Heloise

Based on her own interpretation of the true twelfth-century story of Heloise and Abelard, Mandy Hager’s historical novel Heloise (2017) concerns a young academic who falls for a master philosopher, jeopardizing her entire future. Nominated for various awards, the book received a warm critical reception. A bestselling, award-winning novelist, Hager writes for both adults and teenagers. When she isn’t writing novels, she writes short stories, educational resources, articles, blog posts, and non-fiction. Her prior jobs include working as a teacher and a creative writing coach.

Heloise is set in twelfth-century France. The protagonist is Heloise of Argenteuil. Although she is religious and focused on God, she is also a gifted intellectual who wants to receive a quality scientific education. Unfortunately, in the twelfth century, women don’t typically receive much of an education, and Heloise knows that it won’t be easy to convince someone to teach her.

When the book opens, Heloise is five years old. Her mother is dead, and she lives with her neglectful father. Not wanting the responsibility of bringing up a child anymore, he leaves her in a pigsty to die. Heloise’s maternal uncle, Uncle Fulbert, finds her before she starves to death. Covered in sores, she can’t move because her father tethered her to the sty gate. Fulbert has never seen anything like it.



Although Fulbert doesn’t want to bring up Heloise either, he can’t leave her with her wretched father. He decides to take her to a convent in Paris. Here, nuns can raise her and teach her morality and religion. When she is old enough, she can decide whether to stay in the nunnery or marry a local man. Heloise doesn’t want to live in a nunnery, but it’s better than starving in a pigsty.

As Heloise grows up, she resents the cloistered nunnery life. It is not intellectually stimulating enough for her. In the twelfth century, academia is all about debate and argument, convincing other scholars that one is right. Heloise is attracted to this style of learning. She wants to meet the great philosophers of the time to engage them in debates, and, hopefully, one day be recognized as a great scholar herself.

With life in the nunnery no longer satisfying Heloise, Fulbert invites her to live with him. Here, she will have more freedom, but she will still be under his strict supervision. He encourages her to leave academia behind to focus on finding a morally upstanding man to marry, but Heloise couldn’t care less about marriage. She only cares about the pursuit of knowledge.



One day, when Heloise is twenty, she hears word about a rising star and a keen thinker called Peter Abelard. His contemporaries describe him as one of the brightest theologians and philosophers of the twelfth century. Students travel from all over Europe to study under his supervision, but he only selects a few worthy candidates to work with closely.

Heloise wants to meet Abelard to convince him to tutor her. Against his better judgment, Fulbert arranges for Heloise to meet Abelard to make her case. Finding her bright mind fascinating, Abelard is happy to tutor her. It is also obvious that he fancies Heloise. Although Abelard is almost twenty years older than Heloise, she is flattered by the attention; she fancies him, too.

Abelard’s personality is abrasive and difficult. Selfish and narcissistic, he only cares about furthering his own career. Knowing how much power he has over Heloise, he takes advantage of it. Fulbert wants Abelard to marry Heloise so he can stop supporting her financially. If Abelard fancies Heloise, it is more likely that he will marry her.



Although Heloise admires Abelard, she despises his cruel temper and his mood swings. He beats her if she neglects her studies or if she doesn’t know the answer to a theological question. He warns her that she will never amount to anything if she doesn’t work harder. Determined to make Abelard proud, Heloise throws herself into her studies, accepting the beatings without complaint. Before long, they become lovers.

One day, Fulbert suspects that Heloise doesn’t care about him anymore. She spends so much time with her teacher and lover that she forgets to visit Fulbert. Fulbert beats her for her insolence. Abelard doesn’t have any sympathy for her. He believes she should have treated Fulbert better.

At the end of the book, Hager leaves everything open-ended. It is implied that Heloise will continue loving Abelard forever, and he does not intend to let her go. Although sexual relationships between theologians and girls are condemned as sins by the church, Heloise and Abelard will continue with their intimate relationship.