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jackiepreston's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
broccoli_j's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- 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
4.75
„We cannot stand up in a church and make vows. But we can stand up publicly and declare that we are important together.“
This book is a love story.
A love story between two women.
A love story between women and womanhood.
A story about love between artists and their art, scientists and their science and about appreciation for the joy and connection that you can feel in the middle of these two!
The publishing of the book „The Lady‘s guide to celestial mechanics“ leads to a beautiful love between two very unlike women. But only in this relationship do they discover exactly what, except for Lucy’s book, connects the two of them. And even further, which of these things connect them to other women.
If you are looking for a heartwarming book with a young scientist and a strongheaded artist, who had to find herself aber her husbands death, you will absolutely love this book. It has well written spicy scenes but also covers the mundane realities of (forbidden) relationships. It connects friendship and allyship and community in a grander aspect than just in what is written on the page!
Especially the second half of this book will have you crying, laughing, hoping and swearing. Happy reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol and Homophobia
talonsontypewriters's review
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
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
loxeletters's review
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have a quite complicated relationship with this book. There are parts that I loved – or at least, found extremely satisfying to read – which include mostly the instances of Lucy winning over misogynist men. I enjoyed the prose, which was rich in imagery and overall pleasant to read. Where there were sex scenes, they felt mostly natural and weren't shrouded in awkward wording or overly explicit descriptions.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Racism, Grief, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Colonisation
yvonne_cl's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
slow-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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Death, and Genocide
relin's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Alcohol
Minor: Lesbophobia
allisonwonderlandreads's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"Women's ideas are treated as though they sprung from nowhere, to be claimed by the first man who comes along. Every generation had women stand up and ask to be counted--and every generation of brilliant, insightful, educated men has raised a hand and wiped those women's names from the greater historical record."
This historical romance has layers on layers. It's a sapphic love story that deals with coming out to yourself and to others, as well as readjusting your view of the world by breaking free of common, false understandings of relationships. In this story, we find the countess Catherine St. Day, widowed and glad to be free of her husband, even as she struggles to find a new purpose outside of funding and supporting his scientific expeditions. We also get to know Lucy, who stood in and outgrew her father's shadow but finds her career options in astronomy limited after his death.
This warm, heartfelt love story covers the trials of building a relationship in secret that ought not be treated as shameful or unusual, but society paints it so. It's about seeing your own potential and reaching for it. It's about the magic of science and of art to show us pieces of ourselves, others, and the universe. It's about how those big questions concerning who we are and our place in the world should be open to everyone, not be dictated and pruned by some pompous white man.
And at the heart of it all, this is a lovely read with a satisfying romantic arc from attraction to true connection. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone.
This historical romance has layers on layers. It's a sapphic love story that deals with coming out to yourself and to others, as well as readjusting your view of the world by breaking free of common, false understandings of relationships. In this story, we find the countess Catherine St. Day, widowed and glad to be free of her husband, even as she struggles to find a new purpose outside of funding and supporting his scientific expeditions. We also get to know Lucy, who stood in and outgrew her father's shadow but finds her career options in astronomy limited after his death.
This warm, heartfelt love story covers the trials of building a relationship in secret that ought not be treated as shameful or unusual, but society paints it so. It's about seeing your own potential and reaching for it. It's about the magic of science and of art to show us pieces of ourselves, others, and the universe. It's about how those big questions concerning who we are and our place in the world should be open to everyone, not be dictated and pruned by some pompous white man.
And at the heart of it all, this is a lovely read with a satisfying romantic arc from attraction to true connection. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, and Death of parent
lipstickitotheman's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Grief
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