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reiverse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual violence
chloemakesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy
aggie24'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? No
3.5
Moderate: Rape and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide
notreadkat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
For a character that is overt in her feminism and support and enthusiasm to recognise the hard work and struggle being a woman is in an oppressive society, This book fails to fully consider every women, more specifically speaking Black and poc women. It’s especially frustrating and painfully clear because the main character does mention segregation and racism but that’s it, only mentions. For a book published in 2022 that battles the themes of societal issues more specifically sexism I would expect all women to be included not only ones that look like the author. Along with the time period of when the book is set (segregation, Jim Crow and Civil rights) makes it the perfect environment and setting to have such commentary about the struggles of being a women of colour.
This book is good and well written but it’s only from a white perspective. Being published in 2022 with the themes that’s it has I am disappointed that this books beliefs only include white feminism.
*content warning* - discussion about rape.
Another major gripe I had with this book is how the characters react to the sexual violence they face, more specifically speaking rape.
I find that the book will make the characters go through these horrific events that will affect them whilst the scene is happening but not further than that.
I wish the book portrayed how sexual violence isn’t just a bad memory that can effect you socially but, is also a prolonged traumatic memory or experience that bleeds and affects your everyday life and is not just limited to social.
*discussions of content warning over*
Overall the book is extremely well written and The characters arcs do come full circle, with statifying conclusions.
I personally would rate it a lot higher if what I previously criticised and mentioned wasn’t as serious as a topic and theme that they are, as I believe they deserve full well rounded, educated and all inclusive discussions about them.
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Sexual harassment
lillianannivey's review against another edition
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
lizzyjean'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
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
The descriptions of rape/sexual assault are pretty graphic and happen more than once throughout the story. Sexism is a main theme of the book.21books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Sexual content
xoxlululuxox's review against another edition
3.5
This book took some time for me to get into, the pacing is very slow and the writing style has you jumping from present to past and back within the same chapter.
Set in the early 60s, the book focuses on Elizabeth Zott as she moves through life from single career driven woman to single mother trying to keep herself afloat.
Elizabeth Zott is a very serious character, who has beliefs that are in line with today's women. She is extremely intelligent, and is autisticly coded. She is quite abrasive and hard to like at first but I think as the book moves along and she finds/creates her family she becomes more likeable.
This book does paint men as misogynistic pigs, with the exception of a few, but I think that is part of what makes Elizabeth's journey stronger and more believable. If all the men were supportive of her, with a few exceptions, you wouldn't have the same story.
I believe this book is very dark in its topics, ranging from actual and threats of rape, death, mentions of suicide and homophobia, parental abandonment, as well as, as previously mentioned, misogyny. But it isn't all horrible, with light-hearted moments existing particularly in the later part of the book.
One of the things I truly adored about this book was that despite Elizabeth Zott's troubles in the past with her family she was able to create her own after the birth of her child, growing as a person and gaining connections that become stronger along the way.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This novel started slow (and dark - readers should be aware [I wasn't] that
Elizabeth Zott is such an incredible main character - tough, uncompromising, fiercely intelligent, and strong-willed (almost too much so, there were times I wished she would bend just a little, but no, she would not), but she did have a gentler side which I appreciated reading about.
Elizabeth needs every bit of willpower, because number one, she was a scientist, and number two, she was an unmarried woman living in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, a time which did not look kindly on women, particularly women who did not fit their prescribed stereotypes.
Fair warning to readers that the misogyny in this book is extreme, infuriatingly so. It comes from not only men but some women too. The sexism was so overwhelmingly awful at times that I had to stop and wonder if it actually was as terrible as Garmus depicts. I'm not sure, but I know that women definitely got a raw deal in this period of history.
The other infuriating thing to read about was so many of the terrible events in the novel could have been prevented if certain people had been less greedy, small-minded, or desperate. But then I guess there wouldn't have been a story, so go figure.
There were a few things that didn't quite work for me. The switches between POV characters would often occur within the same section, and even in the same paragraph at times, which was jarring as I would need to figure out whose POV I was reading.
Also, the POV of Elizabeth's
Anyway, overall this was a really great read, albeit one with some pretty dark themes - I would advise prospective readers to check the content warnings.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, and Pedophilia
erinwolf1997'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Car accident, and Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent