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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
jamiee_f's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I really enjoyed other Megan Abbott books and was hoping this one would hit the same. I thought this book was fine, tense and mysterious as we try to figure out if protagonist Jacy will make it out okay. However it moved a little slowly and the payoff wasn't great. I almost wish this had a supernatural element, rather than just straight up misogyny being the big bad.
To summarize:Jacy is recently, quickly married to Jed, and our book opens with them on a road trip to Jed's fathers remote cabin. Jacy is also pregnant, and has noticed Jed has been a little bit off lately. They arrive at Dr Ash's cabin and he is lovely and warm to the couple. The groundskeeper Mrs. Brandt is omnipresent and a little bit odd. Over the first few days, Jacy learns that Jed's mother actually died in childbirth, and Jed starts regressing at his childhood summer home. Then, jacy wakes up one day with blood on her legs. Jed and his dad rush her to the old timey town doctor who diagnosed her with placenta previa, recommends bed rest, and practically accuses her or having an abortion that caused this issue. He then also tells her father in law and husband about her condition, and Jacy catches the men having a conversation about what to do with her.
She, reasonably, is upset by this, and tries to demand privacy, but the men are all a titter with concern. They start saying they know what's best for her, and over the next few days, it becomes clear Jacy isn't really free to leave. There is no cell phone service, she has no access to the car keys, and her husband keeps leaving her home alone.
She has a tentative ally in Mrs Brandt, who straight up tells Jacy she should leave at least twice, as does her kindly ex husband. Mrs Brandt plies her with meat pies and helps her bandage her leg when she gets a bad cut. Jed finds the bloody sundress from when jacy cut her leg and ragefully assumes she's been bleeding more and hiding it. The men once again leap into action, calling in the doctor from vacation to tell this little lady what she needs to do.
Jacy tries to assert authority over her own body, but they all say she's being ridiculous. Dr Ash manipulates the conversation in such a way that Jacy reveals she had an abortion many years ago, which freaks Jed out and angers everyone. As it turns out, her cut leg has become infected, and the doctor prescribes pills and rest while Jed and his dad go off to drink. The mask is also starting to slip, with Jacy hearing Dr Ash say some gross sexist stuff while he thinks she can't hear.
Jacy has been working on a secret plan to leave with her mom over the phone, but then she calls her one more time to confirm, and if turns out her mom cancelled the secret escape flight, because dr ash called and 'explained' everything, and he let it slip that Jacy had an abortion. Her mom seems mad at her for not telling her this??? Useless. So now Jacy is all on her own to get out. She decides to stop taking her meds, with t e tacit approval of Mrs Brandt, and to act like she's going along with everything Jed says, while really doing whatever she can to GTFO.
The men are in a tizzy about hunting a mountain lion, and Jacy tries to escape while they are out hunting. Mrs Brandt told her there's a forest ranger station a mile away, and she heads for that. Unfortunately, Dr Ash comes across her in the woods and shoots at her?? So Jacy runs back to Mrs Brandt's little cabin, where we find out *gasp* Jeds mom is actually Alive and has been there the whole time. She's brain dead from the traumatic induced birth Dr Ash put her through so many years ago. Mrs Brandt reveals she was Wendy's best friend, and that Dr Ash abused his wife and tried to control her from the start. Once she got pregnant, he only cared about the child, and induced labor at 30 weeks, cutting Wendy open in a cruel way and letting her nearly die. Dr ash entrusted her care to Mrs Brandt, who out of guilt and love for her friend, set up her care in her own home rather than in a care facility.
Now Jacy knows the whole situation, and she and Mrs Brandt prepare to flee, but! Dr Ash catches them and threatens to shoot them, saying Jacy can't leave until he has his grandchild. The two women coax him in and reveal his still alive wife, at which point he decides he really has to kill them. He shoots Mrs Brandt, and tries to shoot Jacy but the gun jams. Jacy tries to fire her air pistol but can't make it work, when out of nowhere Jed appears and shoots his dad. Then, he stumbles inside to see his mom, who he grew up believing was dead.
Jacy tries to flee, to get to the car, and encounters the mountain lion and her cubs. Yikes, danger! The momma mountain lion and Jacy share a moment, before the lioness skulks away, leaving Jacy alone. Mr Brandt then drives up, grabs Jacy, and they get Mrs Brandt in the car and head to the hospital....and there it ends.
I would have loved an epilogue here!!! To have Jacy reunite with Jed, to learn how Jed reacted to killing his dad and meeting his mom?? Are there consequences for anyone? Does Mrs Brandt live? Why did Dr Ash hate women so much, what was his mother like? This book was tense and good, but I wanted more resolution and more clarity on the character motivation. It's also not clear to me why Jacy married this man so quickly--its implied she has terrible taste in men (inherited from her mother), but there's barely evidence Jed was a good enough guy to win her over. It felt a little bit like......ask one question, girly!!! Seems like he took care of her when she was sick once (which--given his background, did he make her sick that night??) and she was in it.
