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-century Ireland), so I was always going to read Devotion, her third novel. Why I left it so long to do so is the usual story of any avid reader with a large book collection, but I am so glad that I finally did, because what a novel it is. Like her previous two titles, it is once again set in the 19th century and is rooted firmly in Kent’s impeccable and detailed historical research, which informs the story and imbues it with real authenticity whilst never weighing it down. The story begins in the village of Kay in Prussia, where 17 year old Hanne Nussbaum lives with her family. Kay is home to a small congregation of Lutheran families who adhere firmly to their faith despite the persecution they face from the state and the Union church, which has banned it. A new family, the Eichenwalds, moves to the village, and they too are Lutherans, but some amongst the community, find it hard to accept them. However, Hanne, who has never really made a real friend before, instantly bonds and connects with Thea Eichenwald, who is a similar age. They become inseparable, and a very intense relationship develops between them. Eventually, the Lutheran community of Kay makes the difficult voyage to a new, religiously tolerant colony in southern Australia, and at this point their lives change forever. Devotion is an achingly beautiful, moving, and deeply affecting LGBTQ+ historical fiction which has supernatural elements, and a most unexpected twist, but is also a love story. It would completely spoil the reading experience for anyone if I gave away anything further. What I can say is that I absolutely loved this novel, and I am struggling to compose a review that will do it justice. It is beautifully written with lyrically beautiful descriptions of both the natural world, and human emotion that move your soul and bring you to tears. Populated with sensitively drawn, well-observed, fully-fleshed characters, especially the females, it develops the idea of “devotion” in both the religious and emotional sense as the story plays out, as well as exploring themes of tolerance, persecution, love and loss. There are many kinds of love portrayed within the story: the love between a parent and child (not always tender and open-hearted, or freely expressed); heterosexual love; marriages of convenience; arranged marriages; the love between siblings; the love for ones homeland; religious love; but it is the love between Hanna and Thea that is the most dominant in the story, and there is a real depth, intensity and universality to it. The novel also looks at the impact of white settlement on the native lands of Australia. We see how the immigrants took the lands of the indigenous populations and forced them to leave, whilst destroying their carefully natured eco-systems in the process, with the introduction more intensive farming practices which deeply impacted the natural environment. Given that the Lutherans were themselves persecuted and forced to leave their homeland, the irony is not lost on the reader. I know that some readers have struggled slightly with accepting the supernatural aspects of the story, but for me, given the intensity of the connections, and the context, it was not problematic in any way. Some readers may also need to be wary of the harsher elements of 19th century life too, and there are scenes of animal slaughter, death and miscarriage for example, but unless you would find these triggering they do not detract from the story and are entirely legitimate within the context of the story. Devotion is a novel of such depth and intensity of emotion. I devoured it in two sittings and if you’re anything like me, it will live long in your head after you have finished it. An easy 5 stars and definitely recommended.

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 tale of loss, an account of a truly epic journey, a reflection on the meaning of faith and much more all rolled into one story. I devoured its pages at galloping speed... anxious to get back to the incredible storytelling if I had to put the book down for any reason. Hanne and Thea's beautiful love story deserves to be read by many and will leave an imprint on the hearts of those that do.

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 cusp of womanhood and does not want to get married, she'd rather commune with nature. Into her life comes new neighbours, the Slavic Anna Marie married to a member of the congregation and their daughter Thea. Hanne and Thea become fast friends and possibly more. However the community is given the opportunity to go to Australia and start again, a journey that will take months and cause many hurts on the way. Hannah Kent is a brilliant writer, I have loved all her previous books and this is no exception. I am always surprised that Kent can really inhabit the lives of those she writes about across time and space. Here the eternal love of two young women in a time when their love was not allowed and in circumstances where the lives of women were very restricted is imagined. The descriptions of deepest Prussia, of the voyage and of the start of life in Australia are drawn beautifully and the emotions are heartfelt.

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 still one of my most memorable reads and I had a strong feeling Devotion would be just as emotional and impactful. 'Thea, there is no line in your palm I have not traced, no knuckle cracked unheard, and the blue of your eyes in the coffin-lining of the world. I would they sing psalms to your and the down upon your thighs, and the eyelashes that have fallen to the fields you have worked. I would they lay boughs upon knees bent to the soil-hum of any place you have rested upon. Thea, if love were a thing, it would be the sinew of a hand stretched in anticipation of grasping. See, my hands, they reach for you. My heart is a hand reaching'. In Devotion we follow a community of Old Lutherans as they make the long and dangerous journey to Australia in order to practice their faith freely. At the center of this story is the achingly beautiful and equally bittersweet love story between Hanne and her dear companion Thea. Throughout this novel, the characters face tragedy, suffering, death,and grief and yet their love is treated with care - it is tender and tempestuous. This novel is pure poetry, the visuals and landscapes and characters are written so strongly that it leaves such a deep impression. A novel that wriggled its way into my heart and will not let go.

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 their families are offered the chance to follow their pastor and sail to Australia to build communities where they will be free to worship as they please, they risk everything to do so. This is the backdrop against which the real story of this book is set. Hanne has always been odd. She can hear the music of the world, the sound of the wheat growing, the trees in the orchard and all the hymns of the natural world. To her, this is the sound of God, but she knows that her family and community don't share that view and can't hear the world the way she does. She is lonely - and then she meets Thea. Thea is an outcast because her mother has married into the Lutheran life and as a healer and midwife, has a very different way of experiencing the world herself. Hanne and Thea's friendship becomes stronger and stronger and over time develops into something much more profound. This is a brilliantly sensitive and beautifully written hymn to queer love, its strength, its endurance and its beauty. This is spiritually moving and deeply strange in the very best way. It's surprising and wonderful. I loved it.