Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

27 reviews

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I never thought a book would ever top my favorite books of all time. This book though….chefs kiss. I devoured this beautifully written book in 24 hours. 

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was dark, and made my insides roil. I found the protagonist compelling, though some of her choices didnt particularly resonate with me. 
Several plot points hit me like a gut punch, but in the end the plot felt rushed, like they'd run out of book to struggle in, rather than running out of struggle. 
One thing that was missing for me was the acknowledgement of trans people, and how they were impacted by a virus that was more deadly for women. In fact, they might have held some clue- was the virus more deadly based on about organs, or hormones, or purely capacity for pregnancy? 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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adventurous dark relaxing
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I listened to this straight and stayed up 2 hours past my bedtime without any idea of how late it was!   I'm generally a fan of post-apocalyptic stories and I really enjoyed this take from this bi/pansexual woman, a reproductive healthcare professional, perspective.  

***Note about CWs: bad things are seen as bad by narrator, and hard topics didn't feel hopeless***

My main content warnings:
Lots of dead bodies, 
Miscarriages/stillborns,
Sexual assault(1 in first person) most are mentions after,
Killing(self defense),
Child abuse(LDS child bride)
Women are traded by men for sex

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

First things first, check the content warnings. This book is rough. I listened to the audiobook, so the content was even more jarring.
The book starts right off at the beginning of a plague that has wiped out humanity, and then we followed the "unnamed midwife," who takes on several different names and personas to protect herself, as she seeks to survive in a post apocalyptic hellscape. The majority of the population have all died, and the remaining men have taken to raping and enslaving the women whenever they find them. As a woman, I found this book equal parts touching and terrifying.  What happens to women's rights and reproductive justice in a post-apocalyptic landscape? The Book of the Unnamed Midwife goes for answers to that question.  I don't normally go for post-apocalyptic fiction but I would definitely recommend this one. Again, check the content warnings if you are sensitive to graphic content, especially violence against women.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

Very entertaining. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but it had an interesting main character and I enjoyed the historical perspective, along with the way many stories criss-crossed into one another. 
PLEASE read the content warnings on this one before you start. Not kidding.

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a hard book to rate in all honesty. The story flows well and is interesting enough, there are some strange writing choices but I think it works out.
It's not the most amazing, exciting or captivating apocalyptic read and I'm not in any rush to continue reading but I do plan on it eventually.
Might come back tomorrow and revise this review after sitting on it for awhile.

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