This author is wonderful. Her 'word smithing' is purely amazing. This talent mixed with the story of a nunnery in the Middle Ages makes for a great read. One learns much about the lot of women at that time and how these women provided support for each other. Dunant has researched her topic exhaustively. Her backgrounds are described with detail: her characters are wide ranging and interesting. .They come to life through their interaction with each other. The story itself is a page turner. This was a wonderful book.