foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
4.0
An evocative historical novel about sisters Ally, who becomes one of the first women doctors, and May, a nurse. Ally and May come from a home characterised by acute psychological terrors: their mother, Elizabeth, believes in self-control and has an exacting moral standard for her children. Though she works towards alleviating the suffering of working-class women, particularly sex workers, she has no sympathy for her own daughters, and metes out cruel and strange punishments should they fail to meet her standards. Ally is particularly terrorised by her mother, though she is the more morally scrupulous and academic of the two. She finds some escape in rigorous study. The novel covers Ally's childhood and early youth, describing her struggles at home, and her work as a doctor. Over time, she begins to develop self-confidence and insight into her own family. A novel full of pyschological depth, and a well-realised historical setting. My only caveat was the the other theme in the novel -- art, particularly the paintings of Ally's father -- didn't fit into the rest of the narrative, and felt underexplored and examined. It was also very hard to believe that the father would have married Elizabeth. Otherwise, I found this book engaging and moving.
marie_remarka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jelena666's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
s_l's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
betweenbookends's review
4.0
‘Ally likes Latin. It seems more like Maths than like French, a language with an integral logic. English words are slippery, leaning on each other and on unspoken presences, on ghosts, for their meanings. Latin is so tightly woven that it barely needs punctuation, the relationships between words so clear that the order in which they come doesn’t matter. Life would be much easier if we spoke Latin.’
Oh, Sarah Moss! How wonderfully you write and how nice it feels to be wrapped up in your words like a blanket! Bodies of Light was an intriguing, wonderfully written, and complex story of female roles in the 19th century, of women fighting to find their place in professional and academic settings than being restricted to domestic roles, of a dysfunctional family, a domineering mother, of mental health and its stigma, of art and its appreciation, and ultimately a journey of a woman to attain her goal.
Moss’s story is genre-defying. It’s not historical fiction in its traditional sense. It’s a cerebral, almost academic take on feminist roles in the 19th century in England told through the characters of a single family. And while it does take a while to become interesting, once it does, there was no looking back. The subtlety of the time period this book is set in is beautifully captured. It is atmospheric not in an overwhelming way, but in a very organic, believable, and realistic way. The nuance and attention to detail in ample portions. The discussion on prostitution, mental asylums, poverty and women in academia was so incredibly fascinating and possibly the aspect I enjoyed most in this book.
Where Bodies of Light slightly fell short, and in this I can’t help but compare it to her later book, The Tidal Zone, was in its characters. While do you eventually really care for Ally and want her to succeed in her life, it was only the second half that the feeling really surfaced. Unlike Adam and Miriam from The Tidal Zone, the characters don’t really step out of the page and are rather confined within the story being told. It also was slow to start, the first few chapters are slightly dull, before it gets interesting. The book also covers a larger timeline in a short length, so many scenes are skimmed over than described.
If you haven’t ever read Sarah Moss, I’d recommend you read The Tidal Zone first. But if you’ve already read and enjoyed Sarah Moss, there’s a very high chance you’ll enjoy this too!
milomo's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
polyphonic_reads's review
4.0
Sarah Moss is a bit of a hit and miss author for me, but there's something beguiling about her work, to the point that I've almost made my way through her entire back catalogue. Bodies of Light belongs to the genre of what I would call 'female costume drama', a genre dominated by the likes of Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, A.S Byatt and Maggie O'Farrell. It is not my favourite genre, but there was something in the cover and the blurb that drew me in. I found Bodies of Light surprisingly compelling. At its heart is a complicated relationship between an abusive mother who tries to live her dreams through her daughters, and her eldest daughter, the more compliant and meek one. The relationship and the character of the mother deserve much more credit that the 'monster' other reviewers branded her as. One of my favourite lines in the novel is 'people who do not spare themselves rarely spare others', which I think brilliantly sums up the tremendous work Moss did in setting up the central conflict and drawing her characters. The mother is abusive and the upbringing is monstrous, but there is much more complexity and nuance to it. Brilliantly written, difficult to put down, would work for those looking for character studies and beautiful prose.
olrite's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katia26's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
milliemary's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0