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dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Mrs. Davenport is a perfectly normal housewife, married to a religious professor named Pete, and with two children, one boy and one girl. One imagines a white picket fence must be somewhere on the property. One day, however, a dreadful sickness overcomes her, and when she comes through the other side, she learns she has the ability to see ghosts. As she begins to explore her gifts and bolster them, her husband grows more and more angry and controlling, until Mrs. Davenport finds herself at a crossroads between her new powers and freedom and the image of the perfect life she is leaving behind.
Overall, my response to this book was... meh. I try very hard not to anticipate plot twists, preferring to be surprised, but this one I saw coming a mile away, as would any reader, I think. There's a dead teenage girl in the story, but we find out pretty quickly that it was probably an accidental death than an intentional murder, which kind of dampens that avenue to horror. Most of the horror, in fact, is derived from the very real restrictions imposed on women in the 1950s; at one point, Mrs. Davenport goes to start a bank account and is told by an icy teller that she can't do so without her husband to sign off on it.
The writing itself, I think, somewhat dampened the story. The characters are almost entirely one-dimensional. Mrs. Davenport should be interesting, but she proceeds through the story meekly and accommodating to the narrative arc, not because it feels like her character is growing, but instead because the story demands it. The husband is controlling and abusive and nasty and similarly felt paint-by-numbers evil. Then there's the love interest, who is nauseatingly perfect and there is never a shred of an interesting thing about him. The recurring line, in fact, is that he "always says the right thing".
The one character who actually stood out was the female neighbor who joins with the husband to spy on his wife and report back to him. There's a fleeting line about it - does she hope he'll fall in love with her instead? - but then quickly that line of thought is abandoned and the character never actually receives her comeuppance, leading to a rather unsatisfying ending.
The dialogue also felt ... wooden. I can't quite put my finger on something specific, but it felt like the characters were often reciting their dialogue as a wooden actor would recite his lines. At one point, the main character pronounces their intentions - a major turning point for her character - but it feels oddly flat and we move quickly on from it. It felt rushed, somehow, as if, again, the characters were dutifully fulfilling their places in the narrative, rather than actual people responding to the situations they were placed in.
I am also not opposed to happy endings; on the contrary, I quite enjoy them. However, they need to be bounded by realism, otherwise they come across as very fairy tale-ish, and especially when the rest of the book is tackling very dark topics, like the forced lobotomization of women who didn't "behave" in the fiercely defined gender roles of the 1950s, an ending too saccharine can leave you with mood whiplash.
Also, <i>why was Joan there at the end when they finally caught Pete?</i> I read it twice thinking I missed something, but there is absolutely <i>no</i> reason why she needed to be there.
Overall, it was an interesting premise that never quite lived up to its promise.
Overall, my response to this book was... meh. I try very hard not to anticipate plot twists, preferring to be surprised, but this one I saw coming a mile away, as would any reader, I think. There's a dead teenage girl in the story, but we find out pretty quickly that it was probably an accidental death than an intentional murder, which kind of dampens that avenue to horror. Most of the horror, in fact, is derived from the very real restrictions imposed on women in the 1950s; at one point, Mrs. Davenport goes to start a bank account and is told by an icy teller that she can't do so without her husband to sign off on it.
The writing itself, I think, somewhat dampened the story. The characters are almost entirely one-dimensional. Mrs. Davenport should be interesting, but she proceeds through the story meekly and accommodating to the narrative arc, not because it feels like her character is growing, but instead because the story demands it. The husband is controlling and abusive and nasty and similarly felt paint-by-numbers evil. Then there's the love interest, who is nauseatingly perfect and there is never a shred of an interesting thing about him. The recurring line, in fact, is that he "always says the right thing".
The one character who actually stood out was the female neighbor who joins with the husband to spy on his wife and report back to him. There's a fleeting line about it - does she hope he'll fall in love with her instead? - but then quickly that line of thought is abandoned and the character never actually receives her comeuppance, leading to a rather unsatisfying ending.
The dialogue also felt ... wooden. I can't quite put my finger on something specific, but it felt like the characters were often reciting their dialogue as a wooden actor would recite his lines. At one point, the main character pronounces their intentions - a major turning point for her character - but it feels oddly flat and we move quickly on from it. It felt rushed, somehow, as if, again, the characters were dutifully fulfilling their places in the narrative, rather than actual people responding to the situations they were placed in.
Also, <i>why was Joan there at the end when they finally caught Pete?</i> I read it twice thinking I missed something, but there is absolutely <i>no</i> reason why she needed to be there.
Overall, it was an interesting premise that never quite lived up to its promise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape
Minor: Child abuse, Racism
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This book was perfect. A world so beautifully crafted I did not want to leave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
Not interested in books that has rape mentioned in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Gothic fiction with a psychic medium housewife in the 1950s. I barely knew what I was getting into when I opened up this book, but when I did, I was faced with chilling situations and a main character you want nothing more than to root for. The moment I met her, I wanted nothing but good things for her. I don't know if it's because I liked Loretta a lot or because I hated her husband way more. I wanted nothing more than to reach into the book and throttle that man myself.
I have to give Paulette Kennedy props for her almost addictive writing style. With every chapter, I had to know what was going to happen until I reached the end. I was so enraptured with Loretta and her journey of motherhood and womanhood in the 1950s that I found myself forgetting about the mystery that was happening until I got hit in the face with new information. The combination of historical fiction and horror, along with the addition of a mystery element, has worked very well for the book.
The main reason I had to dock points from this book is that some things, especially in the last hundred pages or so, felt too easy. I really began to notice this around the time Loretta was institutionalized at the mental hospital. She escaped without an issue. She wasn't caught or spotted by anyone, even when she made some dumb decisions to go back to her home and her children's school. She was able to get away without anyone getting hurt when her husband found her at Barb's home. She found the one good police officer who believed her absolutely, even when faced with her psychic abilities and a high-powered husband. She has a perfect happily ever after where she gets her kids back to her custody, and (supposedly) her husband never gets out of prison, and the man she loves loves her in return. And while I'm so happy that Loretta got her happily ever after, but because it came too easy, it doesn't feel as gratifying as it should.
Despite this one gripe, I did find myself entertained by Paulette Kennedy's novel, and I loved the reason she wrote it. Beyond the reasons why I love a book, I love it when authors love their books, and you can tell Kennedy loved this book.
I have to give Paulette Kennedy props for her almost addictive writing style. With every chapter, I had to know what was going to happen until I reached the end. I was so enraptured with Loretta and her journey of motherhood and womanhood in the 1950s that I found myself forgetting about the mystery that was happening until I got hit in the face with new information. The combination of historical fiction and horror, along with the addition of a mystery element, has worked very well for the book.
The main reason I had to dock points from this book is that some things, especially in the last hundred pages or so, felt too easy.
Despite this one gripe, I did find myself entertained by Paulette Kennedy's novel, and I loved the reason she wrote it. Beyond the reasons why I love a book, I love it when authors love their books, and you can tell Kennedy loved this book.
"It was time to find out who she really was. To take the cold, bracing plunge into reality, and come out the other side a changed woman. The woman she was meant to be."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wouldn’t have finished this book if it wasn’t for a book club. Loretta as a main character was very mid and uninteresting. The supernatural plot of the book never really went anywhere and fizzled out. Just when the book started picking up momentum at the exorcism scene. It threw all that momentum aside for an unbearable asylum plot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Fatphobia, Self harm, Abortion
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although this novel touches on subjects that are difficult to read about, it was so thoughtfully written. I enjoyed this book.
"If you could go back to a previous era, what era would that be?"
No thank you, I am good.
"If you could go back to a previous era, what era would that be?"
No thank you, I am good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting