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charkinzie's review
3.0
This was a difficult book for me to review. I found the description a little confusing. I felt I would be reading a f/f historical romance.
It becomes clear about halfway through the book that the MC is a trans man...not a woman. This could be confusing for some people.
From the perspective of someone reading this as a historical novel, I found it quite interesting. I had no idea that the tulip trade was so cutthroat for a time in Holland.
The novel is set in the 1600s and has to be read with that in mind. Women are not accepted as equals, gay men are treated brutally and hanged, trans people are not accepted at all and can potentially be jailed.
If any of those types of situations make you uncomfortable, then you should probably take a pass on this book.
Madness Blooms is really well written. There is a lovely relationship between a young sailor named Jan and the MC.
This is not a happy story, nor is everything resolved at the end. But, it is a beautiful, emotional story.
It becomes clear about halfway through the book that the MC is a trans man...not a woman. This could be confusing for some people.
From the perspective of someone reading this as a historical novel, I found it quite interesting. I had no idea that the tulip trade was so cutthroat for a time in Holland.
The novel is set in the 1600s and has to be read with that in mind. Women are not accepted as equals, gay men are treated brutally and hanged, trans people are not accepted at all and can potentially be jailed.
If any of those types of situations make you uncomfortable, then you should probably take a pass on this book.
Madness Blooms is really well written. There is a lovely relationship between a young sailor named Jan and the MC.
This is not a happy story, nor is everything resolved at the end. But, it is a beautiful, emotional story.
caidyn's review
4.0
This review can also be found on my blog!
I received an ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review!
CW: homophobia, transphobia, outing, deadnaming, gender dysphoria, unsupportive family, graphic sex scene, and possible alcohol abuse
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AS I DISCUSS PROBLEMATIC PLOT POINTS.
First and foremost, I want to make some statements about this review upfront. A lot of you know me, but this review will be posted on Goodreads and Twitter and, obviously, this blog. I’m also going to bump it up in my story on Instagram.
I don’t know where it’s going to go and who will see it. So, I want to put right up front a few things about me and this review.
1. This is my opinion alone from an ownvoices standpoint, informed by my own experiences. I do not have any interest in speaking for the whole trans community and I will not be. I can only speak of my experience and thoughts around this book. Life would be boring if all transpeople thought the same and this is one opinion of a highly nuanced situation.
2. If you were offended/found this book problematic, I’m not trying to diminish your personal experience, just talk about my own.
3. I also have an issue with the marketing done around this book. I don’t like that it was marketed as F/F then, surprise!, the MC’s trans. It’s horribly problematic and needs to be fixed more. I’m glad that Mackenzi has been working on changing that.
4. This review is about the content of the book. I want to talk about the actual content and my perception of it.
5. I love Mackenzi Lee’s past work. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is the book that helped me realize I’m aroace.
6. I welcome comments and ideas that differ from my own! However, I will not allow for cruelty. If anyone starts being rude, I’ll delete your comments. I don’t want to have to monitor that, but I will if I have to.
I’m not on Twitter. We might have a shared Twitter, but Chantel is the one who runs it. I rarely pop on over there. So, when the drama came around about this book, I had already requested this, super excited for Mackenzi’s new F/F book set in Holland which I’ll be shortening to TMB so I don’t have to type the title over and over again. Then, I started seeing Mackenzi on Instagram correcting the marketing and Chantel began filling me in about the stuff on Twitter.
I wasn’t going to read this book until December or January. I like reading my ARCs about a month before they come out because then it’s fresh in my mind. But with this? I felt like it was something I needed to read right away because I didn’t think that Mackenzi Lee meant any harm.
Thanks to her stories (and other authors, such as Adrienne Young) on Instagram that authors rarely, if ever, have control over their marketing and cover designs and descriptions. And, I also know that Mackenzi is a huge supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and has captured our historical experiences in her past books.
Mackenzi also used trans sensitivity readers. Including Meredith Russo. And, personally, I’m with Meredith Russo. So, spoiler for my own views. As a transman, I didn’t find this triggering or problematic. I felt like it captured the historical reality of being trans in the 17th century. And it was wonderful.
Screenshot taken from Twitter and her Twitter thread.
