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melinda_and_her_books's review
4.0
In the Divines Josephine grows up in a boarding school for all girls. Every time there is a huge group of girls there is bound to be drama. Even though the school was a religious school the girls were rebellious. They were constantly chain smoking and chasing after boys. They had a reputation around town. In this school the girls struggled with their identities and were constantly bullying each other. When Josephine looked back on her years at the school she was disgusted by herself and her schoolmates. Josephine starts to blur reality when she thinks back on the scandals that took place at this school. This book wasn't horrible but it's not really one I recommend. It kept my interest but a lot of it was super frustrating.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. I also one a physical copy on goodreads so thank you goodreads as well.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. I also one a physical copy on goodreads so thank you goodreads as well.
jess_mango's review
3.0
Josephine is newly married and visits the ground of her old boarding school, St. John the Divine, in the UK while on her honeymoon. While in a dentist office that was the former school chapel, Josephine gets called a nasty word by a local woman when that woman realizes Josephine used to attend the school. This starts Josephine down the path of reflecting on her time at the school. She hasn't spoken to her fellow Divines (what the girls called themselves) in 15 years. There is hazy foreshadowing that something bad happened there in Josephine's final year.
The novel switches back and forth from a semester at school in the 1990s and current day where Josephine is making her life with her husband in California working as a freelance writer. The parts set at the boarding school were more interesting to me than the ones set in present day. We learn that St John the Divine is a posh boarding school and that the girls that go there don't quite get along with the working class townies. Josephine feels isolated from her best friends when she is assigned to room with a girl who is seen as an outsider. Joe, as her friends call her, ends up making friends with a local girls, Lauren, and develops a crush on her old brother who works at the school.
The book is structured as Josephine's present day downwards spiral as she remembers her time at the school. There are messages in the book about bullying, the divide between the upper and working class, and sexuality. The flashbacks were the stronger storyline in this book for me. Jospehine's realizations in the "present day" were a bit perplexing. Years passed by between different present day scenes and she still seems stuck in her reflection rut. The whole thing left me in a bit of a haze, and perhaps that was the point. The author shows promise but I feel like this book was not as well executed as it could have been. It is definitely told from Josephine's perspective with HER biases, so maybe that is why things aren't as well defined as they could have been. I will keep my eye out for future releases by Eaton so that I can give them a read.
I listened to the book on audio and the narrator had a pleasant British accent that helped bring Josephine to life. It's worth a listen if you like boarding school stories or books set in academia.
3.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
The novel switches back and forth from a semester at school in the 1990s and current day where Josephine is making her life with her husband in California working as a freelance writer. The parts set at the boarding school were more interesting to me than the ones set in present day. We learn that St John the Divine is a posh boarding school and that the girls that go there don't quite get along with the working class townies. Josephine feels isolated from her best friends when she is assigned to room with a girl who is seen as an outsider. Joe, as her friends call her, ends up making friends with a local girls, Lauren, and develops a crush on her old brother who works at the school.
The book is structured as Josephine's present day downwards spiral as she remembers her time at the school. There are messages in the book about bullying, the divide between the upper and working class, and sexuality. The flashbacks were the stronger storyline in this book for me. Jospehine's realizations in the "present day" were a bit perplexing. Years passed by between different present day scenes and she still seems stuck in her reflection rut. The whole thing left me in a bit of a haze, and perhaps that was the point. The author shows promise but I feel like this book was not as well executed as it could have been. It is definitely told from Josephine's perspective with HER biases, so maybe that is why things aren't as well defined as they could have been. I will keep my eye out for future releases by Eaton so that I can give them a read.
I listened to the book on audio and the narrator had a pleasant British accent that helped bring Josephine to life. It's worth a listen if you like boarding school stories or books set in academia.
3.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
cariadjade's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
knod78's review
2.0
2.5 stars. I'm not sure if I liked this book or recommend it. I was in to the book that's for sure. I was anxious reading it anticipating what would happen. Most of what happened, I suspected, but not all of it. The book definitely kept my interest.
But I hated every character. I didn't find really one redeeming quality in any of them, even the mom with MS and especially the husband who was obsessed with her Divine obsession. There is a lot of detail, but then there is not. Things aren't really explained. I get that the Divines were mean to Gerry, but the author didn't explain why Gerry was targeting Joe (I get the end why). They were all bad to her. I get that it's teens and your emotions are all over place coupled with richness and privilege and boredom, but some of their actions were just not really explained. And then, we get to the part of the death description and well, it happened so quickly, I had to reread to truly understand. I also didn't get how all the youngers ones and even Skipper perceived Joe as the scary/head hauncho one. Did I read the same story? And the penis photographs? I didn't understand the ending with Gerry and the attitude/things said. Basically, I didn't get it.
