Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

11 reviews

bessadams's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Gun violence, Classism, Trafficking, Cancer, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Death, Child abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Racism, and Child death

smiti_nathan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Cancer, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Grief, Classism, Death, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Child death, Confinement, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, Slavery, Murder, Outing, and Rape

rhi_'s review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

2.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gore, Emotional abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Blood, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Murder, Child abuse, Classism, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Death, and Eating disorder

Minor: Vomit, Pedophilia, Mental illness, and Deportation

churrocaitie's review

adventurous inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

What a fun book that felt like an adventure of a lifetime for women in the “Bridgerton” era (aka Regency England). 

It took me a good halfway through before I saw where the book was going but when I got there, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I enjoyed how special each new character was that was introduced, and I loved how unique and dark Alison Goodman wrote the storyline with “history” as a baseline. I’m always a sucker for anything not-modern and I totally got my fix in this, while also enjoying a story that was perfectly adventurous enough for my liking. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Gore, Grief, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, and Vomit

Minor: Infidelity, Gun violence, and Kidnapping

katiescott's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

aseel_reads's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.5

I truly didn't think I would enjoy this book was much as I did. It striked a good balance between historical fiction (for that time period) and adventure/mystery! Just the feminist tones while kicking ass, fantastic. I also loved the sister relationship so much. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Murder, Outing, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Confinement, Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death of parent, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Trafficking, Death, Racism, and Violence

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

I loved this book from beginning to end but I confess that if I hadn’t had to read it for a book group, I’d never have picked it because it looks and sounds like it’s a lightweight “cozy mystery,” the last thing I’d normally choose. This has lots of humor and it’s quite entertaining but it’s about as far from cozy as you can get. Vivid descriptions of truly appalling situations abound. 

This is a feminist tirade against the abuse of women in the 18th and 19th Centuries, and nothing about it is gentle. I am not one to cry at books but I had tears in my eyes reading about the conditions at the private insane asylum - women chained half-naked in feces up to their ankles is just one example of the many cruelties and injustices. 

The author has done copious research on the Regency period of England (1811-1820), and it tells in the detail she brings to the story. This would be a good companion to Jane Austen’s books and the somewhat later ones of the Bronte’s. They focused on polite society whereas this book shows a part of England they may not have known existed. 

Unfortunately for me, this book was only just published so I’ll have to wait all too long for the sequel. I know it will be well worth the wait, but still….

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Cancer, Deportation, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Incest

alyssajp's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

Adventurous. Action. Feminist. Sisterhood. A bit of romance. Tackles some heavy topics including breast cancer, faith, confinement, graphic neglect/abuse; not a "light-hearted" read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Cancer, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Misogyny, and Classism

Minor: Rape

alhalpern's review

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Incest, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Kidnapping, Suicide, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

parchment_and_papyrus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

 

Review of ‘The Benevolent Society for Ill-Mannered Ladies’ by Alison Goodman 

Gus and Julia are two very different twins in both look and personality. Gus, standing at 5 foot 9 is independent, intelligent, daring, and feisty. Julia is more demure, empathic, loving, fiercely loyal and stands at a ‘ladylike’ 5 foot 2. We meet the twins on the second anniversary of Julia’s fiancée’s death. Still mourning his loss, the twins are navigating regency life as aging spinsters. A dear friend, Charlotte, finds herself on the brink of scandal when the twins step in. A favour that will lead to adventures and heroics that no-one could have predicted. A beautiful journey of deception, violence, fear, romance and above all sisterly love.  

What a joy this book was to read, I really didn’t want to put it down. There was never a dull moment in the lives of the Colebrook twins. The book was split into sections, each following a new ‘case’. And I say ‘case’ because it’s not like they are a detective agency taking on new clients, these are just situations that the twins find themselves in as their reputation for fairness and fearlessness goes before them. Do not fear, although these cases are not connected as such, there are connections within them. Relationships are built, characters developed, and longer-term stories evolved. 

I particularly liked how Goodman brought in topics that are so important today, like LGBT rights and mental health, and used real historical artifacts to present them in the Regency era. Some of the beliefs and therefore outcomes for people in the story are really quite horrendous so if you are triggered by these topics read with care, it’s especially difficult knowing that some of the accounts are based on real reports of the day. But it’s clear Goodman knows her regency history, you can see it in the world building, the context setting, the small details, that no stone was left unturned. I have read a lot of regency era novels and I still learnt some facts from this book. 

This book was written from the perspective of Gus and I’m so glad it was, because she is fierce! If you like historical settings where women act with modern attitudes, then this is a book for you. Gus in a lot of ways reminds me a bit of Elizabeth Bennet, if Lizzy had had a twin that brought her down to earth. Like Lizzy and Jane, Gus and Julia’s relationship is a wonder. It made me wish I had a twin sister. They both use the unspoken to communicate their feelings and ideas. A pause here, a nod there and a whole conversation has been divulged, it showed a love and intimacy that trumped all others. 

And I can’t go any further without commenting on the romance. At first it all happened a bit too quick for me. Gus’s love interest was calling her, ‘my dear’ (cringe! Regency language always gets me.) way too quickly. I’m all for love at first sight but the immediate use of endearments in a regency setting just didn’t work for me. Even if they felt that way, they would have such a wall of reserve that it made it feel artificial. Having said that as soon as it was out there, I pretty much forgot about it and boy was I invested. There was even a [spoilers ahead: skip to the next paragraph] there’s only one bed scenario and who doesn’t love that! 

I would definitely recommend if you like your historical fiction light hearted and easily digestible. A great summer read and a good foot in the door if you are trying the genre out for the first time. I can’t wait for the next instalment. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Torture, Excrement, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical trauma, Death, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Racism, and Lesbophobia