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madisonrose1519's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
The storyline kept me wanting more, yet the charm made me want it to never end. I was sucked into the story so much so that I thought about reading it while I was at work! But I put off finishing it because I was so enjoying being immersed in a Hallowell winter!
I will say that the clues dropped throughout the novel were fairly obvious and didn’t leave me guessing, which was a bit of a bummer. There were no shocking twists for me at the end. And one tiny but obvious part of the storyline didn’t get resolved, which is really bugging me. Otherwise, this may have been a 4.5 rather than 4 star-read for me.
I absolutely adore how Lawhon wrote the heroine Martha Ballard’s personality. Loving Martha is what made me want to keep my nose in this book forever. A brilliant, thoughtful, talented midwife, mother, wife, homemaker, healer, feminist, WOMAN—it’s been a long time since I’ve read a character I wished I could meet in real life. If you want to read a character you can respect in a novel that will put you in the “F*** the patriarchy!” kind of mood, this inspiring tale will get you there! And for it to be inspired by a real person?! Oh my goodness. What a treat to know Martha Ballard really existed.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Racism, Slavery, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
booksbri's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Abandonment, and War
aliciaeidsaune's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence
Minor: War
karen_lo's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death and Medical content
Minor: Violence and War
louisekf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Abortion and War
booksense's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
immovabletype's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Genocide, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Vomit
zoerezek's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse and Rape
Minor: Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
hrh_victoria's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Racism, Violence, Abortion, and War
bookishashleymn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape and Murder
Minor: War