Thank you to netgalley for this beautifully written debut novel. I usually rush through reading because I have so many books on my TBR list. But I found myself slowing down to absorb the well written characters and words. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by Janet Rick Edwards.

3.5 stars rounded up!

Canticle is quite the historical fiction I wasn’t expecting to read. It starts off slow paced but picks up eventually, which was worth it because I nearly put it down. This was well researched and written. I’ve had my share on historical fiction a reads lately, this one has to be one of the top 10.

Aleys is trying to find herself in the world, she embarks on a journey of self discovery through religion. The fact that she teaches herself how to read an ancient language is beyond me and it didn’t make sense but hey, sometimes those things happen. Aside from a few things, the book was an overall great read.

Thank you NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the arc!

I love historical novels that feel not just well-researched but also rich and real and alive, and this book more than meets my expectations there! A solid novel, sweeping in scope and with fascinating characters. Made me want to learn much more about Christian mysticism.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I think that it was a great read, and it really takes you back in time like you are a shadow seeing the events going on. The characters are loveable and show growth throughout the book. There are also elements of suspense and hope, leaving readers to keep reading to find out what happens. This book was well written, and anyone who likes books of this topic will surely love this one as well.

It was a solid story. It was thought provoking, a well painted picture of the times. I think it will be a niche read, but it was very well researched and well done. I could see how with modern eyes this story would be hard to read. But it was very well done, and a solid story..

I enjoy and admire the author’s writing style. In the beginning, the story takes off and sweeps you up into it. Her language is succinct and direct, with instances of poetry in her words. I understand the comparison to Wolff Hall in the editor’s note at the beginning of the book. The writing is quick and sharp; you either follow along or get left behind. There were instances of witty humor that I appreciated as well. I also like how Aleys is well thought out and a fully formed three-dimensional character. Also, the rich description created imagery as bright and lush as the pictures in the illuminated manuscript.

That said, I feel like I was baited and switched. The book description leaves out a whole lot about what this book is mostly about. I love historical fiction because you learn so much about another place in time that you may not previously have any knowledge of. This was the case when I initially read the description of Canticle – Medieval Bruges, unconventional women, beguines, seeds of the Reformation. I liked the bond that developed between Aleys and Marte. I love that the beguines didn’t care about social norms and did what they pleased. However, overall, I read a far more religious book than was described. I felt like the first third of the book matched the description, but the rest is overwhelmingly a Christian story.

The beautiful words weren’t enough for me in the end. Other contributing factors as to why I didn’t enjoy this novel very much is that I found the plot to be slow going. It took me so long to read this book – I started on May 8th and finished July 13th. The plot gets stuck around 2/3 through and I lost interest. In addition, you don’t get enough information about the other characters. I found myself wondering about their back stories and lives more than Aleys’.

I’m not arrogant enough to think that a book isn’t good just because I didn’t enjoy it. Although the writing is admirable, the story just isn’t for me. I would like to thank NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the opportunity to read this novel before publication and give my honest feedback.

This is a beautifully written story about women and faith. I wish I could find the words to explain the feeling of peace and understanding I felt reading this book. Alys is so multi layered and real, and although I can't relate to her struggles, I felt that she has much to teach me about growth, resilience and support. I'm left feeling like I just witnessed something so great, I can't understand the vastness of its greatness. In a way, that is what Alys is. Not having read any religious books in years, this really helped me think about life in the broadest terms. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into historical fiction, religious books, or just read something with depth.

Absolutely incredible - an emotional journey through the life of a 13th-century young woman who is destined to become a Christian mystic. Along the way, we encounter a Franciscan monk and a bishop, each with their own power agendas, a community of women called "beguines" which is entirely new to me, and a farmer's wife who dares reshape Christian stories to match her experiences as a mother. I am so grateful to the author for the effort she put into this beautiful book. I read this book in two sittings-almost one! The language is modern without being jarringly anachronistic, allowing the reader to simply absorb the story instead of puzzling out more historical speech patterns.

Highly recommended!!

I read the synopsis for this book and I was intrigued however it was a cover that drew me in first. The imagery in this book is literally so amazing I felt like I was inserted into this book watching everything happen around me. Although this book is set many many years ago I somehow relate to the main character and it was crazy to see some of the plot twists unfold in front of me. 10/10 recommend reading it as soon as you can. This book had me in a chokehold for the weeks that I read it and if I had the time I swear I would have finished it in like 2 days. Many books tend to be slow during the first few chapters and that was not the case for this book at all. Since the first chapter the book had me in a chokehold and I couldn't stop talking about it / thinking about it!!!

