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cloelia79's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this sobering read, particularly for the setting and writing style (advancing the story like planted breadcrumbs throughout the text). Beautiful way to entangle a historical mystery with the realities for queer folx and ciswomen during the Gilded Age.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape
katy_bee's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This felt rather sprawling, which left me a bit unsatisfied. I only realised on reading the afterward that it's loosely based on a true story and includes contemporary sources- a newspaper article and short story. Once I read that, it made a bit more sense as to why things didn't come together more nearly and why those sources were dropped in.
Given how much fictionalising of the original story occurred, I would have preferred the whole thing to have been more tightly focused. It wasn't clear who the main character was or what journey we were supposed to be following.
The foreshadowing felt a bit heavy handed at times, the reveal of the "mystery" of Bertha's disappearance was somehow both mundane and a bit melodramatic and the wrapping up of characters many years later also felt a bit off to me
Given how much fictionalising of the original story occurred, I would have preferred the whole thing to have been more tightly focused. It wasn't clear who the main character was or what journey we were supposed to be following.
The foreshadowing felt a bit heavy handed at times, the reveal of the "mystery" of Bertha's disappearance was somehow both mundane and a bit melodramatic and the wrapping up of characters many years later also felt a bit off to me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Self harm, and Stalking
raychelbennet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Alcohol