Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Mercies

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

60 reviews

nyk4envy's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I enjoyed this book immensely. The writing and language was something to get used to, but once I did, I saw it for it’s beauty. A tragic story of pain and love and survival. It can only reflect on the current state of our world. Being prosecuted, oppressed, losing and grieving, finding yourself grounded by loves in your life. It was incredible to read, sometimes I couldn’t put it down. Sometimes I needed to put it down. I cried with the characters, I raged with them.
Incredible story based on a far away tragedy and I couldn’t have asked for me.

Content Warnings

fmooks's review

Go to review page

dark emotional sad 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? No

5.0

Wow wow wow. This book was an emotional read that showed the complex human experience that we can imagine these characters would've had. From grief, jealousy, cruelty to shame, guilt and love.

Somehow Kiran Millwood Hargrave made me hate specific characters and then cry for them in the end.

While this novel is about the Vardo Witch Trials, it focused more on the conditions that could lead to a Witch Trial in this remote area of Finnmark in the first place - rather than the trials themselves. This book really dug into familial relationships, relationships within a small community, and how all of that is impacted by grief.

I did think that the ending was slightly rushed. I see what the author was trying to do with how they wrapped it up but it left me slightly dissatisfied. That didn't take away from my 5* rating though. At one point I was laying in bed, reading, crying (lol) at the "breathe deep" scene - and that will stay with me.

Content Warnings

starryforest's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

??
i didn’t like the ending, but it was realistic and dramatic

Content Warnings

sylexlibris's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

Content Warnings

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

This was so hard to put down. Very compelling and moving. Good discussions of gender and the roles of women in society, the impact of Christianity on native people, and what unprocessed grief can do to people.

Very atmospheric and pretty gay.

Content Warnings

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.75

It is 1617 on an island off the coast of Norway and a wave of unprecedented proportions swallows most of the men from the village of Vardø. The women find ways to survive even when some of them have to turn a blind eye to propriety. Their community is united by grief more than anything, but still divided by the importance they are willing to give to Christianism, the imported religion, which clashes with the Sámi way of life some of them uphold. Yet Vardø is enduring, when a boat brings to them a commissioner, Absalom, and his wife Ursa. He is tasked with restoring religious order and putting an end to the spread of witchcraft. She is merely doing her best in this new life alongside a husband she did not choose.

This novel, in the best vein of historical fiction, gives a body and feelings to anonymous silhouettes in history books. The characters are nuanced and though the action doesn’t rush forward, the narrative has an intensity and a tension that is reflected in the unforgiving landscape and biting wind blowing through this naked land. The writing style is concise but beautifully complex, taking sentences in unexpected directions without using fancy words or trying to mimic a historical style. This is a fiercely feminist novel in that it doesn’t put women on a pedestal but rather shows the multiple ways in which each one deals with her grief and considers her place within society, flaws and all. When I first heard of this book I thought it was some kind of historical utopia, describing a moment when women had lived harmoniously after the men had disappeared. It’s not. There’s tension and conflict, which makes it all the more realistic. I think this is a fantastic book (not a drop of magic here) which looks at the history that is not only made by white, rich men.

Rep : sapphic characters.

Content Warnings

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

Weirdly, this is the 3rd or 4th witch hunt/burnings book I’ve read this year. This is really well written and interesting, and does a great job of character development and crafting the remote setting. It is also stressful (check content warnings), as witch hunt books usually are!

Content Warnings