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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
14 reviews
killerwhaletank's review
- 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
5.0
The story covers three “cases” that sisters Augusta and Julia partake in, each one with some dark themes of abuse and mistreatment of women and children. Essentially it’s like three novellas tied together with overarching main story. It starts with the sisters retrieving a letter for a friend, which sets them on a path of what Augusta feels is true usefulness… helping those women that have no one else. Along the way they enlist the aid of their butler Weatherly, Lord Evan Belford (former nobleman turned highwayman) and others. They’re a Regency sort of “A-Team”.
The characters are fantastic. Rich, well-developed… particularly Augusta who is the one we follow (told from her perspective). They are realistic, compassionate women… and unlike in a romance novel, their reactions and the restrictions, particularly for two spinster women, is very darkly realistic.
The book is satisfying in its resolution, but has left a lot of stories unfinished (Augusta’s relationship with her brother Duffy, Lord Evan’s future, Mr. Kent and Julia, etc.). I hope that this means there is another book in the works. I would love to read more about these wonderful and amazing women.
This book is what Sarah Maclean’s Hell’s Belles SHOULD have been… if it had been more realistic, and the writing is fantastic.
Read the afterward by the author as well, it’s very, very interesting.
Such a great read, I was completely blown away by the quality of this book.
Graphic: Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Trafficking, and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape, Racism, and Homophobia
woofpack's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Cancer, and Trafficking
bessadams'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? It's complicated
5.0
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
churrocaitie's review
- 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
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.
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
canonfolly's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Excrement, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault
wonderreads'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
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Rape, Cancer, and Gun violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Child death, Kidnapping, and Lesbophobia
idesofmarch'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
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Medical content, Trafficking, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Excrement, Cancer, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, Rape, Incest, and Racism
cpsnell'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
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Cancer
jhbandcats'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
4.5
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….
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
turrean's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
However, the lighthearted Austenesque situation at the beginning of the book is quickly overshadowed by some horrific set pieces (the brothel, the hospital, the madhouse.) The descriptions of human trafficking, rape, brutal and inhuman incarceration, and the tortures of surgery with no anesthesia were doubtless historically accurate but no less painful to read. The copy of the book I read had an excerpt of a review right above the title: “Smart and sassy!!” which was an odd choice for a book that tells unflinchingly of the treatment of women in that era.
Graphic: Trafficking, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Cancer, Child abuse, Excrement, and Forced institutionalization
The book is tagged as “lighthearted” by many readers. No. It’s not.