I’m a huge history nerd, I always take historical fiction with the historical context. Such as, there were certain historical realities and laws that criminalized sexuality and gender expression. Those were present in this book and I appreciated her capturing that honest reality. Also, queer characters didn’t have the language that we have today to explain their gender and sexuality. And I loved that, again, in this book Mackenzi honored that and wasn’t anachronistic.
The book was unapologetically trans without ever using that word.
Now, I’ll get more to that in a second because I did see someone’s comment on Goodreads — if you see this review and it was you, please tell me and I will link people there! — that said this book is more adult than YA with the current content. And, I agree there. It’s definitely more adult than YA. It reminded me of Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg (ownvoices historical transman book). TMB has very adult themes to it, even though the characters were teens.
A little bit more about using the word trans in this book. Transsexual was a word that was first used in the 1920s and transgender was first created in the 1960s. Definitely not a 17th-century word. And this book is about discovery. It’s about our transman MC discovering who he is and coming into that identity.
When I was reading it, I was struck by how represented, how seen I was, by this book. It’s so hard to find book about transmen that accurately captures what it feels like to discover your identity. There was one quote that stood out to me. Remember, ARC quotes are liable to change, especially since this book has been pulled from being published for the near future.
"A MANACLE I HAD NOT KNOWN WAS AROUND MY NECK UNTIL IT WAS REMOVED, AND SUDDENLY, I COULD BREATHE, I COULD BREATHE, I COULD BREATHE AT LAST."
That’s a quote from the MC after he got his hair cut off. I distinctly remember the day that I cut my hair from being super long to very short. And that captures how I felt when I did it and looked in the mirror, seeing a bit more of myself each day.
Then, there was the description of gender dysphoria that made me stop because it so captured the feeling. One second, so, so masculine and knowing that you’re a man and fully inhabiting that role, only to then be slammed back into the depressive and anxiety-ridden reality of your body not matching how you pictured it in your mind. It cut me right to my heart because, God, Mackenzi got it 100% right.
There are a few main characters in this. The MC, who I am going to refer to as Pim in here. Pim’s birth name, and what he’s referred to for a good portion of the book, is Lena. I know there’s a huge discussion of deadnaming around this book, but he doesn’t choose Pim as his name (while pretending to be a man whose name is Pim) until 41% and it isn’t until the second to last chapter that he really chooses it as his own. It reminds me of George by Alex Gino. She chooses the name Melissa but is called George throughout the book and most reviews call her George as well.
I’ve already mentioned that I loved Pim. I loved his journey to self-discovery. I loved how accurate he felt. I just loved it. As I said, it’s so hard to find a story where a transman is the main focus. And it was so refreshing to read something that made me feel represented.
Then, there’s Elsje, Pim’s love interest. I did like her. She was fun and quirky and so queer. However, I felt like she could have been fleshed out a bit more as a side character. There was not much more to her besides how she loves tulips and is totally interested in Pim and helps affirm his gender.
Bas is Pim’s older brother. I… I didn’t like him. He’s drunk most of the time and is very unaccepting of Pim’s identity. I’m very tired of the trope of an unaccepting sibling. I want more accepting sibling rep. I’m going to come back to this a little later.
Then, there’s Jan. Jan has a very minor role for most of the book. I think that’s a damn shame. He’s very accepting of Pim and Pim’s gender. He encourages him to live as a man. I wanted more of him. Bas was very unaccepting, Elsje middling with acceptance, and Jan was super supportive. I liked that there was a spectrum of support, but there needed to be more of Jan.
The plot itself is pretty straightforward. Pim and Bas are orphans, taken in by a tulip seller who suddenly dies and leaves them with a lot of debt. They find out that he might have had a Semper Augustus (a very expensive and rare tulip) and go to claim it. However, the man who had it is in jail away from Holland. Pim decides to take on his identity and sell it, then they get out of there.
The first 60% of the book was very positive and moved at a good clip. It was a fast-paced fun ride. Around 66% — I identified it in my status updates — the tone changed and it became bleak. Throughout the book, it was mentioned that people could get hung for being gay. But, around 66% there’s a graphic hanging. Then there’s Pim being outed later, around 80%. There’s also been some discussion about the ending and how unhappy it is. Tbh, I found it pretty happy? Pim didn’t get the girl, but, he was living his authentic life so how is that unhappy?
