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allyem_reads's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
waybeyondblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence and Torture
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pros:
- writing is poignant, powerful and weaves a compelling narrative, while never being especially verbose or wandering too far. The dialogue felt real enough for the period, but still intense and readable.
- the characters were all brilliant, they come to life gradually and several change over the period of the story,
- Lisbet showed great growth
- the setting, the history and the depiction of the dancing mania was all extremely evocative and intense, I could picture it all so well and you feel as if you're down there in the pulsing, dangerous crowds, or drowning in the smell of melting beeswax.
- lisbet's alliance with the bees and later the dog, Ulf, added another beautiful layer to her character and her skills as a beekeeper helped her realise her own worth, beyond being a wife and a mother.
- I loved the women's friendships, Lisbet's true love for Ida despite her mixture of jealousy and awe towards her friend, and Nethe's developing care and love for Lisbet, despite her initial fear of closeness.
- the significant tragedies of the book are balanced with successes, which stopped me from feeling betrayed at the end, which I sometimes am with tragic books. bitter sweet, I can do!
- Plater's grim awfulness is written in a way that is familiar but still ghastly, and the dread of his arrival is tangible every time he arrives.
cons:
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- also wish that the role of the eldest daughter as a replacement mother might have been examined a little.
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- it was of course upsetting, though somewhat expected from how saintly she is set up as, that Ida died. as Lisbet and Eren survived, couldnt Nethe and Ida have? it fitted with the story ofc, but it's a shame that it continues the 'bury your gays'
overall, I truly loved this haunting, sad, and powerful historical novel about the power of female friendship and love against loss, hardships and intolerance.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Medical content, and Alcohol
lorriss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Slavery, Excrement, Alcohol, and Colonisation
thedukeofpuke_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Blood and Excrement
bootrat'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Wouldn't recommend, and doesn't entice me into reading more of the author's works.
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death
albon'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
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
znvisser'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Alcohol
quillyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
And it crams a LOT in. Too much, perhaps. As the books tries to ambitiously comment on grief, miscarriage, religious mania, tyrannical religious zealots, homophobia, xenophobia… It can’t investigate these themes in the depth they deserve or with the time or character development they require to become a theme, rather than just an embellishment.
Also, I just couldn’t connect with the characters. There’s little character development. And despite the huge amount of happenings in the final sprint of the book, the ending feels like it’s back to the start. The only difference is
I just couldn’t vibe with this book.
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Xenophobia and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Islamophobia
bree_of_the_woods'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
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury