The Cleaner of Chartres

April 22, 2013
Drawn by its famous labyrinth, Agnès Morel has made a life in Chartres cleaning for the cathedral; its dean, Abbé Paul; and a variety of townspeople, who are connected by gossip, much of it circulated by the malicious Madame Beck. Vickers tells Agnès’s story in chapters that alternate between her current life and her earlier travails: raised by nuns after having been abandoned, she gets pregnant under mysterious circumstances, is forced to give up the baby, then has a breakdown. As in her bestselling Miss Garnet’s Angel, Vickers leavens her realism with a subtle fairytale quality and a version of Christianity in which doctrine is less important than kindness or its absence, and in which the Devil exists, “but only in people’s minds. That is his power.” Things seem dark when Agnès’s past collides with her present, but actually her luck may be changing. She learns to read, meets a sexy restorer, and, while ministering in simple but meaningful ways to some of her fellow townspeople, winds her way back to the center of her difficult life and out the other side. Though the darks and lights could be more nuanced, and the author’s hand could be lighter, Vickers uses the Chartres Cathedral to ground a charming if not entirely surprising story. Agent: Jonny Geller, Curtis, Brown (U.K.).

June 1, 2013
Enigmatic Agnes Morel provokes intense responses in the people around her, but is she an innocent, a savant or a violent criminal? A foundling whose own illegitimate baby was removed from her at birth, Agnes is a character hung about with sadness, mystery and suppressed emotion. In British novelist Vickers' (Dancing Backwards, 2010, etc.) accomplished moral fable set in the French cathedral city of Chartres, Agnes is a blank canvas on whom others inscribe their own kind or less generous behavior. Abbe Paul treats her with concerned warmth; Professor Jones detects her illiteracy and teaches her to read; but malicious widow Madame Beck works busily to vilify her reputation. Twenty years earlier, before arriving penniless in Chartres, Agnes had spent time in a secure psychiatric hospital, suspected of attacking the nanny of an adopted baby which Agnes perhaps thought was her own lost child. Now, with her striking looks, quiet demeanor and high reputation as a reliable worker, Agnes has friends and a home. But the unanswered questions about her past and her silence are about to resurface unpleasantly. Sometimes whimsical, other times dryly witty, Vickers' story features simple characters and an uncomplicated, even predictable storyline while exploring deeper themes of parenting, sin and guilt before reaching a sweet, neat conclusion. A skillful miniature psychodrama delivered with humor and knowing restraint.

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June 1, 2013
Agn's Morel is an enigma. Discovered sleeping on the porch of Chartres cathedral, she has become a fixture there, cleaning the cathedral and tending to the aging priests for the last 20 years. Taking odd jobs about the small town, she has made herself indispensable: organizing Professor Jones' chaotic papers; posing for Robert Clement, who dreams of painting the perfect Madonna; helping Philippe Nevers care for his abused nephew. But it is her mysterious past that causes the bitter town gossip to begin to suspect and then accuse her of things she did not do. The unwanted scrutiny brings back memories of her past, a past she came to Chartres to escape. Through the viewpoints of the various characters and in flashbacks to her troubled past, the reader learns of Agn's' depth and strength and the feelings that she so easily arouses in others. With a deft hand, Vickers shows us the layers of human needto be loved, accepted, and believedand wraps it in a structure as intricate as the cathedral itself.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2013

Found sleeping on the north porch of famed Chartres Cathedral by Abbe Paul, Agnes Morel has since spent 20 years in the town, cleaning the cathedral and doing odd jobs around the town. But Agnes has hidden a tragic past, and even as she draws the attention of a free-spirited young restorer, that past is about to emerge--thanks to an accidental meeting and some insistent town gossips. Vickers, who had an international hit with Miss Garnet's Angel, writes with a sense of hopeful healing; reading group guide.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Abandoned as an infant and raised in a convent, Agnes Morel quietly and efficiently goes about her various jobs in the small town of Chartres, including cleaning the magnificent cathedral that towers over its surroundings. But despite Agnes's efforts to remain unnoticed, one employer's malicious meddling reveals secrets long hidden, and Agnes's troubled past must be confronted. The evocative setting adds a timeless quality to this narrative, and Vickers reminds us that the past cannot remain entirely in the past. VERDICT Since her debut novel, "Miss Garnet's Angel" in 2000, English author and Royal Literary Fund Fellow Vickers has captivated readers with the psychological depth of her characters. This novel is no exception. She does an exemplary job of exploring themes of loss and healing while ending the novel on a hopeful note. Readers who enjoy Elizabeth Berg or Anita Brookner will find Vickers's perceptive prose to be right up their alley. Fans of well-crafted, psychological fiction will relish how the layers of consciousness of these complex characters are revealed chapter by chapter. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/13.]--Gwen Vredevood, Marymount Univ. Libs., Marshall, VA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.