Devotion

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Matilda Review

This is writing of the deepest, most lyrical beauty. Hanne and Thea, friends in a remote German village in the mid 19th century, undertake the most perilous journey imaginable, both physically, as they flee persecution, and emotionally, as they try to reconcile their feelings for each other within the rigid confines of their religion and community. Devotions is a love story of the most feverish and intense nature, not only between the friends, but also to a lost Australia of dense scrub, rich animal life and the original inhabitants. I was transfixed, and occasionally stunned, by this brave, daring work. Gavin

Description

Prussia, 1836 Hanne Nussbaum is a child of nature - she would rather run wild in the forest than conform to the limitations of womanhood. In her village of Kay, Hanne is friendless and considered an oddity . . . until she meets Thea. Ocean, 1838 The Nussbaums are Old Lutherans, bound by God's law and at odds with their King's order for reform. Forced to flee religious persecution the families of Kay board a crowded, disease-riddled ship bound for the new colony of South Australia. In the face of brutal hardship, the beauty of whale song enters Hanne's heart, along with the miracle of her love for Thea. Theirs is a bond that nothing can break. <i>The whale passed. The music faded.</i> South Australia, 1838 A new start in an old land. God, society and nature itself decree Hanne and Thea cannot be together. But within the impossible . . . is devotion. <b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS FICTION 2022</b> <b>Praise for <i>Devotion </i></b> '<i>Devotion</i> is utterly original. A glorious, heartbreaking love story of infinite beauty.' - Heather Rose 'Hannah Kent's latest novel is stunning - full of magic and adventure. I fell in love with language again reading it. So beautiful and so raw. <i>Devotion</i> is impossibly good.' - Evie Wyld 'Such a glorious love story. And the poetry of the landscape had, for me, a Whitmanesque sensibility. A mighty impassioned cry to love and the land.' - Sarah Winman '<i>Devotion </i>is rare and exquisite, both beautiful and muscular in its portrayal of love found and denied. It's a story of love as a radical act, and a celebration of place and persistence. As we've come to expect from Kent, this is masterful storytelling with pull-no-punches stakes. It's taken root in my heart.' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave 'I absolutely love this book. Hannah Kent writes some of the most transcendently beautiful prose I've ever read.' - Magda Szubanski '<i>Devotion </i>is a rich, often surprising novel, written with the sort of prosody poets like me are always seeking.' - <i>The Conversation</i>