Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

40 reviews

jessicatanderup's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense 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

4.75

This book is roller coaster of well-written emotions. A mystery and love story, mixed with horrifying and sobering depictions of the circumstances women and girls endured in Regency England. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Murder

geemill's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Rape

rotkrox1521's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

3.5

The romantic development between the main couple felt unearned & its pacing was unrealistically quick (from first meeting to love). Not so much a collection of mysteries/cases as a collection of daring rescues of vulnerable women and children. The book is quite the juxtaposition of the light tone of the London nobility and the darkness of the crimes that the Colebrook sisters encounter. Also some interesting historical tidbits, like mastectomies were already being done in the early 1800s.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Kidnapping

Minor: Rape

clairevn's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

A little heavy handed in terms of its feminism and (lack of) religiosity, but an entertaining read 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

holly167's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Loved this book, witty banter, action, mystery, romance, heart all set in Elizabethan era. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, and Murder

ann_victory_19's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

a_serv's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, and Trafficking

Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

nottooscarythanks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child death and Rape

oceanelle's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

The historical accuracy and overall themes were great, but I kind of felt that if the plot had been focused on helping one or two people in distress instead of bouncing from person to person, there would’ve been more space and time to develop Gus and Julia as characters. I can appreciate a

cliffhanger ending

, but there were too many threads left loose for it to be satisfying.

Gus’s fraught relationship with religion seemed so important at the beginning of the book—but then tapered off? Julia is grieving tremendously at the beginning, but we don’t really see that part of her arc develop? Gus falls rashly in love with Evan after hanging out twice, despite unexplored hints of queerness, gender nonconformity, and maybe even being on the asexuality spectrum?

 

I prefer a more character-driven book, and while there were certain aspects I loved about the story, the character arcs were lacking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Sexual violence

noel_k's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Highly recommend to any fan of the regency era and mysteries who have wanted something a little more challenging and centred around female empowerment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism