edamamebean's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Miscarriage, Outing, Grief, Infidelity, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Violence, Drug use, Mental illness, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcoholism
bellwetherbird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Child death, Sexism, Homophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
jesselynn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
We follow Lisbet, a heavily pregnant young woman who keeps bees alongside her husband and mother-in-law. Lisbet is desperate for her unborn child's survival, due to multiple previous miscarriages, which wounds her and familial relationships deeply. When her husband's sister Agnethe returns from seven years in the mountains atoning for a mysterious sin, the path of her life is forever changed.
The content is very emotionally stimulating, with really moving and detailed language and a narrative that is very centred around Lisbet's feelings and emotional state. The cast of characters are interesting, with Lisbet's sister-in-law Nethe being a favourite of mine. The story explores a very harrowing sapphic relationship, as well as themes of religious fervour, immigration and xenophobia. The story is not an account of the Dancing Plague as such, but the events of the summer and strange event are an atmospheric setting, the rhythm of the dance weaved throughout Lisbet's story in interludes. The novel is much more character focused than a simple retelling, which I liked. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially women's historical fiction. Tread carefully if pregnancy, infertility and miscarriage is a trigger point for you.
Thanks to Picador for the reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I'll definitely be recommending this one to my customers and am looking forward to future works from Kiran Millwood Hargrave!
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Animal death, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Confinement, Death of parent, Infertility, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Classism, and Miscarriage
ginnydw's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Miscarriage, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Lesbophobia, Death, and Miscarriage
tegancalnan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Death, and Miscarriage
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Violence, Miscarriage, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Grief, and Xenophobia
Minor: War and Alcohol
gurofl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
So I at first thought this was an ok read, but I find that I've been thinking about this book and especially the main character a lot after finishing it, and that I like it better now than I did immediately after finishing it. In the middle I thought this would be a 3🌟 read, but I now thinks it's a solid 4🌟.
(Loads of content warnings for this book! It's not an easy read.)
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Classism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Racism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was slow to open but the middle and ending flew past. It's certainly far from a happy ending, but such were the lives of most medieval women, which this book focused on. I loved the breadth and variety of characters that Hargrave focused on, as well as the fact that she didn't try to speculate as to what had caused the dancing plague (at least, not from a medical standpoint). It is dark and definitely a frustrating, triggering read, but it is also a gripping read.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Fire/Fire injury
aniqah_w's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Mental illness, and Death of parent
thealienamongus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content