Holy Fools - Joanne Harris

I found Holy Fools to be hard to read at times due to the phrasing and language at times, yet the story kept me engrossed. Once I was used to the writing style, the details took me in and I could almost imagine myself there with the heroine. It is set mostly in the early 1600s and is the story of a young "gypsy" woman who finds herself pregnant with nowhere else to turn. Being very resourceful and a thespian by trade, she portrays herself as a young widow and seeks refuge in a convent. The Abbey that she comes to is comprised of quite irregular nuns. More of a home for the troubled women than a convent. Five years later, following the death of the kindly Reverend Mother, she is confronted with her past. The leader of the troupe that she was in and the father of her daughter has concocted a new scheme to seek revenge on a bishop. Before long suspicion, betrayal and debauchery are rampant in the convent, fueled by rumors of witchcraft and demonic possessions. To save the convent and her daughter, she must match wits with her former lover and divert his plans.