual language familiar to readers of his diary. While I haven't read a biography of Pepys, I doubt that he used this code in conversation with persons who would not have understood it all; and in flirting with a tavern maid, he certainly would have expressed his desires in more forthright terms. It came across to me rather like a rap on the head (as if to say, "It's Pepys, you know? The sex-crazed guy who wrote about his adventure in a coded diary"). Since Pepys is one of our greatest sources of the details of London life in his day, including the Great Fire that launches Conceit, he might have been put to better use. Lines from Donne's poetry, of course, are central to the story, but they sometimes came up at odd moments and, again, tended to distract the reader. But since Pegge's obsessions are the novel's focus, this is more forgiveable.

Overall, the characters and relationships are certainly original, engaging, and well-developed. Pegge's love/hate relationship with her father, who she nurses towards death while still a teenager, haunts the rest of her life. A physical late-bloomer, she obsesses over her "fleurs" (menstruation), a habit that continues through her childbearing years and on into menopause. When she marries William Bowles, she brings with her the bed in which her parents made love and in which her father died. Her own efforts at penning passion are scrawled across the pages of her father's biography, pompously written by Isaak Walton, the object of her own first (and perhaps undying) love. As Pegge's behavior becomes more and more strange, her memories of Donne border on the incestuous and become confused with her marital relationship. Pegge's rivalry with her sister Con, her obsession with Walton, and her husband's gentle, loving concern are all brilliantly rendered here.

I have to admit that I was rather offput by seeing my beloved Donne presented as a self-centered hypochondriac; I am not sure if this is Novik's invention or recorded fact. However, the chapters that flash back to his courtship of and early marriage to Ann More redeem him. Structurally, the novel moves back and forth through time--a ragged structure but one appropriate to Pegge's thought processes. We even hear the voice of Ann Donne, come from the grave to accuse her husband of abandoning his promises.

On the whole, Conceit fully engaged me in Pegge's world, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves historical novels that are intellectually challenging. It's also a wonderful study of the complexities of the father-daughter relationship. As has been mentioned by others, it is hard to get ahold of a copy in the US, although the book was critically acclaimed and a strong seller in Canada. I had to wait a long time before I found a copy. It was worth the wait.

Mary Novik's 17th century novel, Conceit is a beautifully written story about the daughter of the famed poet, John Donne.

Almost tragic in her obsession with her parent's legendary love-affair, the protagonist, Pegge Donne, explores the depths of passion, betrayal, sexuality and her own attempt to navigate a confusing and perilous era in England, not only politically, but socially.

Novik's handling of the subject matter is with a cool authorial voice, almost clinical, a striking, sometimes disturbing, counterpoint to the very gritty, sweaty subject matter with which she deals.

I'll be thinking about this novel for some days to come.

Conceit (Merriam-Webster)
1 a (1): a result of mental activity: thought (2): individual opinion b: favorable opinion ; especially : excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue
2: a fancy item or trifle
3 a: a fanciful idea b: an elaborate or strained metaphor c: use or presence of such conceits in poetry d: an organizing theme or concept

I’m an enthusiastic historical fiction fan and I especially like medieval fiction, maybe because it is not as popular as other periods, and I’m always looking for unique concepts. I’d been to the bookstore numerous times indecisive whether to buy Conceit and I finally gave in because the great cover captivated me. The story is about the famed love John Donne has for his wife Ann, their children and in particular John’s daughter Pegge and her life. On a broader level it is about the many facets of love and death set in the 17th century. I really really wanted to like this book but I just could not warm to it. Normally I read a book within a week no matter how many pages but Conceit took just under two!

The first 75 pages were plodding and confusing…and then I figured out the general direction of the plot and reading became smoother. Conceit was engrossing in a way, that of being a voyeur to disturbing behavior and unable to look away, as if spellbound with witchery. I didn’t mind the gore or rude language (Novik seems to detail every imaginable bodily function and irritating humor of the period), the complex, rambling ideas, and skipping back and forth through time, rather I detested all the characters. The characters were for the most part brash, uncouth, self-involved, superstitious and unlikable. To be blunt I finished the book then threw it across the room. What I have realized about myself is that I need to like the characters to enjoy the story.

But Conceit IS a masterful, authentic debut by Mary Novik and I would recommend it to those who prefer challenging, unique fiction.

As an aside, there were a lot of foreign words I did not know the meaning of and didn’t bother to look up…I would have a dictionary with you reading this book.

http://myobsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com/

This is among the best novels I've read this year. It's about the youngest daughter of John Donne, the seventeenth century English poet and Dean of London's St. Paul's Cathedral. The prose is beautiful, and the characters - especially Pegge, the main character - are so alive they sometimes seemed to be right in the room with me. Pegge appears at various ages, but mostly during her teenage years, as she nurses a crush on her father's protegé Izaak Walton and tries to figure out how to experience the intense passion her father described in poems celebrating his love for her long-dead mother. The novel is rich and earthy, but it's also a sly critique of John Donne's poetry. This 2007 novel seems to be almost unknown in the U.S. (it was published in Canada), which is a terrible shame. Perhaps U.S. publishers and booksellers think U.S. readers wouldn't be interested in John Donne, but this novel would be just as much fun if the characters were completely fictional

More at www.HistoricalNovels.info.

