Wow I think I may have found my book of the year!
1836, Prussia. Hanne who is nearly fifteen, is a child of nature but she feels the domestic world of womanhood closing in until she meets Thea, a daughter of a Wend who is under suspicion for using homeopathic witchcraft to heal. Hanne's family are Old Lutherans and feel the call to immigrate to South Australia and so begins the perilous six month journey which has dangerous consequences for Hanne and Thea, but their bond is too strong for even nature to break...

I cannot get over how beautifully written this novel is. It starts off with lyrical passages about storytelling and I highlighted right from the start but then after the turn the story took, Kent uses magical realism to portray endless love and nature, and it's call on Hanne and Thea. There were parts where you had to suspend your belief a little but this was not difficult because of the beautiful way these characters were given life.

Fans of The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave would definitely love this as the beginning reminded me of that story of femininity, nature and what it means to truly love when others disapprove.

Absolutely a five star book for me!

‘Why do men bother with churches at all when instead they might make cathedrals out of sky and water? Better a chorus of birds than a choir. Better an altar of leaves. Baptise me in rainfall and crown me with sunrise.’

Our story begins in 19th century Prussia, in a small community of Old Lutherans. Hanne is awkward, shunned by some of the other girls and often excluded from gatherings, but nature is where she finds her true home as the world around her sings to her. Then a new family arrives, bringing with it Hanne’s kindred spirit in the form of Thea, a magnetic young girl her own age, who is also looked on as an outsider by some. In the face of religious persecution, the community embark on a treacherous voyage across the turbulent seas to South Australia, on a journey that will alter Hanne and Thea’s lives forever.

This novel takes a turning point that in lesser hands mightn’t have worked, and probably won’t be for everyone, but Kent’s writing is so poetic, so mesmerising, that I threw myself in headfirst and embraced the creative leap. This is a story of young love that is as tender and gentle as it is powerful and all-consuming.

Hanne is such a multi-layered narrator, at first shy, awkward, craving an outlet for all the love she holds in her; but when the novel turns it’s corner she finds a new and overpowering freedom of sorts, resulting in some really powerful passages as she hungrily embraces this freedom. Kent’s writing about nature, and Hanne’s communion and visceral connection with nature, is extremely immersive; she has such a deft touch, writing in a style that is gentle one minute, and almost overwhelming in its strength the next. There are several captivating and endearing characters in this book and, while Hanne and Thea’s growing love is the core of the novel, Kent also beautifully and tenderly explores Hanne’s love for her family, her twin brother in particular, and the complexity of child-parent relationships.

Exploring themes of unbreakable bonds and of the many forms devotion can take; of faith, and what happens when our faith is tested, crushed and ultimately redeemed anew; of nature as a spiritual haven; of the expectations placed on women in a patriarchal society; of feelings that there are no words for until we come to fully understand them ourselves; of religious tradition and traditions harnessing the power of the natural and supernatural world; and of colonialism, and the cyclical nature of how the persecuted can become the persecutor.

Kent’s world and community building is so vivid, drawing us back completely to another time and place. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful story, written in such mesmerising prose, and I will definitely be looking to read more by Kent, who seems to specialise in very niche and original historical fiction with a rich injection of lyricism and creative twists.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for digital review copy.

I had already read and thoroughly enjoyed Hannah Kent’s first two novels: Burial Rites (set in 19th Century Iceland), and The Good People (set in 19th-century Ireland), so I was always going to read Devotion, her third novel.

Like her previous two titles, it is once again set in the 19th century and is rooted firmly in Kent’s impeccable and detailed historical research, which informs the story and imbues it with real authenticity whilst never weighing it down.

The story begins in the village of Kay in Prussia, where 17 year old Hanne Nussbaum lives with her family. Kay is home to a small congregation of Lutheran families who adhere firmly to their faith despite the persecution they face from the state and the Union church, which has banned it. A new family, the Eichenwalds, moves to the village, and they too are Lutherans, but some amongst the community, find it hard to accept them.

However, Hanne, who has never really made a real friend before, instantly bonds and connects with Thea Eichenwald, who is a similar age. They become inseparable, and a very intense relationship develops between them. Eventually, the Lutheran community of Kay makes the difficult voyage to a new, religiously tolerant colony in southern Australia, and at this point their lives change forever.