Delightful and captivating historical fiction set in medieval Bruges.about a young woman coming-of-age in a time when women had even loss options then they gave today. Aleys is the daughter of a wiol draper who wants to dedicate her life to God. Her father agrees she will not have to marry until the family can obtain the patronage of a wealthy man to have a stall in the Market if Aleys will marry him. Aleys escapes and eventually finds her way to a community of women, beguines, seeking covenant with God. The book explores the lives of these women (the last of whom died in 2013 - be sure to read the Acknowledgments) which is fascinating. And the author has woven a story filled the misconceptions, scheming and conspiracies rife at that time. This is very readable book about a time in history of which little is written in fiction - making it a must for those who love historical fiction. Highly recommend. My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

<i>"She has a calling...It doesn't mean she has charisma."</i>

Rarely does a work sum itself up so accurately: there is no charisma in this book.

The word that kept running through my mind while reading <i>Canticle</i> was "generic." There was no sense of reading about a different time or a different place or even a different point of view. Everything just felt bland...well, except for the bishop, who is such an over the top, mustache-twirling villain that I kept picturing him as Snidely Whiplash.

Two and a half stars, rounded down.

I was attracted to this title partly because I love historical fiction, particularly stories set in time periods and locations I'm not super familiar with, but also because it promised a story about strong women. Wow - it did not disappoint on either of these points. The author clearly did extensive research on a relatively little known aspect of religious and social history, and I was fascinated. The plot was engaging and fast paced, and was much more suspenseful than I expected. The community of beguine women provided a subtle feminist backbone to the story, and their strength and endurance became the focal point, beyond even the primary characters and plot. I loved it.

It took me a little while to really get into Aleys's story, but as soon as she ran away from her wedding and connected with the Franciscans and then the beguines community of women, I was hooked. The writing is lush and sensual and just beautiful. I felt like I was right there with her throughout her harrowing story. I loved the emotional connection she felt with the beguines and how the community of women meant so much to her.

The thoughtfulness of the writing, the excellent pacing, and the brilliant use of language to convey scene and emotion kept me turning the pages late into the night. The history of women and their religious, non-religious, and spiritual lives is fascinating and conveyed in a way for the reader to understand exactly what it was like for women in those days.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Canticle - Janet Rich Edwards – Spiegel & Grau HC $30.00 – 9781966302056 – 12/2/2025
Set in the 13th century and in the city of Brugge (Bruges) this complex novel of faith, fairness, hypocrisy and the plight of women in a world of men fills in many voids in the contemporary understanding of the role of female mystics and the place of women in the church. Although much is known about the beguines, a sect of female monks prevalent in Europe during the years before Protestantism took hold, the intimate personal view revealed here touches close to the emotional life of these remarkable people.
Aleys is a young girl born to a family of wool merchants who is visited by visions of a divine source urging her to find her way to God. The images she sees are bright, compelling, frightening and profound. When she voices a wish to become part of the Franciscan order her family is taken aback, since she has agreed to marry into a house of wealth that will assure her father a place in the guild he desperately seeks. Lukas, a Franciscan friar becomes her mentor although he is perplexed that she, a mere girl, should be privy to such holy calling when his own dedication and fervor have left him without such divine inspiration. Through a series of miracles Aleys performs and the devious machinations of the local bishop, a jealous and avaricious man who is more concerned with his own promotion within the church than real religious matters she is made an anchorite, sequestered from life in a cell attached to the local church.
How Aleys deals with not only the passionate response of the people of Brugge but the plots devised by the bishop is the meat of the story. It is an intimate look at the joy and sorrow of the true prophet, blessed and cursed with vivid images and an emotional bonding with Jesus, Mary and God. A thread dealing with the clandestine translation of the gospel into Dutch for the benefit of common folk who have only had access to the words of the Bible through priests who often did not understand the Latin or the meaning of the verses complicates the lives of Aleys, the beguines, and Lukas, her tortured mentor.
An understanding of the genesis of saints and martyrs who dominated much of the religious thought of the time is available to the reader who wishes to understand more about Christianity, women and the Church. A potent narrative illuminating the rapture and the pain of the zealots who often found themselves at odds with the established keepers of the faith is limned with skill and clear evidence of extensive research and soul-searching on the part of this author who is an academic as well as a novelist.
Shelf Talker: An intimate look into the lives of religious visionaries who became martyrs and saints as well as the intriguing sect of the beguines, a female sect of monks could easily be the basis of a course on women’s issues and/or comparative religion. Well written, compelling narrative and a gripping personal story of a young girl’s transformation from common to divine.

