Bonne La Mere was a wet nurse who, history tells us, fed the entire town of Villeneuve, France, for weeks during a siege by the English in 1372. Susann Cokal takes the few snippets of information available about Bonne's life, and uses them to skillfully embroider her lush novel, Mirabilis. Cokal appears to have a firm grip on her time period, enough to thrust the reader into the sights, sounds and smells of medieval life. She's particularly adept at portraying the bizarre mix of superstition and faith that characterized medieval religious belief. The only false historical note, for me, anyway, was the supposition that Bonne, a poor girl and illegitimate to boot, would somehow have picked up the skill of reading and writing. That one was tougher to swallow than a heroine with miraculous breasts.

The other characters in the book are strange and yet somehow believable. There's an ascetic sculptor with a penchant for self-flagellation, a manic-depressive dwarf, and a voluptuously pregnant noblewoman, all of them vying for Bonne's attention. Although I was prepared for just about any plot twist in this novel, the sexually charged relationship that develops between Bonne and her wealthy patroness struck me as somewhat gratuitous. It wasn't necessary for the plot, although my cynical take on the publishing industry tells me that it may have been necessary in order to get a manuscript about a dubious medieval saint into print. That, and the often impenetrable bits of narrative supplied by the dwarf, marred the book for me. Nevertheless, the novel is strangely compelling, and worth reading for the startlingly clear window that Cokal provides into another time and place.

Mirabilis is a great work of historical fiction, with elements of the miraculous and a poetic, masterful use of language. Readers experience life, both the beautiful and the repulsive, in a medieval French town through a strong, yet saintly and sympathetic, wet-nurse heroine. The novel probably isn't for those who prefer an easy, straightforward, "quick read," but it will definitely reward most other readers. Suspense elements include a long siege of the town by an English army and the threat of a crafty priest who will gladly use imprisonment and torture to increase his own position and influence. As an author of recent, complex historical fiction myself (India Treasures), I admire how Susann Cokal deftly handles frequently changing points of view, yet maintains the continuity of the tale, and how she believably and seamlessly weaves the details of medieval life into the narrative.

mirabilis is a wonderful book. i found it engaging my mind, heart, and spirit. this story is one of those few books that you want to keep reading well into the night/early morning just to see happens next. keeping some kleenix handy might be helpful too, since i got teary-eyed several times.