Bookseller Reviews
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An epic novel about the transcending power of love. Truly exquisite.
This powerful tale of queer love is one that will stay with me for a long time. Kent's writing is beyond perfection- it's a love song to nature, a moving t... READ MORE
A lyrical novel on Love and Nature
This is my first Hannah Kent novel and after reading the book I need to change that and read all of her backlist it was that amazing. Will be in my top rea... READ MORE
Moving and sorrowful
What could have been a classic love story with a twist becomes something new in this novel. I could easily go on about the musicality of the prose, and the... READ MORE
A Hymn To The Enduring Power of Love
Hanne and Thea are Lutherans. In Prussia where their families live, their religion is outlawed and just worshipping could see them ending up in jail. When ... READ MORE
Synopsis
1836, Prussia. Hanne is nearly fifteen and the domestic world of womanhood is quickly closing in on her. A child of nature, she yearns instead for the rush of the river, the wind dancing around her. Hanne finds little comfort in the local girls and friendship doesn't come easily, until she meets Thea and she finds in her a kindred spirit and finally, acceptance.
Hanne's family are Old Lutherans, and in her small village hushed worship is done secretly - this is a community under threat. But when they are granted safe passage to Australia, the community rejoices: at last a place they can pray without fear, a permanent home. Freedom.
It's a promise of freedom that will have devastating consequences for Hanne and Thea, but, on that long and brutal journey, their bond proves too strong for even nature to break...
From the bestselling author of Burial Rites and The Good People, Devotion is a stunning story of girlhood and friendship, faith and suspicion, and the impossible lengths we go to for the ones we love.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- ISBN: 9781509863884
- Number of pages: 432
- Dimensions: 197 x 131 x 34 mm
- Weight: 304g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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an absolute pleasure to read.
Devotion is the third novel by best-selling award-winning Australian author, Hannah Kent. Hanne Nussbaum is almost fifteen when the Eichenwald family join ... READ MORE
Moving and Mesmerising
Devotion by Hannah Kent is a moving and mesmerising novel that reads like a love song. 1836, Prussia, Hanne is reaching womanhood and hears the songs of na... READ MORE
a achingly beautiful and bittersweet story about queer love
content warnings: death, disease, violence, child death
rep: lesbian m/c, lesbian li
I remember reading Burial Rites nearly a decade ago and it's sti... READ MORE
3.5 stars
I debated for ages whether to give this 3 or 4 stars, and I would give 3.5 if I could.
I loved Kent's first book 'Burial Rites' and, while her second boo... READ MORE
Uneven but worth reading
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.
I have read and enjoyed both of Hannah Kent's previous novels, the last of which w... READ MORE
A love story
I loved Burial Rites and have recommended it so many times I had to read this new book by Kent.
It tells the story of Hanne, a young Old Lutheran girl who... READ MORE
Exquisitely imagined and beautifully crafed
Deep in the heart of Prussia lies a small community of Old Lutherans, forbidden to worship and persecuted they long for religious freedom. Hanne is on the... READ MORE
Exquisitely written work of literary historical fiction
“Why do men bother with churches at all when instead they might make cathedrals out of sky and water? Better a chorus of birds than a choir. Better an alta... READ MORE
Extraordinarily enthralling. A unique talent.
Hanne and Thea, two girls on the brink of womanhood, and their developing relationship over the Then and Now, in Prussia, on the ship and in Australia form... READ MORE
An achingly beautiful, moving, and deeply affecting LGBTQ+ historical fiction/love story, with supernatural element
I had already read and thoroughly enjoyed Hannah Kent’s first two novels: Burial Rites (set in 19th Century Iceland), and The Good People (set in 19th-cent... READ MORE
An old story told in a new way
This is a difficult book to review, as it falls into two distinct halves, the first more convincing than the second, although the writing is lyrical and be... READ MORE
beautifully written but...
The writing was really enjoyable, wonderful and atmospheric. It helps you get into the story. It explores the relationship and friendship between Hanne and... READ MORE
An epic love story of faith, unbreakable bonds and the power of the natural world.
‘Why do men bother with churches at all when instead they might make cathedrals out of sky and water? Better a chorus of birds than a choir. Better an alta... READ MORE
Powerful
Devotion is a unique story about love that transcends time. It’s also powerful as it is deeply personal to the author emotionally. Beautiful writing height... READ MORE
Enduring love story
Devotion by Hannah Kent
1830’s Prussia, where a devout Lutheran community awaits permission to leave for Australia and religious freedom. Against this b... READ MORE