Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Longbourn by Jo Baker

8 reviews

berodatheelf's review against another edition

emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Longbourne was an interesting dive into the world of pride and prejudice, I felt that I had learnt a lot about the history of the regency era. The descriptions of Sarah carrying about her daily tasks fascinated me and the author had well researched the topic. 

Jo Baker didn't hesitate to hide away from the darker aspects of the period, and gave the pride and prejudice characters twists which was intriguing. 

I felt the first two parts were strongest and the third fell a little by the wayside. The flashback scenes felt a little out of place and I think would've had a stronger impact if Mrs Hill and James had spoken to Sarah about their pasts, thus creating a stronger emotional bond between the characters. It was nice to read the wrap up of the characters at the end and to know how all the characters turn out.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Blood, and Slavery

megmajor's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Slavery, Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Gun violence, Blood, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Classism, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Miscarriage

atamano's review against another edition

reflective slow-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Child death, Grief, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and War

Minor: Racism, Blood, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Excrement, Alcohol, Slavery, and Sexual harassment

below_average_baker's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Miscarriage, Animal death, Blood, Slavery, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, and Death

imrereads's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In this reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, the story of Lizzy and her family takes a step back to let us focus on the lives of the servants at Longbourn. Whenever a meal is being eaten in Pride and Prejudice, it is prepared in Longbourn. Whenever a ball is attended in P&P, the carriage is driven and a servant waits up in Longbourn. We follow the story step by step, but yet see such a different side of it. We see the hard work of the servants, the calloused hands and the worn feet, the early mornings and the late nights. In this book we also get a slightly more diverse cast (although not by a lot), like a black footman of Netherfield, or blink and you'll miss it glimpse of what it might be like to be a gay servant in the the early 19th century. 

Mostly I found this very compelling. I could read for hours without wanting to put it down, and mostly I found it to be very consistent in terms of fitting the style of writing of Pride and Prejudice, while simultaneously making it fitting to the new voices and class of the characters of this book. It certainly takes it's liberties with the characters, but that's what I want from a book like this. I'm not sure if I agree with the way Elizabeth is written towards the end of the book though. It certainly doesn't fit my view of her character, but when I remind myself that this is a different book, and it really isn't farfetched at all, I feel content with the way it is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Slavery and War

menapla's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

amberinbookland's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Grief, Gore, Death, Child death, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

ehmannky's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is gorgeous. Beyond just seeing one of my favorite stories from a completely different point of view that brings class and race and colonialism to the forefroont, this book is so lovely. Each character is rendered so beautifully and their stories and desires are rendered so vividly. It's so full of longing and yearning and it made my heart ache. The original plot of Pride and Prejudice is so secondary to this novel and it's so amazing to see how trivial all of the wealthy people's drama is in comparison to the very real fear of the working class.

Also fuuuuuuck Wickham. He's the worst. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Blood, Death, and Violence