Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

11 reviews

jaithur's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

ernis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is an amazing, heartbreaking book. There was one character that I wished we learned more about but overall it was a beautiful, important story to read. 
We follow the story of several female convicts from the UK as well as as an indigenous child from Australia who eventually cross paths. Although the story is fictional, the history it is based on is eye opening and disturbing. This novel gives a new appreciation for female rights, in modern times, in first world countries.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Excrement, Abortion, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

jessica_artichoke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Drug use and Forced institutionalization

gkm00's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

hannahgjenson's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I will cheer for any story where a rapist is murdered and a shitty dad gets yelled at by his strong willed daughter!

I was wary of this book heading into it given that I typically am not a fan of historical fiction set before the 1920s ish. I can't really get over all the "ye's" and the truly brazen systemic subjugation of anyone who is not a white straight main. Not to say it's not accurate to the time period, but I don't find that those characteristics make an enjoyable read for me typically. However, learning about the convict transport system and the conditions specifically female prisoners were subjected to at the time kept me interested through the novel.

Hazel was probably my favorite character and is really the only main character who goes through a significant amount of growth, and I really enjoyed (and was heartbroken by at other times) her and Ruby's relationship. I found Mathinna's story really sad but also compelling; I can't even imagine the mental turmoil and confusion that she goes through as a result of the colonization of her people and subsequent confinement to the governor's house.

However, it left a bad taste in my mouth how she got such a nondescript and depressing ending. Again, I know that's likely what would have happened in reality to poor Mathinna, but

I take issue with how much care and thought was put into the white characters’ endings versus Mathinna's. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Genocide

nimeneth's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I'm the minority here but nothing really... Happens. There's a lot of misery, but it's all told, not shown. The writing style is very much "this happened then this happened then this happened" and while there is dialogue and some small bits of introspection, everything felt a bit flat. The "twists" were all fairly predictable. I also had a bit of a problem with each of the endings for the women. Hazel and Ruby's endings were too neat and tidy, Evangeline's was too drawn out, and Mathinna didn't really get one. I'm left feeling unsatisfied with all of them.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation

cepbreed's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Good on me for finishing our test run book club book! But waiting for everyone else to be done and for my friend to return from abroad is torture. I feel the need to discuss this book in detail for hours with a side of charcuterie ASAP.

From the bottom of my heart, I love the overall message of this novel to pass kindness forward. A simple act of kindness can change someone's life entirely and there is so much beauty in that. Evangeline wasn't treated kindly (without underlying bad intentions) for a second when she was working as a governess yet she maintained her character and was able to aid both Olive and Hazel. They in turn passed that kindness forward and impacted the lives of others. Kindness is vital to the human condition, but one of my favorite moments in the story was someone refusing a kind offer.

When Hazel reunited with Mathinna she extended a hand once more and offered to shelter her in Dr. Dunne's home, but Mathinna refused. Hazel showed her so much kindness in the past but no matter what if Mathinna had accepted she still would’ve been in her care and indebted to a white woman. I appreciate Christina Baker Kline truly allowing her to be free after so many years of being at the whims of white people.

Hazel became a quick favorite of mine once she was introduced. There are so many things about her character to love, but one facet of her backstory has been stuck in my brain. I love how the thing she stole, which resulted in her imprisonment and transportation, was literally a silver spoon. She was a child, shunned by her own mother, and the straw she was forced to grasp at was the exact concept of a comfortable and struggle-free life. She could've been happy, even in poverty, if her mother was loving, but instead, she got a woman who threw her into the streets both literally and metaphorically forcing her to vy for a silver spoon which could never be hers anyway.
 
Dr. Dunne really crept up on me as a character and I ended up loving him. Originally I was wary of him. Who could blame me? The poor protagonists were betrayed and wronged by so many people in their lives I was instinctually distrustful of the conveniently kind doctor, but I was pleasantly surprised to see myself be wrong. I LOVE that man!!!

To be so real, for a minute there I thought he was going to fall for Evangeline, BUT THEN SHE FUCKING DIED??? I NEED TO DISCUSS THAT TWIST WITH MY FELLOW BOOK CLUB MEMBERS BUT I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE END OF THE MONTH.

Song:

• evermore - Taylor Swift

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Blood, Excrement, and Alcohol

nmoji's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Vomit

Minor: Misogyny, Rape, and Abortion

baearles's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Abortion, and Alcohol

sarahasyouwish's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is such a well executed historical fiction novel. It is clear this was very well researched. I learned so much about  the time period and some of the many horrifying ways poor women in early 19th century England were treated as well as how colonialism impacted Australia and the indigenous population there. The characters were all well developed and fascinating to follow on their journeys, and I felt for the them and the terrible situations they found themselves in often at no fault of their own. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

Moderate: Death

Minor: Sexual assault