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
fe_aye's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This isn’t the sort of book I normally read, it had a rather slow beginning but once it finally picked up the pace I found myself enthralled. It took a while to get there and the narration style certainly put me off because it was way to formal but for this book it works, if you can manage to look past those things this will probably be a very good read for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death
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
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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