Now, I mentioned I love historical accuracy. I hate books that feel anachronistic. However, in this case, I think things could be edited out. I do not think that there needed to be a graphic hanging. That could be removed completely from the story without impacting things. It’s a scene that pushes the story from YA to adult for me. I wished that it hadn’t included that. Sure, it’s historically accurate, but it doesn’t add to the story.
I also mentioned that I wish Bas would be changed. Either made more supportive, given a smaller role, or bring more of Jan into the story to further offset Bas’s lack of support. That’s one thing that I wanted to be changed desperately when I was reading it. Because each time Bas came in, I knew that he’d be saying something that was rude and/or triggering. It didn’t add to the story and it felt gratuitous.
So, what are my overall thoughts on the book?
• I felt myself represented from when I was a teen trying to figure out who I was and figuring out slowly.
• There are definitely things that could be changed and removed, but it was so good.
• I would 100% recommend this to people as an authentic trans read.
Whenever Mackenzi is ready to put it out for publication, I’ll be preordering it so I can have it on my shelves right next to the Montague Siblings.
I received an ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review!
CW: homophobia, transphobia, outing, deadnaming, gender dysphoria, unsupportive family, graphic sex scene, and possible alcohol abuse
First and foremost, I want to make some statements about this review upfront. A lot of you know me, but this review will be posted on Goodreads and Twitter and, obviously, this blog. I’m also going to bump it up in my story on Instagram.
I don’t know where it’s going to go and who will see it. So, I want to put right up front a few things about me and this review.
1. This is my opinion alone from an ownvoices standpoint, informed by my own experiences. I do not have any interest in speaking for the whole trans community and I will not be. I can only speak of my experience and thoughts around this book. Life would be boring if all transpeople thought the same and this is one opinion of a highly nuanced situation.
2. If you were offended/found this book problematic, I’m not trying to diminish your personal experience, just talk about my own.
3. I also have an issue with the marketing done around this book. I don’t like that it was marketed as F/F then, surprise!, the MC’s trans. It’s horribly problematic and needs to be fixed more. I’m glad that Mackenzi has been working on changing that.
4. This review is about the content of the book. I want to talk about the actual content and my perception of it.
5. I love Mackenzi Lee’s past work. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is the book that helped me realize I’m aroace.
6. I welcome comments and ideas that differ from my own! However, I will not allow for cruelty. If anyone starts being rude, I’ll delete your comments. I don’t want to have to monitor that, but I will if I have to.
I’m not on Twitter. We might have a shared Twitter, but Chantel is the one who runs it. I rarely pop on over there. So, when the drama came around about this book, I had already requested this, super excited for Mackenzi’s new F/F book set in Holland which I’ll be shortening to TMB so I don’t have to type the title over and over again. Then, I started seeing Mackenzi on Instagram correcting the marketing and Chantel began filling me in about the stuff on Twitter.
I wasn’t going to read this book until December or January. I like reading my ARCs about a month before they come out because then it’s fresh in my mind. But with this? I felt like it was something I needed to read right away because I didn’t think that Mackenzi Lee meant any harm.
Thanks to her stories (and other authors, such as Adrienne Young) on Instagram that authors rarely, if ever, have control over their marketing and cover designs and descriptions. And, I also know that Mackenzi is a huge supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and has captured our historical experiences in her past books.
Mackenzi also used trans sensitivity readers. Including Meredith Russo. And, personally, I’m with Meredith Russo. So, spoiler for my own views. As a transman, I didn’t find this triggering or problematic. I felt like it captured the historical reality of being trans in the 17th century. And it was wonderful.
Screenshot taken from Twitter and her Twitter thread.
I’m a huge history nerd, I always take historical fiction with the historical context. Such as, there were certain historical realities and laws that criminalized sexuality and gender expression. Those were present in this book and I appreciated her capturing that honest reality. Also, queer characters didn’t have the language that we have today to explain their gender and sexuality. And I loved that, again, in this book Mackenzi honored that and wasn’t anachronistic.
The book was unapologetically trans without ever using that word.
Now, I’ll get more to that in a second because I did see someone’s comment on Goodreads — if you see this review and it was you, please tell me and I will link people there! — that said this book is more adult than YA with the current content. And, I agree there. It’s definitely more adult than YA. It reminded me of Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg (ownvoices historical transman book). TMB has very adult themes to it, even though the characters were teens.
A little bit more about using the word trans in this book. Transsexual was a word that was first used in the 1920s and transgender was first created in the 1960s. Definitely not a 17th-century word. And this book is about discovery. It’s about our transman MC discovering who he is and coming into that identity.
When I was reading it, I was struck by how represented, how seen I was, by this book. It’s so hard to find book about transmen that accurately captures what it feels like to discover your identity. There was one quote that stood out to me. Remember, ARC quotes are liable to change, especially since this book has been pulled from being published for the near future.
"A MANACLE I HAD NOT KNOWN WAS AROUND MY NECK UNTIL IT WAS REMOVED, AND SUDDENLY, I COULD BREATHE, I COULD BREATHE, I COULD BREATHE AT LAST."
That’s a quote from the MC after he got his hair cut off. I distinctly remember the day that I cut my hair from being super long to very short. And that captures how I felt when I did it and looked in the mirror, seeing a bit more of myself each day.
Then, there was the description of gender dysphoria that made me stop because it so captured the feeling. One second, so, so masculine and knowing that you’re a man and fully inhabiting that role, only to then be slammed back into the depressive and anxiety-ridden reality of your body not matching how you pictured it in your mind. It cut me right to my heart because, God, Mackenzi got it 100% right.
There are a few main characters in this. The MC, who I am going to refer to as Pim in here. Pim’s birth name, and what he’s referred to for a good portion of the book, is Lena. I know there’s a huge discussion of deadnaming around this book, but he doesn’t choose Pim as his name (while pretending to be a man whose name is Pim) until 41% and it isn’t until the second to last chapter that he really chooses it as his own. It reminds me of George by Alex Gino. She chooses the name Melissa but is called George throughout the book and most reviews call her George as well.
I’ve already mentioned that I loved Pim. I loved his journey to self-discovery. I loved how accurate he felt. I just loved it. As I said, it’s so hard to find a story where a transman is the main focus. And it was so refreshing to read something that made me feel represented.
Then, there’s Elsje, Pim’s love interest. I did like her. She was fun and quirky and so queer. However, I felt like she could have been fleshed out a bit more as a side character. There was not much more to her besides how she loves tulips and is totally interested in Pim and helps affirm his gender.
Bas is Pim’s older brother. I… I didn’t like him. He’s drunk most of the time and is very unaccepting of Pim’s identity. I’m very tired of the trope of an unaccepting sibling. I want more accepting sibling rep. I’m going to come back to this a little later.
Then, there’s Jan. Jan has a very minor role for most of the book. I think that’s a damn shame. He’s very accepting of Pim and Pim’s gender. He encourages him to live as a man. I wanted more of him. Bas was very unaccepting, Elsje middling with acceptance, and Jan was super supportive. I liked that there was a spectrum of support, but there needed to be more of Jan.
The plot itself is pretty straightforward. Pim and Bas are orphans, taken in by a tulip seller who suddenly dies and leaves them with a lot of debt. They find out that he might have had a Semper Augustus (a very expensive and rare tulip) and go to claim it. However, the man who had it is in jail away from Holland. Pim decides to take on his identity and sell it, then they get out of there.
The first 60% of the book was very positive and moved at a good clip. It was a fast-paced fun ride. Around 66% — I identified it in my status updates — the tone changed and it became bleak. Throughout the book, it was mentioned that people could get hung for being gay. But, around 66% there’s a graphic hanging. Then there’s Pim being outed later, around 80%. There’s also been some discussion about the ending and how unhappy it is. Tbh, I found it pretty happy? Pim didn’t get the girl, but, he was living his authentic life so how is that unhappy?
Now, I mentioned I love historical accuracy. I hate books that feel anachronistic. However, in this case, I think things could be edited out. I do not think that there needed to be a graphic hanging. That could be removed completely from the story without impacting things. It’s a scene that pushes the story from YA to adult for me. I wished that it hadn’t included that. Sure, it’s historically accurate, but it doesn’t add to the story.
I also mentioned that I wish Bas would be changed. Either made more supportive, given a smaller role, or bring more of Jan into the story to further offset Bas’s lack of support. That’s one thing that I wanted to be changed desperately when I was reading it. Because each time Bas came in, I knew that he’d be saying something that was rude and/or triggering. It didn’t add to the story and it felt gratuitous.
So, what are my overall thoughts on the book?
• I felt myself represented from when I was a teen trying to figure out who I was and figuring out slowly.
• There are definitely things that could be changed and removed, but it was so good.
