guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Violence, and Sexism
Minor: Physical abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Blood, and Alcoholism
candymagic's review
This isn't a bad book. Just wasn't something that gave me joy. I dropped this book because the sexism and misogyny is just too much to read. A friend of mine finished the book and said despite how bad they treat the women, the major theme of the story is that women are actually smart and capable and there are a lot of male characters who are just garbage. For me though, I just didn't want to actively read written sexism and I found out that I just don't want to consume media that depicts it. If someone can stomach it, I think this could be an empowering book for women. But it's not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've been tardy with the review for this one because I wrote a long, thoughtful passage, which was then swallowed by the latest Windows update closing all my tabs. *grumble*
When her family is whisked away to a remote island community so that her preacherman and natural scientist father can join an archeological dig, Faith knows that she isn't being told everything. She finds out that her father has been implicated in a scandal over faked fossils, including his greatest find, that is implied to be a winged human.. and then her father is found dead after apparently throwing himself off a cliff.
Refusing to believe that her father ended his own life, Faith's mood takes a dark turn. She contrives to invent a ghost to have her revenge on a maid who was mean to her, and in her thorough investigation of her father's things finds that he has hidden away a biological specimen with some very mysterious properties.. some might say supernatural; as a Rationalist, Faith thinks this needs more scientific investigation.
Being set in the late 1800s this allows a critique of evolution and creationism, and questions whether science is really pitted against the Church. It is also unashamedly Feminist and explores some of the shonky and emergent scientific theories that underpin some of the (misguided) "rational" explanations made to explain why men are better than women.
As in other titles by the author, Hardinge brings her own blend of well researched historical drama, shadowy mystery and darkly cruel supernaturality, to a story including hallucinatory dreams, and this girl who is fascinated by snakes, cat skulls, and rats.
When her family is whisked away to a remote island community so that her preacherman and natural scientist father can join an archeological dig, Faith knows that she isn't being told everything. She finds out that her father has been implicated in a scandal over faked fossils, including his greatest find, that is implied to be a winged human.. and then her father is found dead after apparently throwing himself off a cliff.
Refusing to believe that her father ended his own life, Faith's mood takes a dark turn. She contrives to invent a ghost to have her revenge on a maid who was mean to her, and in her thorough investigation of her father's things finds that he has hidden away a biological specimen with some very mysterious properties.. some might say supernatural; as a Rationalist, Faith thinks this needs more scientific investigation.
Being set in the late 1800s this allows a critique of evolution and creationism, and questions whether science is really pitted against the Church. It is also unashamedly Feminist and explores some of the shonky and emergent scientific theories that underpin some of the (misguided) "rational" explanations made to explain why men are better than women.
As in other titles by the author, Hardinge brings her own blend of well researched historical drama, shadowy mystery and darkly cruel supernaturality, to a story including hallucinatory dreams, and this girl who is fascinated by snakes, cat skulls, and rats.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Drug abuse, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Murder, Misogyny, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, and Violence
thalassa_reading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
To start with, this was the best narration I've experienced so far in an audiobook, Emilia Fox is incredible and her masterful reading has brought the story, characters and every beautiful sentence to life in a way I wouldn't have thought possible.
The fact that the narration was so incredibly vivid also made the harrowing misogyny Faith and the other women are exposed to so much more visceral. I almost quit twice because the injustice felt unbearable. But I'm glad I continued. (Nothing bad happens really, it's mainly men congratulating themselves on their self-diagnosed intellectual superiority and being nasty.)
The book is beautifully written, the language and imagery vivid and effective. The first half introduces the characters and setting and might feel slow if you're expecting a fantasy novel. It's really more a story about a young, intelligent girl in the 19th century trying to find ways to follow her curiosity and thirst for scientific knowledge, against all of society including her idolized father, a natural scientist. As the story unfolds (from her perspective) it becomes clear in what ways the other women similarly fight for their interests while carefully curating their public image.
There are so many additional layers to this book, the very real consequences of lies, the relief of finding someone you can trust, science, religion and the difficult realization that humans are simply evolved animals. I also loved the interactions of Faith with her little brother, an innocent boy struggling with the expectations placed on him as the male.
All in all an amazing book with so many facets.
The fact that the narration was so incredibly vivid also made the harrowing misogyny Faith and the other women are exposed to so much more visceral. I almost quit twice because the injustice felt unbearable. But I'm glad I continued. (Nothing bad happens really, it's mainly men congratulating themselves on their self-diagnosed intellectual superiority and being nasty.)
The book is beautifully written, the language and imagery vivid and effective. The first half introduces the characters and setting and might feel slow if you're expecting a fantasy novel. It's really more a story about a young, intelligent girl in the 19th century trying to find ways to follow her curiosity and thirst for scientific knowledge, against all of society including her idolized father, a natural scientist. As the story unfolds (from her perspective) it becomes clear in what ways the other women similarly fight for their interests while carefully curating their public image.
There are so many additional layers to this book, the very real consequences of lies, the relief of finding someone you can trust, science, religion and the difficult realization that humans are simply evolved animals. I also loved the interactions of Faith with her little brother, an innocent boy struggling with the expectations placed on him as the male.
All in all an amazing book with so many facets.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexism
icarus_has_risen's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Such a great book. A bit of a slow start but definitely picks up. I read almost half of this in one night because I just couldn’t put it down. Definitely a great read- especially for any young girls wanting to get into natural science because of Faith, an excellent role model.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
alanaefarrell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Murder, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Child death
pepsi's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Ableism
crescentmoondaydreams's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, and Death
Minor: Animal cruelty
sidbookreviews's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
One of my all-time favourites! Read my full review here.
2021 Reread:
Even better than the first time! Reading this with fresh eyes I got a lot more appreciation for the supporting characters and the number of meticulous details put into the story. The Lie Tree is really an ode to all the invisible clever women throughout history, and this is especially evident in the characters, especially Myrtle and Agatha, who have a lot more depth than meets eye. Overall I just love this book so much and it remains one of my favourite books ever.
2021 Reread:
Even better than the first time! Reading this with fresh eyes I got a lot more appreciation for the supporting characters and the number of meticulous details put into the story. The Lie Tree is really an ode to all the invisible clever women throughout history, and this is especially evident in the characters, especially Myrtle and Agatha, who have a lot more depth than meets eye. Overall I just love this book so much and it remains one of my favourite books ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, and Grief
Minor: Child death
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