Devotion is an achingly beautiful, moving, and deeply affecting LGBTQ+ historical fiction which has supernatural elements, and a most unexpected twist, but is also a love story. It would completely spoil the reading experience for anyone if I gave away anything further.

What I can say is that I absolutely loved this novel, and I am struggling to compose a review that will do it justice. It is beautifully written with lyrically beautiful descriptions of both the natural world, and human emotion that move your soul and bring you to tears.

Populated with sensitively drawn, well-observed, fully-fleshed characters, especially the females, it develops the idea of “devotion” in both the religious and emotional sense as the story plays out, as well as exploring themes of tolerance, persecution, love and loss.

There are many kinds of love portrayed within the story: the love between a parent and child (not always tender and open-hearted, or freely expressed); heterosexual love; marriages of convenience; arranged marriages; the love between siblings; the love for ones homeland; religious love; but it is the love between Hanna and Thea that is the most dominant in the story, and there is a real depth, intensity and universality to it.

The novel also looks at the impact of white settlement on the native lands of Australia. We see how the immigrants took the lands of the indigenous populations and forced them to leave, whilst destroying their carefully natured eco-systems in the process, with the introduction more intensive farming practices which deeply impacted the natural environment. Given that the Lutherans were themselves persecuted and forced to leave their homeland, the irony is not lost on the reader.

I know that some readers have struggled slightly with accepting the supernatural aspects of the story, but for me, given the intensity of the connections, and the context, it was not problematic in any way. Some readers may also need to be wary of the harsher elements of 19th century life too, and there are scenes of animal slaughter, death and miscarriage for example, but unless you would find these triggering they do not detract from the story and are entirely legitimate within the context of the story.

Devotion is a novel of such depth and intensity of emotion. I devoured it in two sittings and if you’re anything like me, it will live long in your head after you have finished it. An easy 5 stars and definitely recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Pan Macmillan/Picador for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book in two halves The story starts off as a naturalistic story of a family of German fine mental Christians driven off their ancestral home by rigid religious laws that prevented them worshiping and living as they wanted .It is told from the point of view of a young girl whose family set off on a long journey to emigrate to Australia
I liked the way that the lead character develops a deep lesbian relationship with another girl when such a thing was forbidden .The other girl’s mother ,so different from her own is also a witch and healer .So a doubly forbidden relationship which adds colour and tension
There is an unexpected twist mid novel which I hadn’t predicted and I’ve ticked the Goodreads spoiler button for this .The main character dies and the second half of the story is told from the point of view of her as a spirit or ghost .I was initially a bit cross that this happened as I was so invested in this girls happiness ,however I soon saw that it allowed the story to progress in a far less traditional way and ultimately added a lot to the story
The author has a beautiful writing style and there are highly visual sections that were moving as well as cinematic
I read a copy on NetGalley Uk The book is published in the Uk 3 February 2023 by Pan MacMillan .This review is published on NetGalley Goodreads and on my book blog Bionic Sarah’s Books on Wordpress

Hannah Kent is a master of historical fiction. Her periods have the depth created by exhaustive research and attention to detail. Her characters, usually women marginalised by society are well-crafted with flaws and inconsistencies and distinct voices. In Devotion she tells the queer love-story of Hanne and Thea, two girls travelling from 1830s Prussia with their families and their [niche] Lutheran community. Seeking to build a new home in Australia.

Kent effortlessly recreates the settings of her story. The failing town Hanne and Thea are leaving, the cramped confines of the [doomed] ship, the hard-scrabble condition of building a life from scratch in an alien, sometimes hostile environment. Her exquisite descriptions are vivid, breathing life into her creations.

Although there is tragedy in Hanne and Thea’s story, Kent has written an elegy to unwavering love, to devotion against all the odds and in a way that defies the expectations of the reader. I found myself blindsided by the unexpected direction that the narrative took, and it took me a little while to reconcile myself to the strangeness of it. Ultimately, it is the beauty of the prose and the tenderness of the love story that linger with me.

I learnt a lot from this book. It's not normally my choice to pick up a historical novel. At times I wanted the pace of the story to pickup but on the whole I enjoyed it

Beautifully haunting, Devotion is a pure joy to read from start to finish. A deeply compelling story of a small Lutheran community travelling for six months to Southern Australia.

It's 1836 and life for Hanne is to change beyond all recognition. A lonely and invisible child, Hanne has few friends. Until a new family join their community and Hanne forms a friendship with their daughter Thea. Suddenly Hanne is seen and accepted and this is a heady feeling.

Soon the community leaves their village to make the epic six month journey by boat to Australia. A journey that has its fair share of hardship and tragedy.

The second part of the book takes us into the world of the mystical as we see beyond death for one of the characters.

We feel the pain of loss and the enduring love that has grown between Thea and Hanne, the depth of which only grows through time.

The intensity of their endless song was something so ethereal and other worldly that it made my heart soar and equally break.

A truly original voice and a beautifully soul shaking love story.

Devotion first takes us to Prussia in the early 1800s where we meet Hanne, a teenager who lives in a small Lutheran community where she feels isolated and unwanted.

Hanne has an unusual gift where she can hear nature in a way others can't and when she meets Thea, whose mother is thought to be a witch, Hanne finally feels like she has found her soul mate.

The Lutherian community are soon on the move though, to Australia, which takes 6 arduous months by boat. This is where the book completely changes in nature, to magical surrealism and I struggled to get through the second half, beautifully written as it was.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I am extremely disappointed with this book. As brilliant as the writing is, it soon becomes both tedious and unbelievable. I was hoping for some understanding of life in Prussia and Australia in the 19th century but the plot was a step too far for me.

This is a strange story. The first-half of the novel describes the slow-burning relationship between two girls in an old God-fearing Protestant community set in what is now a part of Germany. Hanne and Thea meet up, become friends and enjoy nature and each other, oblivious as to how they might be labelled and essentially innocent. However, their friendship is increasingly intense, almost to the point of obsession. This is the beginning of the ‘Devotion’ in the title.

It’s nicely described but then, halfway through the novel, everything changes as their community uproots to seek a new life in South Australia and then follows an authentic description of the long sea voyage, its hardships and its calamities. Then, before the voyage ends and perhaps unexpectedly, the story moves into a completely different gear and it requires a considerable suspension of disbelief to stay with it.

Through everything, the intensity of Hanne’s feeling for Thea is undiminished and, ultimately, the novel is a continuing account of a love which is – through strange circumstances – requited and rewarded. In that sense it is a romance and readers may enjoy the book for that but it is necessary to make a significant leap of faith to get there and, in the end, this reader couldn’t really take it seriously.

Others, however, will find it moving and beautiful and the description is always elegantly expressed and even elegiac in character. If you like it, you’ll love it!

This is Australian writer Hannah Kent's first novel since 2017 when she published the sublime Burial Rites, nominated for several prizes, followed by The Good People in the same year.

As with Burial Rites, this is a very original and daring novel based on history.

We follow two young women on the long and arduous voyage from Prussia to Australia in the 1830s. Their austere religious community is emigrating to find freedom but conditions on board the ship are terrible and not everyone will make it.

Hanne and Thea are close friends who secretly realise their relationship is more than friendship but they don't understand how or why. Both fall seriously ill. Finally the ship docks and the community moves into its new settlement near Adelaide. The bond between Hanne and Thea proves too strong for even nature to break.

Themes include witchcraft, religious persecution and the poor treatment of the indigenous population in Australia.

This is an astonishing love story and beautifully written.

A lovely lyrical story, well told and well written like as with all Hannah Kent's work. Detailed descriptions conjured up images of 19th century Prussia and the love story was timeless. A must for all historical fiction fans, with a story not always told from these times.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This is a slow-moving story which builds in intensity the further through the book you get. Hannah Kent’s writing is lyrical and poetic and details the many shades of devotion - devotion to God, to family, to nature and to a lover, even after death.
Did I love this book? - probably not but I was in awe of the writing. Did I rush to finish it? - yes, I found that the third part of the book dragged. Did I expect the twist? - No! And I struggled for a while to accept what happened. Would I recommend this book? - absolutely! The ending is immense and the whole story will stay with me for a long time.

My face is wet with tears as I write this. Oh, this is a beautiful, heart-breaking, gut-wrenching corker of a book. I have been so connected, so moved by something in ages. I loved this book so much. I loved the way the author brings the era to life; the time, the people and the sense of place. The book is beautifully written. I loved Hanne and Thea and the bond, the love they share. It was a joy to read. There is also a twist (though that’s not quite the right word) that I didn’t see coming. This is a devastating book.

Well researched historical novel, exquisite writing with well rounded characters, I enjoyed the feistiness and the simpler times.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deep in the heart of Prussia lies a small community of Old Lutherans, forbidden to worship and persecuted they long for religious freedom. Hanne is on the cusp of womanhood and does not want to get married, she'd rather commune with nature. Into her life comes new neighbours, the Slavic Anna Marie married to a member of the congregation and their daughter Thea. Hanne and Thea become fast friends and possibly more. However the community is given the opportunity to go to Australia and start again, a journey that will take months and cause many hurts on the way.
Hannah Kent is a brilliant writer, I have loved all her previous books and this is no exception. I am always surprised that Kent can really inhabit the lives of those she writes about across time and space. Here the eternal love of two young women in a time when their love was not allowed and in circumstances where the lives of women were very restricted is imagined. The descriptions of deepest Prussia, of the voyage and of the start of life in Australia are drawn beautifully and the emotions are heartfelt.

Outsiders within outsiders; ultimate connectedness

Hannah Kent’s third novel, set in the late 1830’s, initially within what became known as the ‘Old’ , Lutheran community in Friedrich Wilhelm III’s Prussia, and then in South Australia, where this proscribed sect emigrated, is, in parts, truly, sublime. In the original meaning of the word, meaning transcendent, spiritual, ecstatic beyond the confines of rational language. This is a place poetry can capture, and Kent gets to the experience in her prose.

This is both a very weird and a very wonderful book indeed

Hannah Kent continues her themes, explored in her earlier book, of ‘outsider’ women within an often rigid patriarchal religious and political hierarchy, exploring a deeper spirituality. Unlike her earlier books, this one is not based on real historical events and the real, named individuals they happened to. Her characters here are fictional, but the broad events did happen.

Friedrich Willhelm III had decreed the merging of two specific schisms within Protestantism – the Evangelicals and the Reformed, for political reasons – territorial alliance. The ‘Old’ Lutherans were those who did not accept amalgamation. They became The Lutheran Free Church, and their pastors risked imprisonment. As happens, those persecuted by the State found emigration to new lands the only option.

One of those new lands was South Australia, to Adelaide and beyond, and in the late 1830’s several ships set out to make the perilous journey. There, the survival of the community also depended on the indigenous peoples teaching the immigrants what could be eaten, what could be lethal.

The major trajectory of the story is the deep friendship, connection, love and devotion between her two central characters, Johanna (Hanna) and Thea. Hanne is the adolescent daughter of one of the Church’s Elders, She is something of an outcast, ecstatic, mystical, probably synaesthetic, pantheistic. The traditional and expected role she should shortly embrace – marriage, motherhood, meek surrender, not one she wants. Thea is the daughter of an Wendish woman, newly arrived into this Lutheran community. The Wends were regarded with suspicion, a Slavonic group within Prussia. Thea’s mother is a familiar character in Kent’s writing – she is a healer, a deeply spiritual woman, a wise woman, midwife, but, predictably both feared, hated, demonised, by some, as well as trusted by those who have been healed.

The two outside girls become fast and deep friends. Love, where it is going, cannot really be easily named.

This book is their story, Hanne its narrator. The physical world of the Kay village in Prussia, the terrifying claustrophobia and privations of the dangerous sea voyage, and the struggle to survive the rigors of life in the new land, are wonderfully delineated.

This is not, though, an orthodox narration. Kent does something outrageous, extraordinary. This takes her book to amazing places. And no review should spoil what each reader must find for themselves

Audacious, brilliant, highly recommended

I adored this book - a lyrical, descriptive journey across the ocean and into the very hearts of the characters.

This book was amazing. I coudn't put it down. It was magical. Higly recommended! The characters, the plots, the writting: wonderful and perfect.