• I would 100% recommend this to people as an authentic trans read.
Whenever Mackenzi is ready to put it out for publication, I’ll be preordering it so I can have it on my shelves right next to the Montague Siblings.
scampneoroxy's review
4.0
EDIT: When I first wrote this review, I followed the lead of the book copy in using she/her pronouns to refer to the main character. In light of the discussion surrounding why this is bad and harmful, I've edited my review to use they/them pronouns and their chosen name to hopefully reflect the ongoing development of the MC's gender identity through the story! I apologize for any harm I have done with this error.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I had been waiting to read THE MADNESS BLOOMS since Lee first mentioned it at an event promoting The Lady's Guide. I feel ridiculously lucky to have had access to a digital galley because this book is an utter gem.
Set against the weirdest and most fascinating financial bubble I never heard of are: A glorious queer romance, a vivid picture of Holland in the 1630s, a heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful portrayal of gender dysphoria, and a gentle look at how family 'responsibility' becomes toxicity. There is so much in this story, but it just flies by, and my fingers were left grasping for more pages.
The main character - who in the story chooses to be called Pim - is a very compelling protagonist. Their rebellious nature is driven to the surface by the desperate necessity of escaping poverty, and in hatching a plan to sell a fake Semper Augustus bulb, Pim inadvertently gives themself the space to explore their identity and desires. It is easy to imagine, heartbreakingly, a 17th century Holland where Pim never gets the chance to explore who they want to be.
In this way, I felt that THE MADNESS BLOOMS both pays homage to all the Dutch queer and trans young people who never had a chance to bloom into their fullest beautiful selves, and gives us a hopeful story highlighting the fact that there were likely many young lgbtq people who found a way.
-------------------------------------------------------
disclaimer: I am both cisgendered and straight-passing, and can only provide this perspective. I encourage readers of this review to seek out #ownvoices reviewers to get their perspectives!
-----------------------------------------------------------
I had been waiting to read THE MADNESS BLOOMS since Lee first mentioned it at an event promoting The Lady's Guide. I feel ridiculously lucky to have had access to a digital galley because this book is an utter gem.
Set against the weirdest and most fascinating financial bubble I never heard of are: A glorious queer romance, a vivid picture of Holland in the 1630s, a heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful portrayal of gender dysphoria, and a gentle look at how family 'responsibility' becomes toxicity. There is so much in this story, but it just flies by, and my fingers were left grasping for more pages.
The main character - who in the story chooses to be called Pim - is a very compelling protagonist. Their rebellious nature is driven to the surface by the desperate necessity of escaping poverty, and in hatching a plan to sell a fake Semper Augustus bulb, Pim inadvertently gives themself the space to explore their identity and desires. It is easy to imagine, heartbreakingly, a 17th century Holland where Pim never gets the chance to explore who they want to be.
In this way, I felt that THE MADNESS BLOOMS both pays homage to all the Dutch queer and trans young people who never had a chance to bloom into their fullest beautiful selves, and gives us a hopeful story highlighting the fact that there were likely many young lgbtq people who found a way.
-------------------------------------------------------
disclaimer: I am both cisgendered and straight-passing, and can only provide this perspective. I encourage readers of this review to seek out #ownvoices reviewers to get their perspectives!
theknightswhosaybook's review
(7/3/19) I've removed my previous notes now that the author has announced that publication is being pushed back for more revision — I will wait for trans reviewers to weigh in on if the rep has improved, and then decide whether to put it on my tbr.
The story for anyone who hasn't followed it: the book's original blurb misgendered the trans male protagonist, using she/her pronouns and making the book sound like a lesbian romance, which it is not. Negative responses to this caused the publisher to change it so as not to misgender the main character. Reviews on advance copies then began to come out, and they were so far pretty negative. The author then announced on twitter that publication is being postponed for revisions, which is where it stands now.
The story for anyone who hasn't followed it: the book's original blurb misgendered the trans male protagonist, using she/her pronouns and making the book sound like a lesbian romance, which it is not. Negative responses to this caused the publisher to change it so as not to misgender the main character. Reviews on advance copies then began to come out, and they were so far pretty negative. The author then announced on twitter that publication is being postponed for revisions, which is where it stands now.
celestine's review
there have been others who already mentioned the horrendous marketing that misgenders and deadnames the trans male main character and how the book blurb and previous marketing made it sound like a f/f romance.
and there have been at least two reviews on this book (one on GR, one on twitter) that pretty much confirmed my suspicions: this book won't be good trans rep, or any other kind of good queer rep
actually, i think it might be triggering and harmful for some readers (especially young ones. i wouldnt want a young queer person to read this, especially not if they are trans bc it might leave some lasting, damaging thoughts and images)
and i guess according to this book, queer ppl in the past dont deserve to be happy; instead they all have to suffer and go through traumatizing experiences (that dont ever get resolved properly either, bc who cares, i guess).
its an interesting contrast to her previous books which were always praised for being happy queer historical novels. for a book that was in the works for 10 years... and had sensitivity readers... and it still kept all these harmful tropes... well.
i saw someone describe it as "queer pain porn" and tbh. from what i have heard, that sounds pretty accurate.
i was excited for a historical novel with a trans mc, but god, not like this, nope. lets support ownvoices authors instead
and there have been at least two reviews on this book (one on GR, one on twitter) that pretty much confirmed my suspicions: this book won't be good trans rep, or any other kind of good queer rep
actually, i think it might be triggering and harmful for some readers (especially young ones. i wouldnt want a young queer person to read this, especially not if they are trans bc it might leave some lasting, damaging thoughts and images)
and i guess according to this book, queer ppl in the past dont deserve to be happy; instead they all have to suffer and go through traumatizing experiences (that dont ever get resolved properly either, bc who cares, i guess).
its an interesting contrast to her previous books which were always praised for being happy queer historical novels. for a book that was in the works for 10 years... and had sensitivity readers... and it still kept all these harmful tropes... well.
i saw someone describe it as "queer pain porn" and tbh. from what i have heard, that sounds pretty accurate.
i was excited for a historical novel with a trans mc, but god, not like this, nope. lets support ownvoices authors instead
dailyjulianne's review
So, I read it.
It is beautifully written and compelling, so there's that.
Otherwise, this was....not good.
I'm cis, so I won't go into lots of nitty gritty about places where even I could see that the trans rep was sloppy, but I will link to trans reviewers. Here's the first full analysis I've seen.
I went in thinking that this book would've saved itself a lot of trouble - and just been a lot less harmful - if it had simply been a cis f/f pairing. But, about 200 pages in, it became clear that that wouldn't be an option.
As other reviewers have pointed out, a gay man is hung for being gay. It's described in pretty gruesome detail that you don't usually see because hangings are, inherently, gruesome. That's why a lot of shows and movies and even other books don't go into detail about it. Not only that, but the entire chapter leading up to this full page-length description was about Pim asking around about where this character was and nobody giving him answers, so it became pretty clear to me as a reader that something wasn't right here. The chapter is spent knowing before Pim what's coming next. The next chapter or two after also keep revisiting the character's death and talking about people making happy memories under the tree where he was killed. And there's a whole scene where Pim is intentionally provoked by people saying it's GOOD that he's dead because they couldn't sleep knowing he was alive and in jail.
60 pages later, Pim is assaulted by the only other gay man seen on page. The man knows Pim is in a relationship with a girl and even comments on it just moments before, then tries to kiss him and feel him up, all while crying about his dead lover and being alone. And in the process of assault Pim, he pulls off Pim's bindings and learns Pim's secret. The man who assaults Pim was treated as someone Pim could maybe not be friends with, but he could trust, both being in similar positions status/wealth wise. And then this happens.
Finally, there's the public outing. It is violent, it does involve physically removing Pim's shirt, there is a knife involved. It's also incited by Pim's brother. Pim is already having an argument with someone, when Pim's brother comes out and calls Pim his sister. It's horrific.
In the end, Pim gains freedom due to the kindness of one man who's been kind to him through almost the whole novel. But he still doesn't get the happy ending with the woman he loves. And I think that was part of the big let down - in a story with so much queer pain and suffering, I wanted that happy ending for Pim. The woman - Elsje - isn't always perfect in her understanding of Pim and who he is, but she does make it clear by the end that she loves Pim and wants Pim to live however makes him happy and she would marry him. But....instead they just. Get to see each other one last time and then it's implied they'll never see each other again.
There were a lot of other moments that bothered me. Pim saying he's not a man, he's just this, and Pim going on a tirade about being a monster who's going to hell - both in the last 50 pages or so of the book. These are moments that could've really been explored and delved into with a trans author who knew what Pim was experiencing. But a lot of those types of moments when undeveloped.
