Reviews

a story set in world war II, following two women and their experiences with motherhood and other struggles. both women are named violet and their story is told in alternating chapters. both women deal with the difficulties of childbirth, pregnancy, wanting a family, and such - but also the difficulties that the war has caused. violet 1 loses a baby, while violet 2 gets pregnant at the start of their respective chapters.
i liked the fact that there were two violets and that the chapters switched between them, it's very creative and i enjoyed it. most of the plot was pretty predictable but it's alright, not too much of a bother. i thought the poetry that's part of the novel was sweet and meaningful. otherwise, i liked the writing style but it didn't stand out that much. i do think i would've liked this more if it was more memorable and if i connected with the characters better. still very good, especially for a debut novel.

lunacarmona's review against another edition

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hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

evaverm's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Content Warnings

starstuff's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad

4.0

jessica_h's review against another edition

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5.0

My 100th book of 2023! 🎉

Any book that makes me cry gets an automatic 5 stars, always. Loved this story and the way in which it was told on the page; great narration by Rebecca Trehearn also, smoothly delivering multiple convincing accents. Listened to the audio alongside reading the hardback, my favourite way to consume books at the moment. Stylistically, reminded me of Eimear McBride and Max Porter in equal parts, two authors I love, so this was a safe bet of enjoyment very early on for me. Lovely one sitting read/listen; highly recommended!

enfantstresse's review against another edition

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2.0

The bits of poems between each 3 sentences or so were really annoying

bleadenreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I've been wanting to read this book for so long after @savidgereads praised it so highly last year! It was not what I was expecting but in the best way. It was a moving, lyrical debut of a novel with a really inventive format, with Hyde weaving verse throughout the two perspectives, like a Greek chorus.
This made it quick to read, so quick that I was left in shock at the ending, it was a beautiful whirlwind.

I also didn't realise until the ending that it was a re-imagining/attempt to depict Alex Hyde's own family history and that made the depictions of the two Violets even more powerful. The way Hyde imagined their motivations, emotions and actions of the two Violets was just an incredible attempt to fill in the blanks of family history - so insightful.

I cannot wait to read what Hyde writes next - the way she writes about women's bodies and their battles was so honest, raw and brutally beautiful. It felt like giving women of WW2 a voice and a chance to tell their story in a time before the NHS, the pill and legalised abortions - and the choices they had to make.

Haven't got much more to say except to say - read it

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