I'm not surprised that Mary Novik's novel has just been picked by AbeBooks for its Canadian Books of the Year ("the top ten hottest new Canadian books"). Conceit was a Globe and Mail Book of the Year, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller, and won The Ethel Wilson award. Conceit was one of my favourite reads last year and I am still puzzling over some of the juicier bits, wishing I belonged to a men's book club, so I could discuss some of the lingering questions with friends. This is not just a book for women--the men get some of the best lines! This rich novel is full of unusual love-relationships that seem very "seventeenth century" yet universal at the same time. Conceit makes you realize that the best books don't fit into narrow categories and can't just be skimmed. You need to settle down in an armchair with a glass of port with this one. Some Stilton wouldn't hurt at this time of year, and a bowlful of nuts to crack. And you can't get away with reading Conceit just once. It's erotica for the intellect, a treat for the mind.

This is a beautifully-written historical novel, told mainly from the pov of John Donne's daughter. This is the type of historical fiction I delight in, with flawlessly crafted prose, delightful details, wit, and interesting family dynamics. I highly recommend it.

This is really a good book. Highly recommended. It's lots of fun, sexy, quirky, and smart. When Conceit came out, it was called "a magnificent novel of 17th-century London" by The Globe and Mail. It came out in paperback July 2008 and went into a second printing only two weeks later!

Conceit tells the story of Pegge, daughter of the seventeenth century poet, John Donne. The common sense of conceit is excessive pride; of that, so this telling goes, Donne was not innocent. But Donne the poet is historically known for his use of the literary conceit, the juxtaposition of unlike things to surprise and reveal. He used a open compass to depict parted lovers still joined at the soul. The story is about partedness, both parted love and duplicity, and eventual consummation.

The elderly Dr. Donne is dying, or so he hopes. The great love of his life, his wife Ann, is long dead. He is now Dean of St. Paul’s cathedral, eager to take his seat with the saints. He has already preached his funeral sermon and commissioned his effigy. But he lingers; “I am not alive, but God will not kill me”.

Donne is prudish and vain, but cares genuinely for the welfare of his children. Of all his children, only Pegge shows the spirit of a poet. It does not suit her for marriage or for the writing of Donne’s memoir. Instead, a credulous Izaak Walton is employed to handle Donne’s notes. Walton is a beautiful young man, the object of Pegge’s desire. A secret meeting has Pegge removing her scarlet bodice to help snare a massive carp that Walton cannot quite manage. The extended overlay of fishing for mirror carp with love-making might have gone badly in the hands of a lesser writer, but Novik delivers it deliciously.

Pegge’s family awaits her first period so she can be married off, while Pegge’s tears for her “childish, reluctant womb” quicken the ghost of Ann. Ann becomes narrator, telling how the young Donne persuaded her to risk her father’s wrath and poverty by marrying him. He loved her sincerely. He promised they would lie together in life and death, even had it carved on her gravestone. But now he plans to be buried with the deans in St. Paul’s and not with her. He will not be able to abandon his vow so easily. “At the exact moment that your soul springs from your body, I will be there to trap it with a long, devouring kiss.” Donne’s dying dreams send him ravishing Ann’s ashes.

Donne dies at last. Ann and God are there, and while the claim on his soul seems decided, the most fervent part of the story is still to be told. Until now, Pegge’s life seemed overshadowed by her parents. While they knew great love and contended with God, Pegge appeared as a little girl with a crush. During her father’s life, she failed to wrest answers about love from him. In death, he still dominates her life. She marries the man Donne chose, or nearly so. William Bowles is a kind and true husband, but he does not understand the possession that takes hold of Pegge, summoning the writer in her to reveal Donne the man, freeing him from lies and sainthood. “How hard it is to have a wife who loves the smell of ink and paper!” The great fire of England that began the story ends it too, with Pegge deciding Donne’s ultimate fate.

The story is a sensual one, shaped by Donne’s poetry. It is an extended love poem with language, characters and feelings the reader will want to savour one page at a time. How this one could have slipped the Giller shortlist I do not know.

http://johnmiedema.ca/2007/11/17/conceit-by-mary-novik-book-review/

This is definitely not a run-of-the-mill historical novel, but it's one of my favourites: Conceit by Canadian writer Mary Novik. It has really been praised by Sandra Gulland, "This is a beautifully-written historical novel, told mainly from the point-of-view of John Donne's daughter. This is the type of historical fiction I delight in, with flawlessly crafted prose, delightful details, wit, and interesting family dynamics. I highly recommend it." Link to novik's book http://www.amazon.com/review/product/038566205X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fenco... and also the author's website http://www.marynovik.com