It's up to you whether to read this book. I definitely couldn't put it down and the writing flowed well, but I just didn't really care for any of the lot. I would read another book from this author.
But I hated every character. I didn't find really one redeeming quality in any of them, even the mom with MS and especially the husband who was obsessed with her Divine obsession. There is a lot of detail, but then there is not. Things aren't really explained. I get that the Divines were mean to Gerry, but the author didn't explain why Gerry was targeting Joe (I get the end why). They were all bad to her. I get that it's teens and your emotions are all over place coupled with richness and privilege and boredom, but some of their actions were just not really explained. And then, we get to the part of the death description and well, it happened so quickly, I had to reread to truly understand. I also didn't get how all the youngers ones and even Skipper perceived Joe as the scary/head hauncho one. Did I read the same story? And the penis photographs? I didn't understand the ending with Gerry and the attitude/things said. Basically, I didn't get it.
It's up to you whether to read this book. I definitely couldn't put it down and the writing flowed well, but I just didn't really care for any of the lot. I would read another book from this author.
kaceyp14's review against another edition
3.0
Excellent narrator. Story was uneven…several times I would almost quit, but then I’d really like it again. Overall, a good idea that could’ve been done shorter and cleaner.
courtneyjane's review against another edition
5.0
Just one of those books to remind you of the unimportance of things one does as a teenager. Not to mention the way memories have the ability to not only fade, but also trick the mind, turning them into much grander stories than they really were.
I noticed this book is standing with a low 3 stars. Most of the negative reviews I think were expecting a mystery novel which this was not at all and I'm not sure it was even supposed to be marketed as such.
I noticed this book is standing with a low 3 stars. Most of the negative reviews I think were expecting a mystery novel which this was not at all and I'm not sure it was even supposed to be marketed as such.
tracyksmith_reads's review
4.0
The Divines is about Josephine who used to attend a boarding school for girls in England called St John the Divine. Even though Josephine hasn’t seen any of the Divines for 15 years, a visit to the area causes her to start obsessing about her time at the boarding school and the disturbing events leading up to its closure. The story alternates between the present-day and the 1990s.
I have been processing my thoughts about this book for a couple of days. I have mixed feelings about it. I feel that it was fairly well-written and had great character development but at the same time, I did not like the characters. I don't see that as a bad thing with this book. I knew the characters weren't going to be likable when I read the synopsis of the book. The fact that the author made the characters so unlikeable is one cue to me that they were well-developed. Their personalities were quite fleshed out and they weren’t pretty. The world-building in the past in this story was much more interesting than the present but I believe that's how it was supposed to be until towards the end of the book.
This is the ultimate mean girls’ story which I do not normally enjoy reading about, but this book was compelling enough to keep me listening all the way to the end. The narrator was wonderful and really added life to these characters. I did not love this story but it was intriguing enough to say I sort of liked it. The Divines is one of those books that are hard to appreciate unless you get to the end. The ending makes the book worthwhile and I can say that without feeling like I’m telling you whether you’ll be satisfied with it.
I have been processing my thoughts about this book for a couple of days. I have mixed feelings about it. I feel that it was fairly well-written and had great character development but at the same time, I did not like the characters. I don't see that as a bad thing with this book. I knew the characters weren't going to be likable when I read the synopsis of the book. The fact that the author made the characters so unlikeable is one cue to me that they were well-developed. Their personalities were quite fleshed out and they weren’t pretty. The world-building in the past in this story was much more interesting than the present but I believe that's how it was supposed to be until towards the end of the book.
This is the ultimate mean girls’ story which I do not normally enjoy reading about, but this book was compelling enough to keep me listening all the way to the end. The narrator was wonderful and really added life to these characters. I did not love this story but it was intriguing enough to say I sort of liked it. The Divines is one of those books that are hard to appreciate unless you get to the end. The ending makes the book worthwhile and I can say that without feeling like I’m telling you whether you’ll be satisfied with it.
katiejohns's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
lizardslovebooks's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Lesbophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Body shaming, and Toxic friendship