The book is divided using the hours of prayer convents use from Matins to Compline. However, the story is confusing. I'm not sure who the main character is or who the maiden of all our desires is. We see some of the nuns with roles, and the woodcarver priest has a role, but is he the main character? It's hard to tell as his role is often interrupted by other events.

This is not your ordinary novel, neither by content nor by writing style and if you are willing to allow the experience, it is a worthwhile read.
The setting is an isolated nunnery in Europe just after the Black Death. The story runs a whole day and night for the nuns of Gaerdegen during a massive snow storm.
Each of the figures have their own desires and motivations, struggles with faith and hope for redemption. Beginning with the abbess, Mother John is frail and not in full control. The priest taking care of the nuns, father Francis, struggles with his own demons and his past. While some younger nuns face their own struggles.
Over all hangs the announced visit from the bishop who suspects the nuns of heresy. All within the confines of the walled-off monastery with threatening nature which makes for a dense atmosphere.

This book seems to be well written; however, I did not care for the writing style. I do believe the style would appeal to others. I was bored by the flowery prose, and just couldn't get into it. I was not able to finish this book.

I will not post a review anywhere else, as I did not finish the book. Thank you for the opportunity to have access to an advanced copy.

This story, set in the 14th century Europe, unfolds over one day, with backstories that give dimensions to that single day.

Mother John is the abbess of Gaerdegen, an abbess that was founded by Ursula, who wrote a book. There is only one copy of it, and Brother Daniel, upon bishop’s request, tries to locate it as he wants to know why her influence has endured. And it brings him to the abbess of Gaerdegen.

The story switches between her story and Father Francis, who lived during Ursula’s time, but the book doesn’t offer dates. I had to re-read the blurb to make sense of it.

The story is character-driven, which I like. It seems to have a good flow with lyrical prose. However, it misses something, which at first I couldn’t figure out what it was. I wished things were better defined in this story. I found it blurry at times, not sure what drives the story besides the characters.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Northern England lies the isolated abbey of Gaerdegen, untouched by the Black Plague. However, when its abbess, Mother John, is accused of heresy and a bishop comes to investigate, dark secrets threaten to unravel the abbey.

The Maiden of All Our Desires by Peter Manseau is a wonderfully atmospheric, intricate, and well-researched historical novel set during the 14th century.

To my delight, there’s also a deliciously gothic, almost mystical undercurrent woven throughout this story: from the raging blizzard outside to Mother John's strange fixation with the crucifix inside her room, and of course, there’s a lecherous, one-eyed priest as well.

I think it’s also important to note that this book is a slow burn. It’s more of an introspective character study than an action-oriented book. However, the characters are so compelling and well-written, I found that I didn't mind too much.

I enjoyed this book very much! The language is beautiful, the characters feel very human even when they make me angry about their behaviour. I also enjoyed the spiritual side of the novel: does your faith change because of life experiences?
Well worth reading!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily a review.

Fourteenth-century Europe. The Black Death has killed half the known world, andin an isolated convent, a small group of nuns spends their days in work, austerity, and devotion, chanting the Liturgy of the Hours. But their community is threatened. Rumors of heresy and a scandalous Book of Ursula, based on the teachings of the charismatic former abbess and founder of the order, have prompted the male church hierarchy to launch an investigation. The priest assigned to minister to the nuns, Father Francis, who is wracked by guilt for an unspeakable crime committed during the lawless plague years, was no friend of Ursula and can't be counted on to defend the order. Disrespect and rebellion infect some novices, and the youngest among them pines for the bishop’s chief inquisitor. And Mother John, the convent’s aging spiritual leader, fears she’s losing her mind after experiencing a vision that brings back her own rebellious past.
As events unfold over the course of a single day, a blizzard that has swept across Europe will break over the convent, endangering the women there and testing their faith. In this astonishing novel, the author of the award-winning Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter explores the territory between faith and freedom, and how the horrific events of history shape individual lives.

I read this book in one sitting, it was so good. This is a first read from this author but I will definitely read his award winning Songs for the Butcher's Daughter. The language, tone and setting for this book, The Maiden of all our Desires, is simply sublime. I could not put it down, but I can concur with some other reviews that found the beginning a little dense but I urge you to persevere. This story of a group of nuns in a god-forsaken place flows as we become familiar with the characters, is so beautifully told and it becomes an easy read. Wonderful writing. Many many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for a beautiful book.

Slow moving and hard to follow. I just couldn’t get into this story. It needs something at the beginning to pull the reader in.