I devoured this debut book in 2 days and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It has everything that I like in a novel: a medieval setting,  strong female characters, beautiful prose, a bit of mystery, and twists and turns.  Even though it has a religious setting, I did not find it overpowering or preachy.
  
One of my favorite reads of 2025!  Can't wait to see what Janet Rich Edwards comes out with next!

My thanks to NetGalley,  the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.  This opinion is my own.   
#Canticle #NetGalley

For the first few chapters, I expected not to like this novel. The tone and language, initially, are quite anachronistic at times, I actually wondered briefly if this was a YA book, and I had missed the memo somehow. However, once I got deeper into the book, I was much more engaged and enjoyed the work very much.

While I have very little interest in issues of faith, the threads of Medieval church history woven through this work are fascinating, and it is refreshing to read a book that acknowledges the women who were writing and reading and shaping faith in the Middle Ages. Likewise, while the main character was quite unlikable for a good portion of the book, it's a worthwhile reminder that less-than-great people can sometimes be responsible for great acts, and the arc of her growth was really satisfying.

If I have one complaint (aside from the anachronistic and somewhat immature tone at the beginning of the novel), it's that the antagonist really is a bit too much of a mustache-twirling villain - so much so that it is cartoonish at times. That said, though, this was a really pleasing and informative read.

The language in Canticle is beautiful, poetic, and immediately provides you with a sense of where and when you are. We are introduced to a young woman, Aleys, in thirteenth-century Bruges. Aleys is comfortable with her family and her life, and she is fascinated by her mother’s psalter, even more so upon her mother’s death.

But as the family comes on hard times, rather than get married to save her family but lose her freedom, Aleys takes her destiny into her own hands. This is where Janet Rich Edwards takes inspiration from the medieval mystics and introduces us to the Church, and more specifically, the Franciscans and the little-known to us beguines.

While the church and her prayers take center-stage for Aleys, Canticle is really an exploration of a woman’s life in this time period, and how little the church and women’s lives have changed in some aspects. Where does a headstrong, intelligent girl who has a deep connected to God belong? Can we be safe anywhere, even where we are supposed to be the most protected as a beloved within the church? “The church wants to silence difficult women,” Aleys and the beguines muse, and, at least in some traditions, we still feel that very deeply.

This historical fiction debut is stunning. The characters are rich, their inner lives full. The more I sit with it, the more in awe I am. Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the opportunity to read Canticle as an ARC.

Aleys, a sixteen-year-old with religious visions, runs away from an arranged marriage to join the beguines, a community of independent religious women in thirteenth-century Bruges. When their illegal scripture translations and Aleys' mystical experiences draw the attention of an ambitious bishop, the whole community faces increasing danger. It's a competently written debut about medieval women's agency, but despite all the research and atmospheric detail, it never quite comes alive in a way that made me care deeply about anyone involved. I feel like I missed the experience everyone else had with it.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
I've read the first sixty seven pages of canticle. I think it is safe to say this book just isn't for me. it is dishearting not to finish a arc but I'm not going to force myself thought it. I'm not in the right mindset to read a religious story. Idk how id even describe my beliefs but its not chirstans. I dont even know if the narrative is going to be christens like the themes. I couldn't find anything except for the author getting married at a chruch.

There was a line "that her fear of bearing children may have a exception, if they were fins" and I should've stopped there

I really wanted to love this book. My patron saint is Joan of Arc--She went through much that the heroin here did and in the same time period.
roughly.
Both were clos to their mothers.
But A. was simply not an appealing character--After the first few chapters I was tired of the repeating --her family, hr firends, . The interesting part bout the holy women in Brugges--overdone--a little history goes a long way. The relationship with her confessor--unclear what I was supposed to think about it--romantic suppression? I felt this might have been better as a short story or a novella with less of the detail. Research is great, but on the pages of fiction, less is more. I write historical fiction myself so I know the desire to include everything but , sadly, too much detail bogged down the plot and set up barriers for me to become fond of the main character.
I will not be sharing this online--I do not share really negative reviews--this author has a great idea, di da lot of work, is competent and talented --just too much detail for my taste

When I first received this book I wasn't sure about it. I'm not one to read books that are more focused on religion. However this author's writing style is phenomenal. The storyline was actually very interesting, a bit slow at times. The writing of the story and characters were complex and well thought out. I found myself throughly enjoying reading it. The writing style was my favorite part of this book pulling the whole story together. I also read that this is her first book and wow what a debut book to have! If you're looking for a book that is poetic, thoughtful, political and some religion I'd definitely recommend this book for you. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

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.