Reviews

The Cherry Robbers, a historical drama with touches of gothic themes, follows the short and tragic stories of the Chapel sisters and the terrible destiny that was forced upon them.
Told from the perspective of one of the youngest daughters in her elder age, we are presented with a conflicted family tied by social expectations and the complicated relationship between 7 different and unique women:

Iris Chapel ran away from her home after being interned in an asylum and began a new life from scratch, eventually becoming a well-known artist, Sylvia Wren. At age 80, after a whole life hiding in plain sight, she receives a letter from a journalist. She will share her secret with the world, whether she wants it or not.
With her past haunting her, she'll have to face her demons and their story. Their real story, not the one forced by the men in their lives and the gossiping.

This well-written story about womanhood in a world dominated by men places us into a rich family in 50' America, whose money comes from gun production. In the middle of such a manly-influenced habitat, we find this story of six young women, all named after flowers, and their hopes to fly free into the outside world.
The feminist perspective of the story is heavily present all over the narrative and is fully embodied by characters like Belinda and Sylvia.

The conflict between characters and the tension their different desires create is one of the strongest elements in the book and is remarked with intelligent hints hidden between the lines.

The weakest part of this novel was its momentum. It's a slow story, heavenly centered on the reflections the main character has and the creation of a complicated internal world, through small snippets into the family life. I take this pacing quite well, having some trouble at the beginning of the story, waiting for the first tragedy, and the ending. But the overall experience makes it worth it, and I was moved while reading it; being Calla and Daphne's deaths the most heartbreaking for me.
Callas's arc is so melancholic and, knowing that Iris gets to live a fulfilling life, makes Daphne's death so shocking…

The tragic aspect and ambiance this story has is probably its strongest quality. You get immersed into this story fully knowing the destiny this young ladies awaited and can only see it unfold before you. That, mixed with the gender inequality and oppression, makes it easier for the reader to grieve for this woman's fate.

I find it hard to put into words all the ideas this book generated in me. A lot of details are there for the reader to sink their teeth into and reflect on them. Lots of metaphors and little similarities between characters that would let you dive into an endless reflection.

I would advise other readers before picking up the book, that they check if it's really for them to enjoy. I was interested because of the synopsis, but also because it is listed as gothic horror, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. As I said before, it has some themes from that genre, but the novel does not develop that fully. We get themes of death, grief, bad omens, intense emotions, natural (floral) imagery, and some inexplicable events, predominantly at the beginning of the narration. Yet it doesn't feel like a gothic horror novel per se. This gothic thing that is going on is more of a decorative element: Present, but not heavy enough to sink.
So, for those who were like: “YEY, GOTHIC HORROR”. You have been warned.

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Star rating: 4/5
General Rating: 8.5/10

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

thistlereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

3.0

jenniferlynnkrohn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.25

oceanelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Walker's writing is beautiful on a line level, and I'd like to read anything else she writes. With that said, I found the pacing leading up to

Aster's wedding

dragged, leaving the rest of

the sisters' deaths

feeling a bit rushed, aside from Rosalind. I also kept wondering what time period this was set in? Plus, I would've ultimately liked to have seen more of Lola on the page, and for the ending to feel more satisfying.

Content Warnings

mktaylor15's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Loved the characters, loved the mystery, loved the writing

bookishlyawkward's review

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1.0

[EN] Neither horror, nor gothic. Someone tell me what the point of this book was because I only finished it hoping there would be some payoff at the end and got absolutely nothing.

[PL] Ani horror, ani gotycki. Niech mi ktoś powie jaki był cel tej książki, bo skończyłam ją tylko dlatego, że liczyłam na jakikolwiek payoff, a dostałam jedno wielkie nic.

erintowner's review against another edition

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5.0

So many layers to this one! I loved it. Feminist as hell

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