Probably no European writer of his time left so deep a mark on the imagination

Meredith, Alone is beautiful, moving and unexpectedly timely and this time next summer everyone is going to know Claire Alexander's name. It's such a pleasure to spend time in Meredith's world

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant will love this big-hearted book [...] Meredith is a wonderful character

Absolutely gorgeous. If you like a book that makes you feel all the feels, this is the one to go for

Beautiful . . . A story filled with love and hope, and well-crafted characters

With a gorgeous cast of characters, this story tackles difficult subjects, and unfolds sensitively. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant [...] will devour it

I laughed, I cried, and I bowed down to the brilliant author of this brilliant book

This moving story tackles difficult subjects, but unfolds beautifully and sensitively

Heartbreaking and glorious . . . [An] absolute joy of a novel

A gorgeous, charming novel . . . Sweet, moving, funny and hopeful, with a courageous heroine who sweeps you up in her story

I loved Meredith, Alone so much! Touching and funny and sad and hopeful. I have a Meredith shaped hole in my life now I've finished it

Fans of Eleanor Oliphant will love this big-hearted book . . . Meredith is a wonderful character

Thought provoking, relatable and hopeful. Ultimately this is a very human novel with a huge amount of heart

Meredith is such a lovely character and will break your heart

A touching novel about family, friendship and being in the world, full of warmth

It's not sugar coated but it's not depressing either, with Alexander finding just the right balance to make this a thought provoking, relatable and uplifting book. With a wonderfully ordinary cast of characters, all of them just trying to do the best they can with the hands they've been dealt, Meredith, Alone celebrates friendship, connection, forgiveness and the healing power of love. Ultimately this is a very human novel with a huge amount of heart

A beautiful unfolding of a character I was not ready to let go of at the end of this book. Meredith's story is a raw and poignant reflection of what it means to rebuild a life after trauma

This affecting, absorbing debut about an agoraphobic sociophobe reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

You'll root for Meredith all the way

This story tackles difficult subjects, but unfolds beautifully and sensitively. Fans of Gail Honeyman's bestseller Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will devour it

Absolute page-turner . . . I loved being in the company of Meredith

Ultimately a book about hope and the power of friendship. A moving read which will leave you thinking about Meredith - even after you've turned the last page

Spirited, lovely, and full of hope

Hugely recommended

Utterly joyful

I love this book for so many reasons, but mostly for Meredith herself who is both flawed and loveable. Although Meredith Alone is totally unique, it also reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine in all the best ways

Heartbreaking but heart-warming

This has real resonance

Meredith is a likeable heroine who you can't help but root for . . . This is a book about hope and the power of friendship

Alexander's touching debut is beautifully written and . . . brims with hope and the possibility of happiness. Sensitive, relatable

Set to be one of the biggest debuts of the summer . . . Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine should be prepared to fall in love with Meredith, Alone

Uplifting . . . there's a balance between darker themes and inspiring, uplifting ones: finding hope when (or where) you least expect it and learning to love yourself

For fans of Gail Honeywell's Eleanor Oliphant, Claire Alexander's debut novel is a moving story of finding inner strength and courage to overcome our deepest fears . . . Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, Alexander pulls at the heartstrings as we root for Meredith from the very beginning

A novel that examines our most private spaces and what it means to be alone versus lonely, this charming, thought-provoking debut novel will be a big hit

A touching contemporary fiction following one woman's journey back into the world

A timely and poignant book about trauma, loneliness, and stepping outside of our comfort zones - literally

An optimistic, feel-good novel

[A] satisfying debut. The endearing characters offer a sensitive portrayal of what it means to live with mental health issues... with heart to spare

Feverishly exhilarating stuff

With her unparalleled gift for sumptuous, sublime prose, Groff paints an engrossing portrait of a woman who, despite living in a world bound by constraints, experiences a life rich with passion and creativity. Surrounded by a supportive sisterhood, Marie uses strength and ingenuity to subvert the oppression of the patriarchy

Utterly absorbing

Splendid with rich description and period vocabulary, this courageous and spin-tingling novel shows an incredible range for Groff (FLORIDA, 2018), and will envelop readers fully in Marie's world, interior and exterior, all senses lit up. It is both a complete departure and an easy-to-envision tale of faith, power, and temptation.

In this bildungsroman about the real-life 12th-century poet Marie de France, a teenage Marie is exiled to a blighted Benedictine nunnery, where she finds strength and power as a prioress

Powerful, sapphic historical novel . . . Richly realized with historical details that don't overwhelm

Readers will recognize her stunning prose and grand, mythic perspective. . . . in a tale that feels both ancient and urgent, as holy as it is deeply human

The pages are almost completely devoid of men - seen, but not heard - with Groff using poetic, melodic and yet fierce writing to breathe volume into themes of power, ambition and success from the perspective of women

[A] propulsive, enchanting, and emotionally charged read

A clever spin on the story of Marie de France

I loved this accomplished piece of storytelling. So much so, I added it to my Booker wish list at the last minute, a wish not fulfilled, of course

Matrix is a rich, beautifully written novel about ambition and desire, and also witchy separatist medieval nuns

Mesmerizing and inspiring

Medieval life can seem far from our modern grasp, but Groff vividly describes the daily workings of the convent, from prayers to practical chores. She has done her research and it shows in the rich details she provides of working the fields, preparing meals, governing novices . . . magical, a beautiful evocation of what women can achieve and what they can mean to each other

[A] feminist foray into a medieval nunnery that is stunning in its labyrinthine artistry and sensual tracing of life as lived during the era of the poet Marie de France and the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine

Must-read

A[n] artful writer, Groff has no need for fantastic artifice to construct a world without men. She . . . gives us an extraordinary protagonist . . . Anyone who has read Groff's previous novels and stories knows that this author's greatest virtue is her economy of prose. A disciplined writer . . . If "Eleanor's best currency is story," that goes double for Groff . . . Groff's "Matrix" simultaneously transports us to a backward world that once was and the grim future that seems inevitable. And all this through the eyes of a group of extraordinary women who decline to live lives of quiet desperation

[A] transcendently beautiful novel with sensuality, religious ecstasy, gender and power explorations, and a fair bit of tasteful gore. It's surprisingly delicious to read fiction about a historical figure we know so little about

I'm on page 17 and now nothing else matters . . . Once you have this book in your hands I feel certain you too will be consumed

[D]reamy prose . . . At its heart, the book's message is simple: joy can exist in darkness

Richly imaginative

[A] relentless exhibition of Groff's freakish talent . . . an unforgettable book . . . ecstatic, refulgent, God-struck, heretical

[A] creative, intelligent work that will last

The real Marie de France may continue to elude historians but the speculative fiction in Matrix combine to produce an unfailingly absorbing novel

An uplifting novel in its own unique way, and up there with Groff's best work

Matrix forms an intensely focused character study, but also succeeds as a probing exploration of female power

A beautiful and beguiling novel that transports the listener utterly and completely to another world

Against a convincingly filthy and precarious medieval backdrop, Marie is a figure of dazzling complexity