Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce

10 reviews

ltsang08's review

challenging dark sad tense 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? Yes

3.75

We get it, she raises her chin in defiance. 

I generally enjoyed this dive into a book loosely based on true crime, but the repetition every 30 pages or so about the main character raising her chin was maddening. Trying to humanise such a tricky real person is a huge challenge and for the most part the author has done a decent, if simplistic, job. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Abortion, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

wayward's review against another edition

It's actually quite well written and really gives a sense of the settings, but I just don't want to go on any longer in the narrator's POV.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

eh1736's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Vomit, Gore, Child death, and Miscarriage

bethmayrey's review

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, and Miscarriage

theunfinishedbookshelf's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pregnancy, Murder, Miscarriage, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

abbiexhope's review

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Abandonment and Injury/Injury detail

catsandpizza's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Child death, Blood, Miscarriage, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

georgiaand's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Misogyny

amethyst1551's review

challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Miscarriage, and Rape

whatischellereading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Based on the true story of Belle Gunness whose killing spree began in Chicago in 1900, Triflers Need Not Apply is a novelistic tour de force exploring one woman's determination to pay men back for all they have taken.

Where do I even begin… this book was fascinating, addictive, sickening and mind blowing.  As a far of true crime I cannot believe I have lived my life without hearing of Belle Gunness - a housewife, mother, farm keeper and serial killer.  Whilst the book is based on Belle and her history of killing men it is important to remember that most of the novel has been fabricated, however, having now followed up on a few online searches of Belle Gunness you can see why Camilla Bruce chose her as the basis for a novel.  There are so many unknowns about her, i.e. her life prior to moving to Chicago, why she chose to do what she did, whether she had help and how many hick ups she experienced while carrying out her mission. The book is certainly thought provoking as you know that this woman did infact exist over 100 years ago and, for me certainly, prompts us to wonder ‘what makes someone a killer’.  I’ve always been fascinated with the psychology of serial killers as there is always a question of are killers born or are they made - for me, I always believe they are made.  It takes a series of events to turn someone to murder, I can’t imagine someone just waking up someday and becoming a killer - it must be a notion developed over time.  And as for Bella, I can certainly imagine her young life being as described in Triflers Need Not Apply and it saddens me. No young person should live a life of hardship, especially to the extent described in the novel but it’s important to remind ourselves that such cases were the “norm” back in the 19th century.  

One of the most alluring aspects of Belle’s case is the mystery on her death.  I shan’t spoil the novel but a simple Wikipedia search will give the game away as they were never convinced that Belle died in the house fire which claimed her children’s lives - a bit like Jack the Ripper in that regard - we all seem to have a fascination for the ones which got away.

I’d highly recommend this to lovers of not only true crime but to historical fiction fans also as there is much to be enjoyed with the setting and time frame of the book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Child death, Death, and Infertility