I haven't written a book review for some time, though I have been ploughing away at my pile of fiction. The pile has gone down dramatically, and there are now more non-fiction left than fiction, I think.
My last read The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers was a slow starter, but I was soon caught up in the life of Agnes Morel, who began life as an abandoned baby and who was taken care of by nuns. Poor Agnes had a troubled life, full of injustice and misunderstanding, people who thought they were doing their best for her, who only made things worse. At fifteen she is pregnant and her baby is taken from her. After an incident at the convent Agnes is sent a clinic and later she is sectioned. Years later, after recovery, she comes to work as as a cleaner in the famous cathedral, but her her past comes back to haunt her through the malicious Sister (now Mother) Veronique, and the even worse, Madame Beck. How I hated that woman! Agnes has a few friends, mainly others she cleans for, but as gossip and accusations threaten those friendships, Agnes has to face up to her origins.
I particularly liked Alain who works in the cathedral, and with whom Agnes forms a friendship, and Abbe Paul. Agnes is far from being 'slow' as the nuns had labelled her. She sees and understands more than they realise. Set against the history and back drop of Chartres, this is a great story with touches of wit and insights into other characters behaviour. Madame Picot discovers the cathartic feeling of 'coming clean' over something she has done. There is a lot about false accusation, denial, confession and forgiveness. And there is also love. I was sad to finish the book. Salley Vickers leaves an 'afterword', with some of what later happens, but threads are still left. I almost felt that maybe there would be a sequel. However, sometimes it's nice for a reader to have these threads to play with and imagine how things pan out.
My last read The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers was a slow starter, but I was soon caught up in the life of Agnes Morel, who began life as an abandoned baby and who was taken care of by nuns. Poor Agnes had a troubled life, full of injustice and misunderstanding, people who thought they were doing their best for her, who only made things worse. At fifteen she is pregnant and her baby is taken from her. After an incident at the convent Agnes is sent a clinic and later she is sectioned. Years later, after recovery, she comes to work as as a cleaner in the famous cathedral, but her her past comes back to haunt her through the malicious Sister (now Mother) Veronique, and the even worse, Madame Beck. How I hated that woman! Agnes has a few friends, mainly others she cleans for, but as gossip and accusations threaten those friendships, Agnes has to face up to her origins.
I particularly liked Alain who works in the cathedral, and with whom Agnes forms a friendship, and Abbe Paul. Agnes is far from being 'slow' as the nuns had labelled her. She sees and understands more than they realise. Set against the history and back drop of Chartres, this is a great story with touches of wit and insights into other characters behaviour. Madame Picot discovers the cathartic feeling of 'coming clean' over something she has done. There is a lot about false accusation, denial, confession and forgiveness. And there is also love. I was sad to finish the book. Salley Vickers leaves an 'afterword', with some of what later happens, but threads are still left. I almost felt that maybe there would be a sequel. However, sometimes it's nice for a reader to have these threads to play with and imagine how things pan out.
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