Scan barcode
sarahszuhay's review against another edition
3.0
Went back and forth between riveting and boring. Overall pretty depressing. Interesting plot but it felt unrealistic and I never felt fully connected to the characters.
bravelass85's review against another edition
2.0
I think the author had a really clear vision for how to start this book, and I found it very compelling. But the book unfolded clumsily and by the end I was not invested.
papercrowns's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, instantly captivating. Constantly evolving. It starts with an intense focus and begins to open out and get richer and richer. Some of the contemplative moments in the characters' inner lives are absolutely breathtaking. Great ending - many may find unsatisfying, but I think that's also what makes it so great.
mamaorgana80's review against another edition
4.0
Dark and beautiful. Strong characters and original plot. Was expecting something bigger to happen in the end that would have been more consistent with the action throughout the book.
cheryl1213's review against another edition
3.0
Elspeth Howell is a midwife at the turn of the twentieth century. Her husband and five children live an isolated and largely self-sufficient life in upstate New York, while Elspeth leaves for long stretches to go work in various towns. This routine is violently interrupted when a gang, marked by red scarves, arrives and slaughters the father and four children. Twelve year-old Caleb survives by chance and he is so afraid that he nearly kills his mother on her return. After helping her mend, the two set off to search for the red-scarfed-men and for many other answers to a life Caleb had begun to suspect was somehow "off." The rest of the book details their journey (in winter, of course) and stay in a tough town where Elspeth hides as a man and Caleb ends up in some unsavory company.
I'm afraid it's only 3 stars for this novel (Advance Reviewer copy provided by Harper). It had promise, but it would have benefited from being cut at least by one-quarter. The characters don't ring very true to me. One "secret" was apparent to me from pretty much the start and there's a bit too much that feels incredibly coincidental as things went on. There is a strong sense of place, always a plus for me but not enough to carry me.
Readers should know the book is quite violent. That's not an issue for my generally, but it does get extreme, especially with the same scenes revisited multiple times (in the novel's defense, I suppose they are scenes that memory would revisit). Wilderness (within people and in the rough climate) and revenge are dominant themes and I think you'd need an interest in both to be pulled through and stay interested.
I'm afraid it's only 3 stars for this novel (Advance Reviewer copy provided by Harper). It had promise, but it would have benefited from being cut at least by one-quarter. The characters don't ring very true to me. One "secret" was apparent to me from pretty much the start and there's a bit too much that feels incredibly coincidental as things went on. There is a strong sense of place, always a plus for me but not enough to carry me.
Readers should know the book is quite violent. That's not an issue for my generally, but it does get extreme, especially with the same scenes revisited multiple times (in the novel's defense, I suppose they are scenes that memory would revisit). Wilderness (within people and in the rough climate) and revenge are dominant themes and I think you'd need an interest in both to be pulled through and stay interested.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
3.0
You know what? This was very well-written and I think it would be an awesome recommendation for many readers, but it is just way too bleak for me to read right now.
bellatora's review against another edition
2.0
In 1897, midwife Elspeth returns home to find that her family has been slaughtered. Only one son, Caleb, survives. Turns out that Elspeth is
Elspeth and Caleb head off after the men – Caleb in particular swears vengeance. When they arrive in the town where the murderers are, they stay put and get jobs. Elspeth cross-dresses and has a strange relationship with a violent, repressed gay man. Caleb works cleaning a whorehouse and makes friends with a child prostitute. It is all very bleak and terrible.
And that appears to be the point of the book. The world is bleak and terrible and nothing good ever lasts.
Spoiler
a children hoarder. Yes, she has a compulsion to steal the babies she midwifes into the world. Her poor, doomed husband tries to get her to stop, but silently goes along with it when her addiction rears its head. Elspeth has a traumatic childhood, so I guess that’s meant to explain the baby stealing, but her husband also had a traumatic childhood and HE turned out alright. Elspeth’s family was slaughtered by men hired by a father of one of the stolen babies (I guess he wasn’t concerned that by doing so he would kill his own child???). The stolen baby with the murderous father turns out to be, of course, Caleb.Elspeth and Caleb head off after the men – Caleb in particular swears vengeance. When they arrive in the town where the murderers are, they stay put and get jobs. Elspeth cross-dresses and has a strange relationship with a violent, repressed gay man. Caleb works cleaning a whorehouse and makes friends with a child prostitute. It is all very bleak and terrible.
And that appears to be the point of the book. The world is bleak and terrible and nothing good ever lasts.
pjaye_2000's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the late 1890s, Elspeth is a midwife who's been away working, she returns to their remote homestead to find her husband and 4 children have been murdered.
Only 12yo Caleb has survived and at first he thinks the killers have returned so he then shoots his mother by accident. He tends to her wounds and eventually she recovers enough so they then set out on foot in the snow to hunt down the murderers and exact revenge.
Elspeth has many secrets about herself and her children and they all come out during their journey.
It's definitely a very bleak book & you know there's going to be very little chance of a happy ending for anyone, however I found the ending still surprised me.
I thought it was well written and I got totally caught up in the story and what was going to happen to Elspeth & Caleb.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Kate Udall was excellent and suited the book perfectly.
Only 12yo Caleb has survived and at first he thinks the killers have returned so he then shoots his mother by accident. He tends to her wounds and eventually she recovers enough so they then set out on foot in the snow to hunt down the murderers and exact revenge.
Elspeth has many secrets about herself and her children and they all come out during their journey.
It's definitely a very bleak book & you know there's going to be very little chance of a happy ending for anyone, however I found the ending still surprised me.
I thought it was well written and I got totally caught up in the story and what was going to happen to Elspeth & Caleb.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Kate Udall was excellent and suited the book perfectly.
bmstale2's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0