I think I'm struggling here because the story is just: Misogyny is the villain. Men who want to control women are the villain. Patriarchy is horror And I just feel like....yeah, I know that. It just needed a little bit more. It could have been fun to have a supernatural twist, or for Jed to be more evil and less stupid.
I think I also feel like it's a shame our main characters of Jed and Jacy were kind of dolts. Like Jed is absolutely manipulated by his father, and Jacy was somehow a 32 year old woman who married the first man that gave her an iota of kindness. Both realistic characters I guess, but not the most entertaining as protagonists.
To summarize:
She, reasonably, is upset by this, and tries to demand privacy, but the men are all a titter with concern. They start saying they know what's best for her, and over the next few days, it becomes clear Jacy isn't really free to leave. There is no cell phone service, she has no access to the car keys, and her husband keeps leaving her home alone.
She has a tentative ally in Mrs Brandt, who straight up tells Jacy she should leave at least twice, as does her kindly ex husband. Mrs Brandt plies her with meat pies and helps her bandage her leg when she gets a bad cut. Jed finds the bloody sundress from when jacy cut her leg and ragefully assumes she's been bleeding more and hiding it. The men once again leap into action, calling in the doctor from vacation to tell this little lady what she needs to do.
Jacy tries to assert authority over her own body, but they all say she's being ridiculous. Dr Ash manipulates the conversation in such a way that Jacy reveals she had an abortion many years ago, which freaks Jed out and angers everyone. As it turns out, her cut leg has become infected, and the doctor prescribes pills and rest while Jed and his dad go off to drink. The mask is also starting to slip, with Jacy hearing Dr Ash say some gross sexist stuff while he thinks she can't hear.
Jacy has been working on a secret plan to leave with her mom over the phone, but then she calls her one more time to confirm, and if turns out her mom cancelled the secret escape flight, because dr ash called and 'explained' everything, and he let it slip that Jacy had an abortion. Her mom seems mad at her for not telling her this??? Useless. So now Jacy is all on her own to get out. She decides to stop taking her meds, with t e tacit approval of Mrs Brandt, and to act like she's going along with everything Jed says, while really doing whatever she can to GTFO.
The men are in a tizzy about hunting a mountain lion, and Jacy tries to escape while they are out hunting. Mrs Brandt told her there's a forest ranger station a mile away, and she heads for that. Unfortunately, Dr Ash comes across her in the woods and shoots at her?? So Jacy runs back to Mrs Brandt's little cabin, where we find out *gasp* Jeds mom is actually Alive and has been there the whole time. She's brain dead from the traumatic induced birth Dr Ash put her through so many years ago. Mrs Brandt reveals she was Wendy's best friend, and that Dr Ash abused his wife and tried to control her from the start. Once she got pregnant, he only cared about the child, and induced labor at 30 weeks, cutting Wendy open in a cruel way and letting her nearly die. Dr ash entrusted her care to Mrs Brandt, who out of guilt and love for her friend, set up her care in her own home rather than in a care facility.
Now Jacy knows the whole situation, and she and Mrs Brandt prepare to flee, but! Dr Ash catches them and threatens to shoot them, saying Jacy can't leave until he has his grandchild. The two women coax him in and reveal his still alive wife, at which point he decides he really has to kill them. He shoots Mrs Brandt, and tries to shoot Jacy but the gun jams. Jacy tries to fire her air pistol but can't make it work, when out of nowhere Jed appears and shoots his dad. Then, he stumbles inside to see his mom, who he grew up believing was dead.
Jacy tries to flee, to get to the car, and encounters the mountain lion and her cubs. Yikes, danger! The momma mountain lion and Jacy share a moment, before the lioness skulks away, leaving Jacy alone. Mr Brandt then drives up, grabs Jacy, and they get Mrs Brandt in the car and head to the hospital....and there it ends.
I think I'm struggling here because the story is just: Misogyny is the villain. Men who want to control women are the villain. Patriarchy is horror And I just feel like....yeah, I know that. It just needed a little bit more. It could have been fun to have a supernatural twist, or for Jed to be more evil and less stupid.
I think I also feel like it's a shame our main characters of Jed and Jacy were kind of dolts. Like Jed is absolutely manipulated by his father, and Jacy was somehow a 32 year old woman who married the first man that gave her an iota of kindness. Both realistic characters I guess, but not the most entertaining as protagonists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: 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
irenemarie's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Abortion, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
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
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