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    The Sworn Virgin: A Novel
    The Sworn Virgin: A Novel
    The Sworn Virgin: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Sworn Virgin: A Novel

    Written by Kristopher Dukes

    Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

    3/5

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    About this audiobook

    Dukes's gripping historical novel tells the tale of a desperate Albanian woman who will do whatever it takes to keep her independence and seize control of her future...even if it means swearing to remain a virgin for her entire life.

    When eighteen-year-old Eleanora’s father is shot dead on the cobblestone streets of 1910 Albania, Eleanora must abandon her dream of studying art in Italy as she struggles to survive in a remote mountain village with her stepmother Meria.

    Nearing starvation, Meria secretly sells Eleanora into marriage with the cruel heir of a powerful clan. Intent on keeping her freedom, Eleanora takes an oath to remain a virgin for the rest of her life—a tradition that gives her the right to live as a man: she is now head of her household and can work for a living as well as carry a gun. Eleanora can also participate in the vengeful blood feuds that consume the mountain tribes, but she may not be killed—unless she forsakes her vow, which she has no intention of ever doing.

    But when an injured stranger stumbles into her life, Eleanora nurses him back to health, saving his life—yet risking her own as she falls in love with him...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 8, 2017
    ISBN9780062741042
    Author

    Kristopher Dukes

    Kristopher Dukes was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her work has been profiled in Amazon's Book Review, Kirkus, and Elle magazine. She lives in Manhattan Beach with her husband, Matt, and Doberman, Xena. The Sworn Virgin is her debut novel and was nominated for two awards. 

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    Reviews for The Sworn Virgin

    3/5

    44 ratings14 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I really adored this book.I firstly want to thank Kristopher Dukes for providing me with a copy of her book (yes, HER. Such a badass name for a badass woman.) I secondly want to gush about how much I loved this story and how much I loved Eleanora. Let me start by saying that I knew absolutely nothing at all about Albania in the early 20th century. What a cool setting for a book. So original. I knew nothing of the mountain village cultures and the roles that males and females played in society. Feuds between families is a major theme in this novel and it affects all the characters, both the good ones and the bad ones. Blood feuds rip apart families until there aren't any left, a really dreadful but intensely fascinating Albanian custom. Eleanora, to avoid an arranged marriage to a terrible man, declares herself a sworn virgin so that she can, in all intents and purposes, become a man. If not in body, in tradition. Once a sworn virgin, she is literally sworn to virginity, but she is granted the rights that an Albanian man would be. She needs no man's permission for anything she does, and if that doesn't just fit Eleanora to the T. Eleanora is totally headstrong, independent and brave. Yet she is still just a girl. She is scared, she is filled with the need to be cared for and looked after, and I think she struggles with this dichotomy. To be seen as an independent man, strong and grown up, yet really, she is just a child. She isn't totally ready for the life that was handed to her in an instant. A mere string of sentences in a moment of danger changed her life forever. I learned so much about these very specific Albanian traditions and customs that I had never even known existed. This was a legitimate page-turner, and I hated to put it down when I had to get off the train to go to work. I believe there is more of Eleanora's story in the works, and I cannot wait for when I can continue her journey with her! I can't wait to see what that little girl with the huge heart and rip-roaring independence will do next.
    • 4/5
      Eleanora is 18 years old and her father’s world. He raises his daughter in the spirit of her mother, free of convention and gender roles, taking pride in her intelligence and valuing her opinions. She has learned the ways of her father, a doctor/healer, always at his side. As a result, Eleanora stands out in early twentieth century Albania. She dreams of attending a prestigious art school in Italy someday, which her father assures he will help her do. That dream shatters, however, when her father is shot dead in the street as an act of vengeance.Eleanora, devastated and distraught, returns home to their remote mountain village and her stepmother, Meria. Meria has never quite understood the bond between father and daughter, nor her husband allowing his daughter to live more like a man than a woman. Eleanora is really rather helpless when it comes to doing any of the household duties relegated to the women, and this creates quite a bit of tension between the two women. Having run out of money and food, the two are close to starvation. In an act of desperation, Meria agrees to marry Eleanora off to a wealthy friend’s son. Eleanora had previously spurned Edi, the man she is to marry, due to his cruelness to women, and when she learns of her stepmother’s deal, she feels both betrayed and angry.Following an ancient tradition, Eleanora declares herself a Sworn Virgin, giving her the freedom to live as a man and as head of the household on the condition that she remain a virgin for the rest of her life. As a Sworn Virgin, she is allowed to participate in blood feuds like the one that resulted in her father’s death, but she herself cannot be killed. Unless, of course, she breaks her vow.Eleanora is determined to avenge her father’s death and uncover the reason why someone would want him dead. She cannot imagine why anyone would want her father dead. He was a kind and well-respected man. Eleanora knew he had loved her mother immensely. Her mother had died in childbirth, and she had not known much about her at all or where she came from. I was drawn to Eleanora’s courage and spunk, but at times found her to be extremely naïve and spoiled. She has a mean streak which comes out when she acts without thinking. I put a lot of that off as her being only eighteen and not really understanding the ways of the world she lives in. Her father kept her rather sheltered. Even so, she has tenacity, and her sense of survival is strong. She takes up hunting and learns the skills she needs to care for herself as time goes by.I felt for Meria. Her heart seemed in the right place, and I think Eleanora was unnecessarily mean to her even though I did understand Eleanora's anger and where it was coming from. Meria is tied deeply in tradition and turns to that for survival’s sake. I think she made bad choices, but I do not think her intentions were to be cruel.Eleanora is a free spirit and young, never knowing what love really was. I admit I wondered at the relationship she developed with the injured stranger who appeared at her door, him being so much older, and both she and Meria being in such a needy state at that particular time in their lives. I saw less of a romantic love between them, despite Eleanora’s own ideas, and more of a young woman searching out a father figure. It was interesting to see how that all played out in the novel, given my suspicions. Kristopher Dukes brings the Albanian mountain clans and their traditions to life in The Sworn Virgin. It is not a setting I am all too familiar with, and I found the very idea of the Sworn Virgin fascinating. I had never heard of the tradition before, and ended up digging a little deeper online as I read the book to find out more about the practice.Overall, I enjoyed The Sworn Virgin. Eleanora grows over the course of the novel, becoming more self-sufficient, and as she learns about her mother and father’s relationship and exactly why her father had been killed. I liked Kristopher Dukes’ writing and will definitely look for more by her in the future.
