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The Rebel Nun
An Amazon#1 New Release
Medieval Historical Fiction
Wherever You Buy Books!
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Winner of the CIPA EVVY book awards for best historical fiction.
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Winner of the 2021 Herb Tabak CIPA Choice award.
The Rebel Nun
Want to see The Rebel Nun as a movie? So do I! Here's how I'd cast it: http://americareads.blogspot.com/2021/03/marj-charliers-rebel-nun-movie.html
A fascinating novel based on the true story of a rebellion led by nuns against the church in sixth-century Gaul
Clotild, the daughter of a sixth-century king and his slave, leads a rebellion of nuns against the rising misogyny and patriarchy of the Medieval church.
At that time, women were afforded few choices in life: prostitution, motherhood, or the cloister. Only the latter offered them any kind of independence, but by the end of the sixth century, even that was eroding as the church ejects women from the clergy and seeks to control their monasteries.
Craving the legitimacy thwarted by her bastard status, Clotild seeks to become the next abbess of the female Monastery of the Holy Cross, the most famous of the women's cloisters at the time. When the Bishop of Poitiers blocks her election and seeks to control the nunnery himself, Clotild masterminds an escape, leading a group of nuns on a dangerous pilgrimage to beg her royal relatives to intercede on her behalf. The bishops refuse to back down, and a bloody battle ensues.
Will Clotild and her sisters succeed with their quest, or will they face excommunication and possibly even death?
In the only historical novel written about the incident, The Rebel Nun is a richly imagined story about a remarkable heroine.
Available Now! in audio, ebook, paperback and hardcover
Published by Blackstone Publishing and Blackstone Audio, 2021
Praise for The Rebel Nun
The Rebel Nun is a well-written window into the life of a 6th-century royal bastard and the changing landscape of holy power structures. Charlier writes a strong voice for Clotild, with vivid descriptions of a daily life that brings readers along into her world. The research shows, and Charlier does an excellent job of seamlessly integrating the historical record with her own fiction. Marj Charlier takes an obscure sixth-century tale and turns it into a stunning story of a nun caught up in the misogyny of the early Christian church. Led by Clotild, a king’s bastard daughter, a group of nuns attempt to rescue their monastery from the all-male church hierarchy. Extensively researched and rich in historical detail, The Rebel Nun tells of a time when women were chattel, when priests questioned whether females had souls. Charlier’s artfully written account of Clotild’s struggle to save her Medieval sisterhood from the dominance of kings and bishops is a perfect novel for today’s women.
SANDRA DALLAS
New York Times best-selling author
Book Club Questions
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About Me
Historical fiction has taken me hostage. I write contemporary women's fiction but I am also addicted to stories set in Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages in Gaul and Spain. I am seeking agent representation for my completed novel about the great diaspora of the fourth and fifth centuries in Western Europe, my sequel to The Rebel Nun, and a time-travel novel set in sixth century Gaul and Spain.
I spent my childhood in rural Iowa, went to college in Iowa, Wisconsin and Denver, and worked for the first 20 years in journalism, including 12 at the Wall Street Journal. I spent another 20 years writing in corporate finance departments and corporate philanthropy, before retiring to write novels.
I now live in Colorado Springs, CO, where I hike nearly daily, read books, write books, and play with every dog in the neighborhood.
Literary agents: Please contact me for information regarding my three completed, unpublished manuscripts set in the early Middle Ages, all based on true events or real persons.
