Tartlets, I’m a bit confused about my thoughts on The Cloisters.
When I first finished reading this suspense novel that combines medieval art history, dark academia, and astrology, I really liked it. Then, after talking with a few people, I realized that I didn’t like this book as much as I think I did.
You know how when you’re dating someone new and you think they’re awesome? Then, that person meets your friends, and they all throw you that “WTF WERE YOU THINKING” face? Puzzled, you look at your new person — and instead of seeing them through your eyes, you suddenly see them through everyone else’s eyes? And you go, “Oh… Oh, I see. Maybe I was wrong…”
My relationship with The Cloisters is a bit like that.
What’s The Cloisters about?
The Cloisters follows main character Ann, who leaves her small Pacific Northwest town to escape a family tragedy and takes a summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, only to be be reassigned to The Met Cloisters — an extension of the Met that resides in a castle filled with medieval artwork, tapestries, and sculpture.
While there, Ann falls in with some academics searching for a deck of 15th century Tarot cards. These cards hold the promise of magic, and their discovery could launch her career in the competitive world of art history — if she can stay alive long enough.
What I liked about The Cloisters
I think the fact that I love The Met Cloisters museum contributed to how much I originally enjoyed The Cloisters. I’m a medieval art buff, and I’ve been visiting The Met Cloisters since I was a kid. It’s one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I’ve found on the East Coast, and that’s really saying something since I hate NYC so dang much.
The moment you step inside the The Met Cloisters, you’re immediately transported back to the Middle Ages, thanks to the museum’s thick, stone walls imported from Europe; its immaculately manicured paradise gardens; and, of course, its rich collection of medieval tapestries, iconography, and artwork.
Author Katy Hays captured The Met Cloisters perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. **chef’s kiss** She nailed the descriptions of the plants, the flowers, and the old stone buildings, of that deep, reverent silence that seems to sigh from every corner of the castle. Reading The Cloisters made me feel like I was at The Met Cloisters. For that alone, I adored this book.
What I didn’t like about The Cloisters
Unfortunately, there are a lot of elements of The Cloisters that I didn’t love as much. While I was thoroughly engrossed by the first third of the novel, the middle really stalled for me. The pacing slowed down, and I grew tired of encountering clichés and tropes with both characters and storylines.
When a dead body turned up in Ann’s office, I actually cheered because 1) I’m weird, and b) I was convinced the story would finally regain its momentum now that we had a murder to solve.
Alas, no; everything that followed was lackluster and confusing. Ann glommed onto a charmless love interest with whom she had absolutely no chemistry; the friendship she formed with her co-worker-then-roommate was predictable and boring; and, most disappointingly, the tarot/divination/magical realism premise that originally lured me in didn’t play nearly as big a role in the story as I’d hoped.
I was tempted to stop reading a few times, but I wanted to find out what happened in the end. So, I skimmed the last third of The Cloisters. There was a plot twist at the very end that I did not see coming at all, so that was a welcome surprise. I’m (mostly) glad I kept reading for that. Otherwise? I was disappointed.
Should you read The Cloisters?
Okay. Now that I’ve written this review… if you’re looking for a great thriller or suspense story, I don’t think I recommend reading The Cloisters. When it comes down to it, I liked the first third of the book the most, and I wish I had liked the rest of the book as much. There wasn’t much suspense, there wasn’t much drama, and there wasn’t much depth or originality to this story. I feel like Hays’ novel could have been so much better; the premise has such promise.
The only way I would recommend The Cloisters is if you’re super curious about what The Met Cloisters is like, or if you love that museum as much as I do. Hays did a superb job of capturing its essence, and I don’t think there’s another book out there that does that.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for The Cloisters?
Even though I was disappointed by The Cloisters, it still inspired a bookish recipe. Be sure to check out my Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad!
