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semperlunaris's review against another edition
3.0
I first got this novel as I wanted to try something different in the historical genre, and honestly I was a bit flat after reading it.
The story's ok, the character's are ok, nothing really made me feel very invested. I think the only over-arching theme was "Women are never safe and will always be preyed upon in the outside world. Women get shafted by family and sent to an asylum for supposed 'madness'. Women are not safe in the asylum and are also preyed upon within the place that is 'keeping them safe'. Very grotesque and uncomfortable to read at points TRIGGER UNDER SPOILER - Personally I read to escape the horrors for women today and back in history, not to be reminded that yes, there's no hope and you're doomed. The real kicker is that the women in the asylum, and outside of it, are not even helped or supported by the other women (with very few exceptions) It's hard to sympathise with the Matron at first because even she doesn't support the women in her care, yet so quite the hypocrite (but I guess that's the point). There's some 6th sense stuff going on with the other protagonist because of course there is.
Overall it was a disappointing read for me, which is a shame as I was very excited by it.
The story's ok, the character's are ok, nothing really made me feel very invested. I think the only over-arching theme was "Women are never safe and will always be preyed upon in the outside world. Women get shafted by family and sent to an asylum for supposed 'madness'. Women are not safe in the asylum and are also preyed upon within the place that is 'keeping them safe'. Very grotesque and uncomfortable to read at points TRIGGER UNDER SPOILER
Spoiler
there is 2 counts of rape happening to a girl described, and 1 count of serious sexual assault mentioned by another womanSpoiler
writes letters to her dead sisterOverall it was a disappointing read for me, which is a shame as I was very excited by it.
faith0799's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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
itsjustkiwi's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jamie_jordan's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The writing felt like it was telling me what to think rather than letting me work it out on my own. I can’t decide if I liked the story or not either.
giseleesau's review against another edition
2.0
This book's subject matter had so much potential !!! but did not live up to its expectations unfortunately.
The setting of the Salpêtrière Asylum in Paris is so so so interesting, as are the stories of the women within it, especially in light of gendered, medical mis-diagnosis'.
Unfortunately this book slightlyyyyy (and by slightly I mean completely oops) missed the mark when Mas made the decision for the protagonist to start seeing dead people (?), meaning that, unfortunately, I could simply defend her sanity no longer. Like how are you going to write a book about how men perceive women as crazy simply because they don't follow patriarchal norms and then have the main character see the deceased??? Literally what. Surely it also just completely diminishes the horrific experiences and impressive endurance of the other Salpêtrière women when she (probably the only rightly committed one) was helped to escape the asylum.
The only redeemable feature of this book was the exploration of the power of female solidarity and how critical this is in the dismantlement of the patriarchy.
The setting of the Salpêtrière Asylum in Paris is so so so interesting, as are the stories of the women within it, especially in light of gendered, medical mis-diagnosis'.
Unfortunately this book slightlyyyyy (and by slightly I mean completely oops) missed the mark when Mas made the decision for the protagonist to start seeing dead people (?), meaning that, unfortunately, I could simply defend her sanity no longer. Like how are you going to write a book about how men perceive women as crazy simply because they don't follow patriarchal norms and then have the main character see the deceased??? Literally what. Surely it also just completely diminishes the horrific experiences and impressive endurance of the other Salpêtrière women when she (probably the only rightly committed one) was helped to escape the asylum.
The only redeemable feature of this book was the exploration of the power of female solidarity and how critical this is in the dismantlement of the patriarchy.
kenziehawes's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0