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amyashby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy
thequeercaseofmarius's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
The romance aspect was pretty sweet, however I do think Daniel was too selfless and was giving up too much for Sarah from the get-go; much like Peeta did in the first Hunger Games book. I just don’t see this trope as realistic or healthy, and it gives young readers the idea that a girl being rude to a guy is just evidence that she’s wildly attracted to him and he should just be more smothering and insistent. Also, the cunning folk in this story work with the devil, and I’m pretty sure cunning folk are not demonic in real life so I found that aspect of the story disappointing.
But as I said this isn’t the usual kind of stuff I read, and I still thought it was an enjoyable novel. If you like romance, history, and folklore, you’d probably enjoy Cunning Women.
Edit: I was right! Sources and evidence from the appropriate time periods show that Cunning folk practised Christianity, and even called upon saints in the conjuring of folk magic. There has been some popular arguments originating from the Victorian era that say that accused witches had been practicing pagans, and even that the devil is a Christian reimagining of a pagan deity. I think these are the theories that Cunning Women was based upon, but most modern historians don’t believe the surviving paganism theory to be true and I don’t either.
Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death of parent
bookchatwithbeth's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
lalabeths's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
taylahmay's review against another edition
1.0
While the story has intriguing characters, not much is done with them. There’s a lot of teasing re the source of their magic and even the actions of the mother in the past that we never get a full explanation of. With a slow burn to start and a rush of events to end, it struggled to keep my attention and interest.
However, the historical world that’s built is wonderful and feels well fleshed out. With historical references to day to day life, celebrations, society, and beliefs, it puts you in the environment of the story and aids understanding of the characters.
I felt let down with the end after hoping for strong character development of the main male character, just to have him half heartedly own up for a portion of his actions and simultaneously act as a martyr which seemed unnecessary. Without spoiling it, I felt there was a way for all of them to leave. Or at least have that option voiced and considered and then dashed if need be.
My biggest gripe is the tag line of “feminist tale”. Yes, the main character is a female and it deals greatly with her station in life as a result, but the story doesn’t call negative attention on the sexism of the time or have any character voice it. Actually, the sexism and misogyny of the characters become more outspoken and dangerous towards the end. This doesn’t make the book bad, but considering I chose to read this book under the assumption I would be met with a strong female character making waves or at least having her strength make an impact, I felt doubly disappointed. I was met with
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
elementarymydear's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve read a few books set around this time and place, and this is a welcome addition to the sub-genre. The writing is so atmospheric, you can’t help but be drawn into the slightly unsettling day-to-day life of the village. It is, mostly, a very still book. For the majority of the story there are undertones of danger, the sense that something terrible might happen at any moment, making it all the more dramatic when something does happen. It’s a slow burn but the pay-off is worth it!
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Something I really enjoyed about this book – and about similar books too – is that there is a certain ambiguity as to the magical element. You could read it as historical fiction, where the characters are convinced that there are magical forces at play to the point of near delusion. Alternatively, you could read it as a fantasy story of very real witches who are forced to hide their powers. This is a trope I really enjoy in historical fiction and it was done really well here, and I thought it added to the world-building and to the story.
The book deals with lots of very heavy topics (definitely check the content warnings if there are things you look out for). It was really interesting to see how the characters dealt with the consequences of their own and others’ actions, and the ramifications of that on the village as a whole. As is often the case with women accused of witchcraft, they did not commit the crimes they were accused of. It was an interesting twist to see this through the eyes of Daniel, the farmer’s son, as he comes to realise for himself the terrible way the Haworth family have been treated. There was a particularly touching moment towards the end where Sarah realises how much her mother has been through, and the difficult actions she has taken to keep her family safe.
That being said, I would have liked to see a little more at the end of the characters confronting their own actions. For spoiler reasons I won’t say who, but there was one character in particular who with the best intentions made a lot of decisions that had terrible consequences. While they began to face up to those consequences at the end, it didn’t quite follow through for me and the ending felt like a little bit of a let-down.
I do think it’s worth noting that the tag-line for this book – “A feminist tale of forbidden love after the witch trials” – felt quite misleading. While the story does centre women’s experiences at the time, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a feminist novel, as it did little to examine or overcome the political, social and economic constraints on women. This is not necessarily a bad thing – I don’t think the book needed that – it does feel like the tag-line was added for buzzwords rather than for an accurate summary of the book.
Overall, this was an incredibly atmospheric historical fiction, with a touch of magic to leave you guessing right to the end.
Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Abortion