    • 5/5
      I really adored this book.I firstly want to thank Kristopher Dukes for providing me with a copy of her book (yes, HER. Such a badass name for a badass woman.) I secondly want to gush about how much I loved this story and how much I loved Eleanora. Let me start by saying that I knew absolutely nothing at all about Albania in the early 20th century. What a cool setting for a book. So original. I knew nothing of the mountain village cultures and the roles that males and females played in society. Feuds between families is a major theme in this novel and it affects all the characters, both the good ones and the bad ones. Blood feuds rip apart families until there aren't any left, a really dreadful but intensely fascinating Albanian custom. Eleanora, to avoid an arranged marriage to a terrible man, declares herself a sworn virgin so that she can, in all intents and purposes, become a man. If not in body, in tradition. Once a sworn virgin, she is literally sworn to virginity, but she is granted the rights that an Albanian man would be. She needs no man's permission for anything she does, and if that doesn't just fit Eleanora to the T. Eleanora is totally headstrong, independent and brave. Yet she is still just a girl. She is scared, she is filled with the need to be cared for and looked after, and I think she struggles with this dichotomy. To be seen as an independent man, strong and grown up, yet really, she is just a child. She isn't totally ready for the life that was handed to her in an instant. A mere string of sentences in a moment of danger changed her life forever. I learned so much about these very specific Albanian traditions and customs that I had never even known existed. This was a legitimate page-turner, and I hated to put it down when I had to get off the train to go to work. I believe there is more of Eleanora's story in the works, and I cannot wait for when I can continue her journey with her! I can't wait to see what that little girl with the huge heart and rip-roaring independence will do next.
    • 3/5
      Well-written although at time slow, it was a truly interesting novel of struggle and finding your place as a female in a male-dominant society. The details from the types of clothing to the cultural protocol helped the story come alive and demonstrate what life is like for another demographic in a remote part of the world that we may not have otherwise heard of.
    • 2/5
      So what I really liked the most about the book is the historical background and aspect. It’s rich in detail and sheds a light on the customs in Albania. I loved the descriptions of the setting, the clothing especially and how family life was at the time. Despite that Eleanora lived differently from others in the village, traditions are deep rooted, strong and followed to the exact detail. It’s all about maintaining family honor and if disgraced, the way to gain it back is likely with someone killing the other from the rival family that did you wrong. It’s pretty harsh and during that time doesn’t give much voice to women in general, but Eleanora’s personality is strong and admirable even though she’s pretty much a daddy’s girl (which helps her let her be who she wants to be). The first half of the book was great and got the reading going pretty quickly. It wasn’t until the last third of the novel where things bog down and I was afraid of this: the moment the ‘man of the her dreams’ came into the story. Then I was instantly reminded as to why I hated “Memoirs of a Geisha” so much and this mirrors it. Holy mother. The guy was the sun, moon and stars for Eleanora. I kind of get it after what happened to her dad but for crying out loud I was rooting for Eleanora for taking the vow and being strong. All it takes is an Adonis to break that all down. Eleanora then takes a complete 360 and becomes a mooncalf. I lost admiration after her treatment of Meria. I get it. Meria shouldn’t have done that nonsense because she’s all obsessed with family honor and had Eleanora’s best interest even though it was far from beneficial. I thought her treatment was excessive to the point of abuse and cruelty and I felt like jumping in and giving Eleanora the beat down for her stupidities.Then Eleanora’s mood swings go from pity party to guilt and goes back and forth for what seemed like the entire last third of the novel and it got tiresome to read. You know Eleanora, you could have solved all this if you JUST. TELL. HIM. And when she does. Your patience is done with the book and depending how you found the book you either breathe a sigh in relief or roll your eyes because it took about 50 pages to get Eleanora to smarten up and the book would have ended sooner than later. I liked the book at first, but it just didn’t hold it for me. The pity trips, and the self torment Eleanora goes through is just too much and made up a good half of the novel. I wish it could have been better because the historical aspect was excellent.
    • 3/5
      *I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*I had never heard of the Albanian tradition of sworn virgins, women who vowed to live their lives as men and who could not be killed in the blood feuds which dominated village lives, so this book is intriguing and I almost would like to follow it up with a nonfictional read about these singular women. That aside, I'm not certain I really liked this book, I wish there was more character development and the story had been more richly described and developed. I generally felt it was a wonderful idea of a plot that was lacking a certain element to truly engage and captivate me.
    • 2/5
      There have been many strong women throughout history but often their stories or circumstances have been lost with time. One tradition of strong women that I had never heard of before was the tradition of Albanian sworn virgins. When a woman declared herself a sworn virgin, she vowed to stay chaste and take on the persona of a man, giving her an unusual amount of control over her own life in the patriarchal society in which she lived. Kristopher Dukes' new novel, The Sworn Virgin, imagines the life of one young woman who takes this vow.Eleanora is the beloved only child of her father. She frequently accompanies him on his travels to heal others but her true love is art and drawing. She has never learned to cook and keep house, leaving all of the traditionally feminine jobs to Meria, the stepmother who raised her. Her dream is to go to art school in Italy but that dream dies when her father is killed in an honor killing and she is left alone in the world with only her stepmother, living in a mountain village where she has never quite fit in. The two women struggle to survive, coming close to starvation. In a bid to provide a better life for both of them, Meria ultimately sells Eleanora in marriage to a brutal, local man. As her only escape from this unwanted marriage, Eleanora declares herself a sworn virgin. This gives her the ability to support herself and Meria, avenge her father's murder, and gives her the status of a man. But her life is not made easier by her new status and she resolves to run away, abandoning the stepmother she now detests to her fate, until she discovers a gravely injured man. Returning home with Cheremi, she works to heal him and eventually falls in love with him, dangerously jeopardizing her sworn virgin status.The novel reads as if it was two different stories. First it is the tale of a spoiled but strong willed young woman who loved her father and appreciated stepmother, even if she took her freedoms for granted. Then there's the brief bridge of Eleanora's sworn virgin status. And finally, there's a romance that strips all of her hard earned strength from her character. The first section is quite slow and full of exposition. The bridge is short and not fully developed despite it being the most interesting part of Eleanora's story. The third section, focused on the romance, is the least interesting piece of the tale and yet it seems to draw out the longest. Eleanora's character seems changeable, but not in a particularly good way. She goes from spoiled but generally loving, to autocratic and hateful towards her stepmother without even pausing to try and understand the motivations of this woman who has loved and cared for her for almost her entire life, finally becoming subservient and trapped by her relationship with Cheremi. Only in the end is there any glimpse of the forged steel backbone that she wielded so dictatorially over Meria. And although this might sound like a criticism of a strong woman, suggesting that she be softer and more accommodating, it really isn't. She's an unsympathetic character in every incarnation. Her whiplash changes in personality dependent on whether she is wearing men's or women's clothing feels too conveniently symbolic. Meria too is anything but consistent as a character going from loving to resentful and angry in no time flat. The romance as a whole is not particularly believable and Cheremi's character is not fleshed out beyond his good looks and his obsession with finding his brother's killer giving the reader very little indication why Eleanora would rush into calling him her soul. Not exactly the story of a woman saved by a man, but not as far off as I had hoped when learning about the custom of sworn virgins, I wished for a grander story for Eleanora and a coming into her own as a woman choosing her own path. Although I did not, others seem to have found this in the book so readers curious about the custom of sworn virgins or life in the mountains in Albania in the early 1900s and other historical fiction fans might want to give this a try.
    • 3/5
      Eleanora , an aspiring artist, must do what she can to help her family after her father is murdered. Her stepmother attempts to sell her into marriage to the heir of a power local clan. Instead of accepting her fate, Eleanora declares herself a sworn virgin. This effectively means that she is now viewed as a man- and is afforded all the typical privileges that came with the gender. She can wear pants, work, carry a weapon, is considered the head of her household, and cannot be killed. The catch- she must remain a virgin for the rest of her life. Enter an injured stranger, Cheremi. Eleanora nurses him back to health, but they fall in love along the way. Their illicit romance obviously makes Eleanora's life overwhelmingly complicated and leads to multiple plot twists.I had never heard of the concept of the "sworn virgin" prior to reading this novel. The fact that it's an actual historical custom is fascinating. I could have easily read an entire novel about Eleanora's triumphs or struggles as a sworn virgin. Chemeri was an interesting character, but I was pretty much expecting someone like him to show up as soon as the sworn virgin custom was invoked. That said, I enjoyed the novel, and I'd definitely read something by Dukes again!
    • 5/5
      During the early 20th century in Albania, the Law of Lekë ruled. Women were under the strict authority of men and men could shoot each other for honor with no consequence. However, if a woman wanted to swear to live as a virgin for the rest of her life, she could live with the freedoms of a man including the style of dress, carrying a gun, and killing another man for honor. Eleanora has lived a privileged life for a young woman in a small mountain Village of Albania. She has spent most of her life traveling with her father who works as a healer. This life has given Eleanora extended freedom, a different skill set than most other women and a passion and talent for art. Eleanora's father, Francis believes he can secure a place for his daughter at an art school in Venice. While traveling, Francis is recognized and killed in the street as an honor killing. With no other choice, Eleanora makes the trip back to her village with her step-mother, Meria. Believing she is doing what's best, Meria arranges a marriage for Eleanora with Edi, a cruel man from a neighboring clan. Rather than become a subservient wife, Eleanora declares herself a sworn virgin. When an injured stranger enters their life, Eleanora fears breaking her vow.This is an amazing story that introduced me to a culture that I knew nothing about. The writing transported me to the mountainous villages of Albania. The rich culture, vibrant landscapes, houses, food and clothing came to life for me. Eleanora's character was captivating, I loved her passion for art, her unwavering spirit and following her on her journey to find out how she can fit in. The gender roles and Eleanora's place within them was an intriguing journey that carried throughout the story. I was very interested to see if she would thrive in her role as a man when she was a sworn virgin or enjoy her role as a traditional woman. I was not surprised at the outcome. The suspense created by the many different feuds and the effects they caused on the families was very direct and created a dangerous web that Eleanora fell into which led to a very different ending than I suspected. Overall, a unique and vibrant tale about a woman's life in early 20th century Albania. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 2/5
      I received this book from the Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review. I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded interesting. However, I found it harder and harder to sympathize with the main character, Eleanora, as the story progressed. Her behavior toward her stepmother was cruel, and she didn't seem to mature at all after the tragic death of her father. The love affair seemed contrived, and I saw the "surprise" ending coming well in advance. It was interesting to learn about the Albanian culture, but I would have preferred a protagonist more like Pjeter, another sworn virgin who seemed far more interesting than the spoiled Eleanora.
    • 4/5
      Interesting book about a cultural practice of the Albanians in the early 1900's. I found the heroine fascinating for the first portion of the book, but was disappointed by the time the tale was completed. The eventual outcome of the book was unrealistic, and left me wishing for an explanation of Elanora's life from that point forward, that provided a better outcome.
    • 1/5
      This story had an interesting premise, but the main character, Eleanora, was so pigheaded and selfish that it was impossible to relate to her or sympathize with her plight. Not recommended.
    • 4/5
      This book held my interest and then I got annoyed with the main character, Eleanora. Then I would think about it and pick the book back up again. So I would say the book is an interesting read. I was surprised at the ending but I guess I shouldn't have been since the book had me shaking my head in wonder and disbelief all through out. Story set in Albania in 1910 where blood feuds were actually carried out and could go on for years taking several innocent victims. One family member dishonoring another family and the bloodshed starts. Women were treated poorly and held no real status. A woman who had no male protection could however declare herself a "sworn virgin" and become a "man". This book is about a young woman spoiled by her father and thinking she is entitled. That the laws/rules don't apply to her. Until her father is killed, blood feud. Boy is she in for a rude awakening. Read the book and see life as it was in Albania for the Albanian people. I'm glad I read the book. I certainly learned something new.
    • 3/5
      Interesting book on the harsh Law [Kanun of Lekë] of the mountain tribes of Albania, from a woman's viewpoint. I had already read [Broken April] by Ismail Kadare and wanted to compare how the two different genders might have lived under these brutal rules of blood feud and [in this novel] the "correct" deportment of a woman--subservient and second-class. Set in 1910, a feisty girl, Eleanora, a talented artist, and possessed of an independent spirit, dreams of breaking away from this stifling atmosphere to study art in Italy, spurred on by her father's encouragement. She's also an apprentice to her father, a healer and often accompanies him on his missions of mercy. Her father is shot point-blank on a city street. Since she and her stepmother, Meria, are now left alone with no male in the house as protection or provider, Meria tries to sell Eleanora as bride to a cruel man, Edi for money and food. When he comes for her, she declares herself a "sworn virgin", now entitled to wear men's clothing, and to become in effect a man, with all the advantages that status gives her, including carrying and using a rifle. When she discovers Kol is the killer she goes to his house to find out why her father had been downed in cold blood. By accident, she shoots him. While fleeing the house house, remorseful for what has happened, she is nearly caught by someone. While out one day, she discovers a wounded man, Cheremi, brings him to her home and nurses him back to health. But now she's torn between keeping her vow of virginity and her burgeoning love for him, which is reciprocated. Then the story degenerates into a romance between the two, and from there, it hurtles to its shattering conclusion. I liked learning about these Albanian customs; I thought the sworn virgin concept so outlandish I thought the author had created it out of her imagination until I read elsewhere to this day there are still some older women in the Albanian mountains who are of that status. The novel was a fast read and kept my interest until the romance eroded it.