Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

35 reviews

hopeadinfinitum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense 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? No

5.0

A difficult book that tears at your heart even as you can’t put it down. This book made me Feel Things with capital letters, angry and sad and hopeful and thoroughly gutted like a fish. There’s a lot of content warnings to take into account and they shouldn’t be taken lightly, but this book is so worth a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Animal death, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Murder

ruthmoog's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

3.25

This kicks off right away with a racial slur that's continued throughout the book... the historical note at the end really hits hard because the racial element is a side note to the stories of the women in the book, and it's just harrowing tbh. And the Samí are still being sidelined by Norway today.

Having said that, all the action happens in the last few chapters. After the storm at the beginning - the very interesting premise! - it plods slowly through the life of a timid protagonist... Over half way through the book I felt like nothing had happened.

But given that it's based on actual events in Vardø ther 's only so much you can do to stay true to the story of a village devastated by a storm.

edit: after reading other reviews I would note, I had no idea this was based on true events or about witch trials when I started, I only knew about the storm leaving a village of women be ind

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, and Murder

Moderate: Colonisation and Genocide

Minor: Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, and Racism

Drowning

klsreads's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.75

I picked this up on a whim to read alongside Caliban and the Witch, and I ended up loving it. The writing is an absolute feast - I felt I could touch the world and characters. +100 for a gorgeous exploration of Sapphic desire and love. 

This book is sad but the subjects are treated with immense tenderness. Will definitely be reading more of Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Blood, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Minor: Animal death and Colonisation

eleanora's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Grief, Miscarriage, Racism, Death, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

karmachamillionaire's review

dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Infertility, Blood, Sexism, Grief, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol

starryforest's review against another edition

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 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, and Violence

hiraeth_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Lesbophobia

miniingrid's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death of parent, Colonisation, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Racism

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, Grief, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Body horror, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Infertility, Gore, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

Minor: War

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, Bullying, Death, Torture, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Rape

Persecution, false accusations, witch hunt, drowning