Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

omg this was so fun! i read this in one sitting. a nice historical mystery that isn’t dry and dense with background information and actually presents knowledge about the time and topic in a pleasant way which sadly i’ve found can be hard for some people to do. i loved saffron and alexander and i also enjoyed her roommate elizabeth. this was just a really nice time. i would check trigger warnings though bc it does touch on some topics and a few things happen on the page.

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astoryofpages's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

i stumbled upon this book completely by chance, having never heard of it on bookstagram. and it felt good! being able to appreciate a book without any preconception due to social media, it even made me a little nostalgic. but what about this reading?

we follow the story of Saffron, a young botanist and assistant researcher, who finds herself having to lead an investigation following an assassination attempt. Kate Khavari drew her inspiration from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot, and it shows! i absolutely adored this cosy little investigation, with its endearing characters. it's fairly quick but well-executed plot. it's not a great masterpiece, but it's the perfect book for hassle-free reading.

it's a debut novel, which means it's not perfect. the rhythm is not always well maintained (sometimes too fast, sometimes a little slower), but the book being short, it's not a big problem. the characters can occasionally lack a bit of background, leading to actions that don't sit well with their personalities (e.g. Saffron jumping to conclusions when she's supposed to be a scientist). nevertheless, she remains a very interesting character who understands her mistakes and doesn't hesitate to accept criticism in order to grow and improve (which many heroines lack).

the author also catches up with the character of Alexander, whom i adored (and who becomes a new bookboyfriend haha). with him, she deals in particular with the traumas of the First World War among the surviving soldiers. it was quite interesting to see this character evolve with his PTSD, without being ashamed of it. his traumatic past is also what makes his strength and his empathy for Saffron!

the character of Saffron also allows the author to report significant facts of the time, and which still remain today: sexism and sexual harassment in the university environment. i find it important to denounce this sexism and this misogyny, especially in an environment such as research. but i also really appreciated that the author highlights male characters who were there to support our heroine, without ever crushing her with mansplaining.

we always appreciate, of course, the little author's note in which she explains to us, without any pretension, her world-building choices. not knowing much about botany, i couldn't really judge the author's knowledge, but she seems capable of writing a book on this subject. as for the historical part, it isn't the main aspect; and the author is careful not to go into details she doesn't grasp. this doesn't prevent us from getting an idea of the state of research in 1923 which was, as Khavari explains in the said author's note, a very fruitful period with a lot of progress.

trigger warnings:

bullying, loss of a parent (past), murder (attempt), PTSD (war), sexism, sexual assault (attempt, mentioned and on-page), sexual harassment, sexual predation.

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rosiewants2read's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Nice mystery with a sweet romance

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littlelizzieborden's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

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