As mentioned, there's a lot of stuff I likely would miss, which is why I'm going to keep linking to trans reviewers. But even if Pim hadn't been written as a trans man and the story was f/f, I still wouldn't recommend it. There's too much queer pain and suffering left on the table.
It is beautifully written and compelling, so there's that.
Otherwise, this was....not good.
I'm cis, so I won't go into lots of nitty gritty about places where even I could see that the trans rep was sloppy, but I will link to trans reviewers. Here's the first full analysis I've seen.
I went in thinking that this book would've saved itself a lot of trouble - and just been a lot less harmful - if it had simply been a cis f/f pairing. But, about 200 pages in, it became clear that that wouldn't be an option.
As other reviewers have pointed out, a gay man is hung for being gay. It's described in pretty gruesome detail that you don't usually see because hangings are, inherently, gruesome. That's why a lot of shows and movies and even other books don't go into detail about it. Not only that, but the entire chapter leading up to this full page-length description was about Pim asking around about where this character was and nobody giving him answers, so it became pretty clear to me as a reader that something wasn't right here. The chapter is spent knowing before Pim what's coming next. The next chapter or two after also keep revisiting the character's death and talking about people making happy memories under the tree where he was killed. And there's a whole scene where Pim is intentionally provoked by people saying it's GOOD that he's dead because they couldn't sleep knowing he was alive and in jail.
60 pages later, Pim is assaulted by the only other gay man seen on page. The man knows Pim is in a relationship with a girl and even comments on it just moments before, then tries to kiss him and feel him up, all while crying about his dead lover and being alone. And in the process of assault Pim, he pulls off Pim's bindings and learns Pim's secret. The man who assaults Pim was treated as someone Pim could maybe not be friends with, but he could trust, both being in similar positions status/wealth wise. And then this happens.
Finally, there's the public outing. It is violent, it does involve physically removing Pim's shirt, there is a knife involved. It's also incited by Pim's brother. Pim is already having an argument with someone, when Pim's brother comes out and calls Pim his sister. It's horrific.
In the end, Pim gains freedom due to the kindness of one man who's been kind to him through almost the whole novel. But he still doesn't get the happy ending with the woman he loves. And I think that was part of the big let down - in a story with so much queer pain and suffering, I wanted that happy ending for Pim. The woman - Elsje - isn't always perfect in her understanding of Pim and who he is, but she does make it clear by the end that she loves Pim and wants Pim to live however makes him happy and she would marry him. But....instead they just. Get to see each other one last time and then it's implied they'll never see each other again.
There were a lot of other moments that bothered me. Pim saying he's not a man, he's just this, and Pim going on a tirade about being a monster who's going to hell - both in the last 50 pages or so of the book. These are moments that could've really been explored and delved into with a trans author who knew what Pim was experiencing. But a lot of those types of moments when undeveloped.
As mentioned, there's a lot of stuff I likely would miss, which is why I'm going to keep linking to trans reviewers. But even if Pim hadn't been written as a trans man and the story was f/f, I still wouldn't recommend it. There's too much queer pain and suffering left on the table.
thylaed's review
1.0
Thank you very much to Sarah Barley from Flatiron for sending me a copy of this book to read/review. It's so appreciated from this small-town teen librarian!
A few things to preface what I'm about to say:
I am a cis lesbian. I encourage you to seek out reviews and thoughts from trans readers as it gets closer to the release date and more people receive arcs and e-arcs of "The Madness Blooms".
(Quick edit 2/1/2020: I’m not cis! 2019 was a real glow-up! I’m non-binary, they/them pronouns, so there’s that.)
This review contains a lot of spoilers, including the main character's chosen name. I will not deadname the MC in this review.
This review will focus on moments of violence perpetrated within the book, rather than on summarizing narrative elements.
This review is not meant to deter anyone from reading it, but my experience reading "The Madness Blooms" was not wholly positive. The purpose of my review is to speak on potentially triggering content and the implications of its inclusion in the overall narrative.
I've discussed several points in this review with Mackenzi Lee, and we explained our positions to each other.
With that said, let's get into it.
"The Madness Blooms" is not F/F, so don't get it twisted. The MC is a trans boy who uses the name Pim. The love interest is a queer girl. Again, there are no relations between two girls in this book. I, like many others, was under the impression it would be F/F, and a large contributor to said impression is the pronoun usage of the marketing copy. Mackenzi and her team have stated they are reworking the copy to better reflect Pim's gender identity.
Overall, this book was not for me. I absolutely love and respect queer historical fiction, but frankly, this story pulled a lot of triggers. To warn you again, spoilers ahead.
There are two minor gay men in the story. One is murdered and Pim discovers his body. The description is graphic, and to be honest, I felt blindsided by it. The other man attempts to sexually assault Pim in a later scene, which brought up a lot of feelings about gay men being portrayed as predators. So we have violently murdered on one side and terrible, nasty rapist on the other. Cool, cool.
Pim is outed at the end of book, and this scene is also graphic. It happens in front of the whole town, and it is done via a man baring Pim's chest to "prove" his gender. This part hit me the hardest, as it hits every beat of the "outing the trans person" trope. It was brutal to read, and I think it's obvious why. The public humiliation, the baring of trans people's bodies against their will, it’s a violent and re-traumatizing trope.
I would feel much differently about those moments in a different context, particularly if they were in an ownvoices book. "Historical accuracy" is a common reason historical and fantasy authors use to explain the inclusion of deeply embedded cultural violence against characters with marginalized identities. To that, I say that trans people have led rich, full lives in a multitude of places, in a multitude of ways all through history.
I know that Mackenzi Lee consulted people in the trans community through the process of writing "The Madness Blooms", but I can't help but feel that Pim's journey just isn't the story this book should have told. Other people may not feel the same.
If you have questions or wish to talk about anything contained or not contained in this review, DM me on twitter @thylaed.
A few things to preface what I'm about to say:
I am a cis lesbian. I encourage you to seek out reviews and thoughts from trans readers as it gets closer to the release date and more people receive arcs and e-arcs of "The Madness Blooms".
(Quick edit 2/1/2020: I’m not cis! 2019 was a real glow-up! I’m non-binary, they/them pronouns, so there’s that.)
This review contains a lot of spoilers, including the main character's chosen name. I will not deadname the MC in this review.
This review will focus on moments of violence perpetrated within the book, rather than on summarizing narrative elements.
This review is not meant to deter anyone from reading it, but my experience reading "The Madness Blooms" was not wholly positive. The purpose of my review is to speak on potentially triggering content and the implications of its inclusion in the overall narrative.
I've discussed several points in this review with Mackenzi Lee, and we explained our positions to each other.
With that said, let's get into it.
"The Madness Blooms" is not F/F, so don't get it twisted. The MC is a trans boy who uses the name Pim. The love interest is a queer girl. Again, there are no relations between two girls in this book. I, like many others, was under the impression it would be F/F, and a large contributor to said impression is the pronoun usage of the marketing copy. Mackenzi and her team have stated they are reworking the copy to better reflect Pim's gender identity.
Overall, this book was not for me. I absolutely love and respect queer historical fiction, but frankly, this story pulled a lot of triggers. To warn you again, spoilers ahead.
There are two minor gay men in the story. One is murdered and Pim discovers his body. The description is graphic, and to be honest, I felt blindsided by it. The other man attempts to sexually assault Pim in a later scene, which brought up a lot of feelings about gay men being portrayed as predators. So we have violently murdered on one side and terrible, nasty rapist on the other. Cool, cool.
Pim is outed at the end of book, and this scene is also graphic. It happens in front of the whole town, and it is done via a man baring Pim's chest to "prove" his gender. This part hit me the hardest, as it hits every beat of the "outing the trans person" trope. It was brutal to read, and I think it's obvious why. The public humiliation, the baring of trans people's bodies against their will, it’s a violent and re-traumatizing trope.
I would feel much differently about those moments in a different context, particularly if they were in an ownvoices book. "Historical accuracy" is a common reason historical and fantasy authors use to explain the inclusion of deeply embedded cultural violence against characters with marginalized identities. To that, I say that trans people have led rich, full lives in a multitude of places, in a multitude of ways all through history.
I know that Mackenzi Lee consulted people in the trans community through the process of writing "The Madness Blooms", but I can't help but feel that Pim's journey just isn't the story this book should have told. Other people may not feel the same.
If you have questions or wish to talk about anything contained or not contained in this review, DM me on twitter @thylaed.
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