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fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Confused about why this book’s average rating is so low. I am generally the harder critic than most, most of the time. This time, I find myself on the other end of the spectrum. Maybe I find this book too relevant in today’s political times. Maybe I’m more of a feminist than most people. Maybe it’s been a while since I read a book that I really enjoyed. Regardless, I’m sticking with my five.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was my first book by Ms. Abbott, and the feeling I was getting is that the writing was trying to force something that wasn't true to itself. Like it was trying on a pair of pants that didn't quite fit. It was like most of the writing was pretty straightforward and then something very poetic was shoved in - "my lips maraschinoed." "The sweetness of him, the amniotic salt, the shudder that went through him." (Like girly, the _what_ salt?) It also seemed to fade after a while. Also it also felt weird that MC was so obsessed with her partner's neon-damaged hands.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Abortion, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
deshanejt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Rosemary's Baby meets Women's Lib... What would you do if everyone treated your body like it didn't belong to you? How far would you go to keep yourself safe when everyone seems out to do you harm?
I enjoy Megan Abbott's ability to draw on fear from symbolism, partnered with the threat of human nature and the paranormal. I love her writing!
I enjoy Megan Abbott's ability to draw on fear from symbolism, partnered with the threat of human nature and the paranormal. I love her writing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty
yoadrienne16's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Abortion, and Death of parent
debussy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Beware the Woman is a bit of a departure for Megan Abbott. The terrible, wonderfully written characters are still there, and her masterful ability to write around solid details is also very much present, leaving readers to draw their own conclusions when it comes to character backstory and motivation. It starts out rather slow, with unwitting Jacy on a trip to visit her new father-in-law, but as with Abbott books, there is a slow twist even at the beginning that things are not going to go as planned.
This book has a bit more of a flair for horror than Abbott's previous books. Jacy is at first charmed by Doctor Ash, her husband's father. But changes lurk: her husband, Jed, starts to act more distant, less himself, more influenced in a way by his surroundings. He tells her a dark story about his father that doesn't seem to make any sense to Jacy, who sees Doctor Ash as an affable sort happy to grill and hike and show her old photos. But then the housekeeper doesn't act quite right, throwing Jacy off. When Jacy wakes up covered in blood, she's whisked away to Doctor Ash's friend's medical practice, where his friend examines Jacy and discovers she has placenta previa.
Cue the horror. From here, Jacy's body is no longer her own, but even that is a slowly tightening screw. The men huddle, determining what to do with her, while the housekeeper lurks nearby, always watching and never quite giving up what she's thinking. It starts to churn together into a story of paranoia, both medical and patriarchal. Doctor Ash and Jed just want Jacy to be safe--to think about her unborn child, to be calm and rational, to do what they say above all. Jacy wants to get the hell out, but at every turn she's threatened or scolded or had all of her means stripped away. She has no internet, no wi-fi, no reliable land line after a while. They're off in the woods, far from help. Jacy has to help herself.
This is a story of women battling back--taking revenge, taking what's theirs, owning themselves, making decisions for their own bodies when the men around them would like to be calling all the shots. It is an addictive ride, and quite a fast one when the plot starts to spin and spin, upping the tension and paranoia and slowly peeling back all of Jacy's ability to trust in other people to make the right decisions for her.
My one quibble is the housekeeper. She speaks in riddles and I was not entirely sure she needed to be so vague without explanation. There is also an extremely abrupt ending, which works for a novel that leans toward horror, and of course I can infer what happens, but I just wish these aspects of the novel had been a little cleaner.
This book has a bit more of a flair for horror than Abbott's previous books. Jacy is at first charmed by Doctor Ash, her husband's father. But changes lurk: her husband, Jed, starts to act more distant, less himself, more influenced in a way by his surroundings. He tells her a dark story about his father that doesn't seem to make any sense to Jacy, who sees Doctor Ash as an affable sort happy to grill and hike and show her old photos. But then the housekeeper doesn't act quite right, throwing Jacy off. When Jacy wakes up covered in blood, she's whisked away to Doctor Ash's friend's medical practice, where his friend examines Jacy and discovers she has placenta previa.
Cue the horror. From here, Jacy's body is no longer her own, but even that is a slowly tightening screw. The men huddle, determining what to do with her, while the housekeeper lurks nearby, always watching and never quite giving up what she's thinking. It starts to churn together into a story of paranoia, both medical and patriarchal. Doctor Ash and Jed just want Jacy to be safe--to think about her unborn child, to be calm and rational, to do what they say above all. Jacy wants to get the hell out, but at every turn she's threatened or scolded or had all of her means stripped away. She has no internet, no wi-fi, no reliable land line after a while. They're off in the woods, far from help. Jacy has to help herself.
This is a story of women battling back--taking revenge, taking what's theirs, owning themselves, making decisions for their own bodies when the men around them would like to be calling all the shots. It is an addictive ride, and quite a fast one when the plot starts to spin and spin, upping the tension and paranoia and slowly peeling back all of Jacy's ability to trust in other people to make the right decisions for her.
My one quibble is the housekeeper. She speaks in riddles and I was not entirely sure she needed to be so vague without explanation. There is also an extremely abrupt ending, which works for a novel that leans toward horror, and of course I can infer what happens, but I just wish these aspects of the novel had been a little cleaner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol