Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

27 reviews

empheliath's review against another edition

There was SO MUCH violence against women! Domestic violence, women being beaten, imprisoned by hateful family members, kidnapped. I couldn't take it anymore. Book descriptions led me to believe this was a cozy bookshop mystery. If I'd been warned about the violent content I'd never have picked it up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, Abandonment, and Sexism

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

2.75

Liked the dual timeline but did not understand the attraction between any of the love interests. A lot happens plot-wise in a very short time and it didn't always make sense to me how characters acted. I would have preferred if the author explored the inner workings of the characters more rather stumbling from one tragic event to the next.
If you don't want to read about certain topics consult the trigger warnings as this book is quite dark.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Classism, Pregnancy, Murder, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: War

heathere19's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I like it, but it was not what I was expecting. I think the bookshop that is mentioned in the synopsis is more of a metaphor and theme for the story. It was the backdrop for the real story. But it was a cute little found family historical fiction. The plot gave Kate Morton vibes, but with less flowery language. Still a fun summer read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Misogyny

fancyjess_party's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Self harm, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

smilagros's review against another edition

dark hopeful medium-paced

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

3.25

This was my work book club pick and I did not mind it. I read it on audio and I loved the full cast. I thought that this was historically accurate, especially regarding Opaline’s story. I normally am not someone who enjoys magic realism in their books but I did not mind it in this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Sexism

mayab56's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: War, Misogyny, Child death, Mental illness, Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

rubymajor's review against another edition

3.75

I don't usually use .25 ratings but I really struggled to rate this book. 

The book definitely wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I picked it up expecting a more of a fantasy/magical realism book, but it turned out to be more of a historical fiction with a sprinkling of magical realism. Coming from that perspective, I was pretty disappointed that the magic of the bookshop was largely ignored or glossed over. It seemed more of an extraneous detail, had you taken it away I don't think it would have changed the overall story much. I would have really liked to have read more about the bookshop and how the magic of it worked, where it came from, etc. 

That being said, I think if I had picked this up expecting more of a historical fiction, I would have been enchanted by the subtle hints of magic and whimsy. It this sense, I would say it's a cozy, whimsical book perfect for casual reading by a fire with some tea - it just gives off those vibes. In between there is some truly beautiful writing and some fabulous tidbits of women finding and owning their power in a time and world that doesn't value them. The author's love of books is obvious, not only in the characters love of books, but in the many wonderful quotes about the power of books and stories. I thought that the 3 POV's and dual timelines were very skillfully intertwined, and I really enjoyed finding all the little connections as we alternated between them. 

My biggest complaint though:

WHO WAS MADAME BOWDEN?! What happened to her? Who was she really? She was one of my favourite characters and I wanted more!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Child death, Mental illness, Infidelity, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse

divingbelle's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

town_scar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

Docked a star because the timey-wimey stuff got to be hard to follow. I found the end very confusing and hard to follow. I did read this while actively traveling in Dublin so its possible my travel brain made it harder to follow along.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, and Misogyny

Moderate: War, Mental illness, Stalking, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Grief

littlecatinabox's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Gaslighting and Pregnancy

Minor: Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content