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talonsontypewriters'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism
erikawynn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death of parent
loxeletters's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There is a lot of talk about both astronomy and embroidery/fashion (though it never gets too technical in either topic). If that doesn't interest you, this book might bore you at some point.
The characters were more or less well-developed, though most of the supporting characters fell a little flat. Catherine and Lucy both had their own hopes and dreams as well as their fear and weaknesses, Catherine even more so than Lucy in this regard.
There are two main points I took issue with:
a) the romance. It wasn't unhealthy or forced or anything but, boy oh boy, was it rushed. Insta-love at its finest. Lucy arrives at the mansion and is basically immediately in love with Catherine, even though she was just heartbroken by her prior lover's sudden marriage. Similarly for Catherine. The attraction seemed to rely entirely on physical attractiveness, as well. This, of course, ceased to be a relevant issue after the first few chapters – other than my second issue, which was constant throughout the book:
b) the handling of sexuality and past abuse. It's not that it was handled badly: in fact, the opposite. But at some point, suspense of disbelief just couldn't cover the insanely modern conceptions of sexuality and abuse that many of the main characters held. This is set in the 19th century, yet the characters, especially Lucy, felt like they'd been plucked from a modern-time feminist demonstration and transported into Victorian England. What's more, there simply was an astounding amount of homosexual people in this novel, reminiscent of some fanfictions where the author simply turns the entire cast into some LGBTQ variations.
I can appreciate what the author was trying to do here – show the diversity that of course existed even in those times – but in a book that revolves around only two characters the vast majority of the time, making seven characters LGB (just off of the top of my head) is an insane stretch.
Regarding (past) abuse: the author probably wanted to handle this topic carefully and discuss it in the way it deserves to be discussed. However, in my opinion, this again was difficult to reconcile with the time period the book takes place in. Also, I felt that the consequences of Catherine's trauma and her road to recovery could have been explored way more.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, however. What I found especially interesting were the discussions about art and science: the difference between them, what counts as art/science, and what part misogyny plays in such a definition. Another very insightful discussion was about legal marriage in contrast to "informal" relationships: the benefits and disadvantages of either, and the way the two solved this issue for themselves in the end.
Finally, I do need to mention that I saw the twist at the end coming from quite a bit earlier. This did not detract from my enjoyment of seeing entitled men suffer, though. :)
Overall, I wouldn't consider this book a literary masterpiece. However, it touches on very important subjects in an interesting and delightfully fresh way. The plot and characterisations are solid. The way the author incorporated LGB representation and the handling of abuse, though I disagree with it, are understandable. This is a quick, entertaining, and quite satisfying read.
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Colonisation
bisexualwentworth's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
cgn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Sexual content includes BDSM-style power play/submission that is not discussed but is welcomed by both characters.make_believer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Sexual violence
wardenred's review
- 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
The earth is the center of a web of force that touches the moon, the sun, the other planets, and perhaps even all those distant stars that burn so far away. But every other moon, sun, comet, planet, and star is itself a center, and exerts its own force upon all the rest.
Nothing in the universe stands alone.
An incredibly beautiful and thoughtful book. I deliberately read it at a slower pace than usual, even though sometimes it was hard to pace myself and not just gulp down all the remaining chapters. But I didn't want to miss out on anything. The prose here is gorgeous, the characterization throughout the book is consistently evolving, and even though the romance obviously takes central stage, there's so much else going on.
I loved both Catherine and Lucy, independently and together—especially together. Theirs is exactly the kind of relationship I want to see in romance: two people building a future together as they work through the effects of their individual pasts, seeing the best in each other and lifting each other up, helping each other be the best version of themselves. It was wonderful to see these two women let each other in and work together as partners. All the beautiful details woven into their relationship—the art and the science, the translations and the embroidery—added so much to the story.
The parts of the book that were perhaps the most fascination but also the most difficult to read involved the vividly painted picture of the society these characters live in. It's impressive how the author doesn't gloss over or sugar-coat any of the numerous aspects of the systematic oppression Catherine and Lucy encounter, whether head-on or in passing—and at the same time, manages to lead the story to a powerful and hopeful ending. The world around the characters doesn't change in an instant, but there's a strong feeling that it can change, bit by bit.
Without diving into spoilers, I'll just say I also enjoyed how the subject of the power imbalance between the romantic leads was handled. Like so many topics in this story, it was very directly confronted instead of steering toward something like, "but they love each other, so of course this won't be a problem, let's focus on something else." And it was firmly the kind of confrontation that leads to solutions, not problems.
Overall, an amazing read, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Olivia Waite in the future.
Graphic: Misogyny, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
womanwill'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
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism
decklededgess's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
surprisingly diverse!!! hella brown and poc characters mentioned except none of them have their actual races mentioned save one because of his name. but the book is making several points about first wave feminism which is interesting!! really enjoyable.
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Death