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skylarkblue1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Representations: https://trello.com/c/QAC6AKWA/107-miss-bensons-beetle-by-rachel-joyce
CONTENT WARNING NOTES: I have no idea why people haven't been tagging this with graphic animal death and fatphobia, both are very graphic, very detailed and very much on-page. The animal death especially was really bad as it was also pet related. Hopefully sending a quick email to storygraph overrules that and adds them to the main page as that's 2 of the biggest content warnings of this book. If you write a review and add content warnings, either add them all or none at all.
I didn't think I'd like it this much when I started, but I really grew to love the 2 main MCs and really was with them for their adventure! The only thing I'm still not too sure about is the stalking sub-plot... I don't think the book needed it in all honesty. Every time it went to Mundic's POV it just felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over.
I really liked the characters - except Mundic lmao - and despite being a bit weary at first I really liked Enid's and Margery by the end and grew to appreciate them through the book. There's really strong character development through the 2 women bonding and becoming firm friends and I really liked how their (platonic) relationship grew. I also appreciated that despite a lot of talks around past relationships and such, there's no actual on-page romance which was a very nice breath of fresh air.
Mundic was both complicated, and very 2D feeling. His whole character was this prisoner of war, PTSD troubled man and every chapter from him was just this breakdown of all his delusions and mental health just snapping. I honestly think this book would be almost perfect if he was either removed, or his chapters where removed and we didn't see his POV - I think that would have made the ending a lot more impactful... cause honestly even with his POV chapters I don't really know what the point of his character is.
The story was really good, I loved reading a realistic adventure - I can't really think of any books like this that I've read and honestly I want more! Normally when I read an adventure book, it's fantasy and mainly middle grade, so an adult adventure book seeking beetles was really quite interesting to me. Though I do wish there was more on the actual searching part, that was quite little compared to the rest, they where some of my favourite parts! The main story is just about the 2 women trying to survive, trying to work out what their true goals are and what they care most about in life. Alongside the mysteries of who people actually are....
The themes where quite obvious, it was nice to have a book a about female empowerment and friendship without romance getting in the way though. Morally grey women and impulsive actions was pretty fun to read - though I still have some questions about stuff that happened like at the very start.. what *did* happen with Marge quitting the school? Was that just a mental breakdown?
I think it's set up to have twists, but the way information is provided it's pretty obvious while reading without thinking that much who is who and who's done what. But the story beats towards the end doesn't lean that much on them being a surprise so it doesn't matter that much. I found this to be quite a quick read, I read through it in a couple sittings, it was a pretty easy read as well which was quite nice.
CONTENT WARNING NOTES: I have no idea why people haven't been tagging this with graphic animal death and fatphobia, both are very graphic, very detailed and very much on-page. The animal death especially was really bad as it was also pet related. Hopefully sending a quick email to storygraph overrules that and adds them to the main page as that's 2 of the biggest content warnings of this book. If you write a review and add content warnings, either add them all or none at all.
I didn't think I'd like it this much when I started, but I really grew to love the 2 main MCs and really was with them for their adventure! The only thing I'm still not too sure about is the stalking sub-plot... I don't think the book needed it in all honesty. Every time it went to Mundic's POV it just felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over.
I really liked the characters - except Mundic lmao - and despite being a bit weary at first I really liked Enid's and Margery by the end and grew to appreciate them through the book. There's really strong character development through the 2 women bonding and becoming firm friends and I really liked how their (platonic) relationship grew. I also appreciated that despite a lot of talks around past relationships and such, there's no actual on-page romance which was a very nice breath of fresh air.
Mundic was both complicated, and very 2D feeling. His whole character was this prisoner of war, PTSD troubled man and every chapter from him was just this breakdown of all his delusions and mental health just snapping. I honestly think this book would be almost perfect if he was either removed, or his chapters where removed and we didn't see his POV - I think that would have made the ending a lot more impactful... cause honestly even with his POV chapters I don't really know what the point of his character is.
The story was really good, I loved reading a realistic adventure - I can't really think of any books like this that I've read and honestly I want more! Normally when I read an adventure book, it's fantasy and mainly middle grade, so an adult adventure book seeking beetles was really quite interesting to me. Though I do wish there was more on the actual searching part, that was quite little compared to the rest, they where some of my favourite parts! The main story is just about the 2 women trying to survive, trying to work out what their true goals are and what they care most about in life. Alongside the mysteries of who people actually are....
