Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

15 reviews

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual violence and Torture

sauvageloup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I picked this up because it was on sale in Blackwell's and just liked the sound of it. Damn, I'm glad I did!

pros: 
- writing is poignant, powerful and weaves a compelling narrative, while never being especially verbose or wandering too far. The dialogue felt real enough for the period, but still intense and readable.
- the characters were all brilliant, they come to life gradually and several change over the period of the story, 

sophey from cruel to an ally, Nethe from cold to loving, henne from a decent man (in comparison to Plater) to cold and unlocking

although many of these are more the revealing of the true character that had been buried by trauma (apart from the latter of course).
- Lisbet showed great growth

both through her own bravery and strength, and through Eren, Nethe, Ida, Friedrich and Sophey's support of her. She is able to let go of her lifelong guilt, her grief for her mother, she is able to believe that she deserves better than Henne, she accepts and loves both a 'Turk' and a 'sodomite', because of who they are as people, and these are all huge things for her and yet the growth felt right and natural

 
- the setting, the history and the depiction of the dancing mania was all extremely evocative and intense, I could picture it all so well and you feel as if you're down there in the pulsing, dangerous crowds, or drowning in the smell of melting beeswax.
- lisbet's alliance with the bees and later the dog, Ulf, added another beautiful layer to her character and her skills as a beekeeper helped her realise her own worth, beyond being a wife and a mother.
- I loved the women's friendships, Lisbet's true love for Ida despite her mixture of jealousy and awe towards her friend, and Nethe's developing care and love for Lisbet, despite her initial fear of closeness.
- the significant tragedies of the book are balanced with successes, which stopped me from feeling betrayed at the end, which I sometimes am with tragic books. bitter sweet, I can do!
- Plater's grim awfulness is written in a way that is familiar but still ghastly, and the dread of his arrival is tangible every time he arrives.

cons:
-

it did plague me a few times that despite Lisbet's obvious love of Ida's children, she does leave them alone several times, when going to the forest or with Eren. I suppose we assume they are safe with the eldest daughter and ida's father, but I thought it odd that Lisbet didnt spare a thought

- also wish that the role of the eldest daughter as a replacement mother might have been examined a little.
-

I wish it hadnt ended like that with Eren, though of course I am glad Plater died. but it felt so unfair that Eren was blamed like that (though historically plausible I know) and there was no hint that those two might reunite, I thought. I know we see Lisbet's dissatisfaction with Henne and her love for Nethe, but I wish there had been a hint of the future. how could the two women leave now theyve got not just Lisbet's baby but all of Ida's children too? that's not ideal for running after Eren. so that was a bit of a shame. 
- it was of course upsetting, though somewhat expected from how saintly she is set up as, that Ida died. as Lisbet and Eren survived, couldnt Nethe and Ida have? it fitted with the story ofc, but it's a shame that it continues the 'bury your gays'

overall, I truly loved this haunting, sad, and powerful historical novel about the power of female friendship and love against loss, hardships and intolerance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Medical content, and Alcohol

one of the gay characters ends up dead by accidental overdose, and there is the threat of hanging

lorriss's review

emotional tense

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Slavery, Excrement, Alcohol, and Colonisation

amylovesbooksandyarn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I hadn't heard of this book untill my close friend told me she was doing a buddy read and read me the synopsis and I was intrigued. (She also had a beautiful versions with spayed edges of bees and I am a sucker for a pretty book) 

That this was based a real phenomenon that occured in the 16th century and was so odd and mysterious it drew me in. 

This is not a happy book but it was a beautiful book.  The author is also a poet and her writing style whilst not written as a poem is very descriptive and rich.  In the authors note it draws links between the attitudes of the 16th century and current times and I feel that makes it even more sad. 

I am now hoping to read the Mercies by the same author.  . 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

edamamebean's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

Every once in awhile a book comes along that makes reading feel like a fever. This was definitely one of those books, once I was reading it I couldn’t stop and the ending brought tears to my eyes. I highly recommend but please check the content warnings before picking this one up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism

bellwetherbird's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

jesselynn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A very emotive and dramatic story set in and around Strasbourg in 1518, at the time of the infamous Dancing Plague.

We follow Lisbet, a heavily pregnant young woman who keeps bees alongside her husband and mother-in-law. Lisbet is desperate for her unborn child's survival, due to multiple previous miscarriages, which wounds her and familial relationships deeply. When her husband's sister Agnethe returns from seven years in the mountains atoning for a mysterious sin, the path of her life is forever changed.

The content is very emotionally stimulating, with really moving and detailed language and a narrative that is very centred around Lisbet's feelings and emotional state. The cast of characters are interesting, with Lisbet's sister-in-law Nethe being a favourite of mine. The story explores a very harrowing sapphic relationship, as well as themes of religious fervour, immigration and xenophobia. The story is not an account of the Dancing Plague as such, but the events of the summer and strange event are an atmospheric setting, the rhythm of the dance weaved throughout Lisbet's story in interludes. The novel is much more character focused than a simple retelling, which I liked. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially women's historical fiction. Tread carefully if pregnancy, infertility and miscarriage is a trigger point for you. 

Thanks to Picador for the reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I'll definitely be recommending this one to my customers and am looking forward to future works from Kiran Millwood Hargrave!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ginnydw's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, and Lesbophobia

tegancalnan's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and War