Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

18 reviews

katrinarose's review

dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Extremely bleak and tough read but I could not put it down. I loved the character of the unnamed midwife and the how well the author also developed even minor characters as they appeared. I also like the alternating style of her journal and omnipresent narrative. I was taken aback at first when we learned about characters and events that the midwife did not know about but it was satisfying (although sad). I like that the author didn’t shy away from the brutal realities of this post-apocalyptic world, and didn’t sugarcoat her view of human nature, as depressing as it was. This book is definitely not for everyone (between the triggering content, narrative style, and somewhat bare plot) but I really liked it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Abortion

polo's review

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.25

Very entertaining. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but it had an interesting main character and I enjoyed the historical perspective, along with the way many stories criss-crossed into one another. 
PLEASE read the content warnings on this one before you start. Not kidding.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, and Torture

kat1105's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

larbster90's review

challenging dark sad fast-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? No

4.5

Incredible book, very compelling couldn't stop reading it. Definitely increased my anxiety, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt

horizonous's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Medical content, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

◦ Medical trauma = Genital mutilation

bex_knighthunter's review

dark 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

4.5

Wow - bleak, atmospheric, incredibly dark but very readable and with a refreshingly queer perspective on the apocalypse. I love survival narratives, so really enjoyed all the minutiae about finding shelter, food etc. (and with birth control which doesn't feature enough in sci-fi!) but also enjoyed the bigger ideas around: what cultures and communities would develop and survive (not all good), female empowerment & sexual autonomy. This generally focussed on the small picture (which felt realistic given the rate of societal collapse meant that much would remain a mystery), but there were some story sections that explored wider narratives which I appreciated. I enjoyed the framing story, which also provided some hope from the start.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Suicide

sistermagpie's review

dark hopeful tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, and Trafficking

accovino's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

This was A LOT to read during a pandemic. The idea that no one is coming to save you, we save each other or we kill each other, is so hard to read. The work of building society over again, of trusting when there is no reason to trust, of working for a future you'll never see even if you succeed… Yeah I'm having a lot of feelings about it right now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Abortion