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alyssapusateri's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual harassment
erintempleton's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
4.25
it didn't take long to get completely invested in Patience and Sarah's story, the ups and downs of it, the triumphs and devastations, and i wish i had known about them so much sooner. i loved their pioneering of so many things, and i loved the combination of Patience's education with Sarah's adventurousness. i loved their honesty with each other, even when it was difficult and embarrassing, and i loved their discovery of love with each other. just genuinely surprised by how much i loved this book, very much reminded me of e.m. forster's maurice which i also adore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Sexual harassment
megelizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This is quite an odd book and wasn't really what I was expecting, but I did end up mostly enjoying it (and becoming super attached to the characters). I liked that we got both Patience's and Sarah's points of view and that we got to see them grow and develop both together and separately. The sense of place and time is really strong and I really felt as if I was part of their world for a while. I also of course really appreciate the historical significance of this book and the important discussions it contains (and contributed and contributes to).
The main thing I wasn't a huge fan of is the fact that Patience and Sarah's relationship develops very quickly and largely off-page, and I think the story would've benefitted so much from giving more time to them meeting and getting to know each other and then developing a romantic relationship and making plans for the future. It all just felt a bit unrealistically fast and meant that, while I came to like them together by the end, I felt a bit robbed of that experience of actually seeing them come together.
That being said, I liked this a lot overall and would definitely recommend it as a landmark piece of queer literature. It's not an easy read by any means, but it's also a lot happier and more hopeful than a lot of early (and later, to be honest) books in the genre.
The main thing I wasn't a huge fan of is the fact that Patience and Sarah's relationship develops very quickly and largely off-page, and I think the story would've benefitted so much from giving more time to them meeting and getting to know each other and then developing a romantic relationship and making plans for the future. It all just felt a bit unrealistically fast and meant that, while I came to like them together by the end, I felt a bit robbed of that experience of actually seeing them come together.
That being said, I liked this a lot overall and would definitely recommend it as a landmark piece of queer literature. It's not an easy read by any means, but it's also a lot happier and more hopeful than a lot of early (and later, to be honest) books in the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Incest, Racism, and Slavery