The themes where quite obvious, it was nice to have a book a about female empowerment and friendship without romance getting in the way though. Morally grey women and impulsive actions was pretty fun to read - though I still have some questions about stuff that happened like at the very start.. what *did* happen with Marge quitting the school? Was that just a mental breakdown?
I think it's set up to have twists, but the way information is provided it's pretty obvious while reading without thinking that much who is who and who's done what. But the story beats towards the end doesn't lean that much on them being a surprise so it doesn't matter that much. I found this to be quite a quick read, I read through it in a couple sittings, it was a pretty easy read as well which was quite nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Colonisation, Death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: War, Miscarriage, and Gun violence
smdorsett's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Gun violence, Bullying, Colonisation, Grief, Infertility, Death of parent, and Animal death
frannydo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, War, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookish_houseplant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Rachel Joyce is my favorite author. Every book of hers I've read I loved, and this is no different. Although historical fiction and adventure are usually not my favorite genres, this book has such wonderfully rounded characters who are really the stars. I said it's complicated if the cast of characters is diverse. I think what that question is asking is if there is a range of races, ethnicities, orientations, etc. Personally if a book has those things mentioned but each character sounds roughly the same, just "diversity" for the sake of it, I don't think of it as diverse. This book, though, each character has a wildly different background, way of viewing life, and voice, and in that way it is very diverse. And that's why I love Rachel Joyce's books in general. She understands the differences in people and captures them so well, even characters less important to the plot get a little bit of background to explain where they're at in life and why they are the way they are. I love it so much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, and War
There is no war currently going on, but there is a character with PTSD from the recent war.aargot1's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death, Stalking, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide, Gun violence, War, Torture, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia
its_asker's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
tense
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? Yes
3.5
Fun story with some interesting characters. Set in a part of the world I knew very little about before reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
alayamorning's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Grief
bobbijopmh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“We are not the things that happened to us. We can be what we like.”
A story of adventure across the world and finding your true vocation.
This novel was not quite what I expected. I expected a light ‘book club’ type women’s adventure. But it was much more substantial than that. It’s somewhere between a crime caper, and adventure story, and a meaningful feminist journey of self-discovery. It’s about taking a risk to find what truly makes you happy.
I enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly (2 days). The characters are well developed. The locations are described well enough that they begin to come to life. There is humour, and emotion, and suspense in just the right measures. As a nature lover I certainly enjoyed the entomology references too.
Overall an easy four star read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Gun violence, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Torture
clarereadstheworld's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A lovely read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Vomit, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, and Panic attacks/disorders
hollyd19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Miss Benson’s Beetle follows Margery Benson, a middle-aged domestic science teacher in post-war Britain. After a mental break loses her her job in one dramatic day, she decides to throw caution to the wind and go on an expedition to New Caledonia in search of a beetle she has been infatuated with her whole life. She puts a call out for an assistant, and ends up with a hot mess of a woman, Enid Pretty, accompanying her on her adventure.
Y’all, I wanted to love this book. It seemed charming and fun and has a totally-up-my-alley premise. But on the whole, I was pretty disappointed.
First of all, this book has a lot more heavy themes than I expected given the synopsis and the various endorsements (words like “charming,” “brilliant,” and “marvelous”). I’ll put some content warnings at the bottom. Secondly, the character development felt spasmodic and inconsistent. Finally, there is a character called Mundic who I felt was an awkward, possibly even offensive, attempt at incorporating post-war PTSD into the narrative. Most of the chapters from his perspective left me unsettled and a little confused.
Admittedly, I liked the second half better than the first. The two women found a bit more of a rhythm and their relationship took on a more believable tenor. That said, I cannot say I found it to be a satisfying to read.
Y’all, I wanted to love this book. It seemed charming and fun and has a totally-up-my-alley premise. But on the whole, I was pretty disappointed.
First of all, this book has a lot more heavy themes than I expected given the synopsis and the various endorsements (words like “charming,” “brilliant,” and “marvelous”). I’ll put some content warnings at the bottom. Secondly, the character development felt spasmodic and inconsistent. Finally, there is a character called Mundic who I felt was an awkward, possibly even offensive, attempt at incorporating post-war PTSD into the narrative. Most of the chapters from his perspective left me unsettled and a little confused.
Admittedly, I liked the second half better than the first. The two women found a bit more of a rhythm and their relationship took on a more believable tenor. That said, I cannot say I found it to be a satisfying to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Self harm, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, and Infertility