I received an ARC for this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and I appreciate both your work and commitment to this project. The following opinion is my own and holds no major spoilers.

Do you like esoteric medieval saints lives? religious Ecstasy, religious politics and heresy? Then this might be the book for you.

Our protagonist Aleys lives in a 13th century ripe with religious and social strife and after taking holy vows to escape and unwanted marriage enters a world where women's holiness is desired, comodified and villified. As someone with an interest in niche medieval female religious groups this has it all - poor Clare's, beguines, and anchoresses. Think Julian of Norwich meets Joan or Arc meets Hildegard of Bingen.

The characters are fleshed out and complex with their own secular and spiritual motivations. There is no easy answer or comfortable ending and Janet Rich Edwards deftly explores characters light and shade. The prose when exploring religious visions and ideas is rich and otherworldly but brilliantly grounded. For a debut offer this demonstrates knowledge of the setting, existing literature and the human spirit.

Historical fiction can so often get trapped in niches (hist romance, military hist and retellings) this breaks this mould. If you like the historical elements of Kate Mosse' Labrynth then I would highly recommend this

Set during the 1200s/Medieval times in Bruges, Belgium, this is a very interesting historical fiction novel. I just visited Bruges and before that trip did not know what a beguinage was, but now have visited one in Bruge, one in Gent, and saw where one had existed in Brussels.
This is a very atmospheric story of a 16-year old who wants to dedicate her life to God, but also worries about her family. She is meant for greater things, and ultimately finds her way through trial and tribulation. The ending was amazing and reflective of the times and the misunderstanding of women as it related to the Church.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I received an ARC for this book from Netgalley and the publisher in return for my honest review. The following opinion(s) are my own and hold no major spoilers.

Canticle is hands down my favorite historical fiction novel, this book is not just about a young girl and her faith but about finding her place in the world. Canticle is set in the 13th century and follows the story of Aleys. Aleys loves her mother’s psalter and learns Latin to read them. Her mother, however, ends up dying in childbirth and because of this Aleys vows to never marry or have children. When her father sets up an arranged marriage for her, Aleys flees and with the help of a Franciscan monk she is able to avoid this marriage, eventually coming to live with the beguines where she truly begins to learn different things, including friendship.

This novel is wonderful; the writing does start out a little slow but quickly picks up. I have some understanding of the catholic church and found the different church positions mentioned to be easy to understand but I don’t feel like this will be a problem for anyone with little or no knowledge of the church.

If you are looking for a historical tale outside of WWII or a ‘Bridgerton’ style book, Canticle is for you!

I LOVED this book! I selected it to read because of the focus on the Beguine community in Bruges, which is the focus of one of my own novels. I was interested to see the main character of this novel take some fascinating turns that had her pass through the Beguinage and onto far more profound spiritual adventures.

This novel is highly recommended for anyone interested in Christian history, Church history, or the history of the Protestant reformation. All the tensions are there!

Lovely writing by a skilled novelist!

Who would think that a story about a colonial midwife and her family would be interesting (The Frozen River)? Probably the same person that would think a story about a female "friar" who is introduced to a community in Bruges called Beguines, who while not a community of nuns is a community of sisters. While it is definitely the story of Aleys, it is also a tale of political and religious intrigue that shows how a little bit of power can cause a movement to go sideways to devastating results. Ms. Edwards does a good job of taking the reader back to medieval times without sacrificing the plot or the characters, which makes this book almost impossible to put down to see what happens next. Although it is not a "happy" book, it is not a depressing book and one can only hope that at the end the reader is given a sliver of hope that a "miracle" did occur.

This book is beautifully written, emotionally intense, and unapologetically bold in its examination of faith, power, and the roles women are allowed to play in sacred spaces.

Set in the late 13th century, Canticle follows a fiercely devout young girl who dreams of serving the Church in a way that defies every expectation placed on her. Her journey is filled with spiritual longing, personal loss, and the quiet rebellion of choosing purpose over tradition.

Janet Rich Edwards brings medieval Europe to life with poetic language and vivid detail, capturing both the beauty of devotion and the darkness that comes with institutional control. The pacing is deliberate and the story is dense, but the emotional impact is worth every page.

This is a powerful story about a girl’s unwavering faith and the price of defying the limits imposed on her. Perfect for readers who enjoy feminist historical fiction with religious and political undertones.