burrowsi1's review
adventurous
dark
informative
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? No
2.25
jashanac's review
I should've done a try-a-chapter before even buying this one. Simply not the writing style for me, at least at this moment. Not vibing with it.
jmatkinson1's review
3.0
1742 and the once prosperous town of Winchelsea is now just a haunt for smugglers. For orphan Goody Brown, her world is turned upside down when her adoptive father falls foul of the gang he works with and is mudered. Goody vows revenge and becomes a smuggler, a Jacobite and more.
Although this is a short book at times it feels interminably long and there are huge gaps in the narrative. It also feels as though several 'woke' elements are thrust together and lie uncomfortably in an already packed narrative. We have racism, slavery, lesbianism, transgender alongside violence and a strong historical element. The first part seems long yet Culloden and the rest gallops by - a solid enough book but not a memorable one.
Although this is a short book at times it feels interminably long and there are huge gaps in the narrative. It also feels as though several 'woke' elements are thrust together and lie uncomfortably in an already packed narrative. We have racism, slavery, lesbianism, transgender alongside violence and a strong historical element. The first part seems long yet Culloden and the rest gallops by - a solid enough book but not a memorable one.
jemple's review
2.0
I picked this book up because I thought the cover was pretty. It is not a pretty book. I regret judging this book by its cover.
Winchelsea is about the gritty world of 18th centrury smuggling, told through the story of Goody, its androgynous protagonist. If you squint reeeally hard, it's a coming of age story about her growing from a smuggler's child into a smuggler, pirate and adult.
Goody doesn't so much grow into an adult as she swings from trauma to trauma like Tarzan, watching her family and friends be injured or killed over four years. She never seems to dwell for long on what she has lost, but you probably can't in that situation?
Personally I liked the first half of this book more, as it focused more on introducing the coastal setting.
Did not like the second half so much. Oh did I mention the incest? So much incest...
I'm unsure what rating to give this book, but overall I didn't "enjoy" it so I'm giving 2 stars. I will say that there was a lot going on, and it was an interesting and insightful read about smuggling on the south coast in that time period.
Winchelsea is about the gritty world of 18th centrury smuggling, told through the story of Goody, its androgynous protagonist. If you squint reeeally hard, it's a coming of age story about her growing from a smuggler's child into a smuggler, pirate and adult.
Spoiler
Goody doesn't so much grow into an adult as she swings from trauma to trauma like Tarzan, watching her family and friends be injured or killed over four years. She never seems to dwell for long on what she has lost, but you probably can't in that situation?
Personally I liked the first half of this book more, as it focused more on introducing the coastal setting.
Did not like the second half so much. Oh did I mention the incest? So much incest...
I'm unsure what rating to give this book, but overall I didn't "enjoy" it so I'm giving 2 stars. I will say that there was a lot going on, and it was an interesting and insightful read about smuggling on the south coast in that time period.
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Winchelsea takes us to a corner of Britain that is off the beaten roads, and yet also Winchelsea does have its pirates and its history of social uprisings.
Having read this book, I got the audiobook from my local library, I found a broadened understanding of British history and how wild and free life was, at least imagined in this book a couple of hundred years ago. It wrote the characters directly into the landscape and the place/places where they lived and grew up. Amazing.
The narrators of the audiobook are superb and brought the story further to life.
Having read this book, I got the audiobook from my local library, I found a broadened understanding of British history and how wild and free life was, at least imagined in this book a couple of hundred years ago. It wrote the characters directly into the landscape and the place/places where they lived and grew up. Amazing.
The narrators of the audiobook are superb and brought the story further to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Incest
camijupiter's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
One of the best adventures I’ve ever read, mixing history and piracy. Very well structured and particularly original, a refreshing read that reconciled me with fiction. Simply Superb.
b_austridge's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
heretherebemonsters's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.25
miriames2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- 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
3.0
thelaurasaurus's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A bit of a mess. There was too much crammed in for a book of this length. While it's interesting to see some diversity which you wouldn't normally expect from a novel set in the 18th century, there are essentially two characters doing the heavy lifting to make this happen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Incest, Rape, Death, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Abandonment, Suicide, Death of parent, and Animal death