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erica_palmisano's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, and War
spacewhombus's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
If you liked The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, then you would like this-and vice versa!!! They both have the medieval setting with a community of women trying to survive on their own while helping and loving each other.
And if you are a fan of stories that span a character's whole life, you will probably like this too (along the lines of The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, or A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende). The cast of women includes so many characters, each unique and with their own special skills. There was also a lovely variety of relationships among the women, from sister, rival, sexual, mother, teacher, etc.
The main story follows the rise of Marie from an unwilling nun into head abbess with a lasting legacy in the abbey itself but also in the land and community surrounding it. I lovedddd reading the small details of life in the 1100s-1200s, especially regarding how they built certain things!
The only reason I won't give five stars is just because it wasn't toooo enthralling by the end, because Marie ascended to somewhat of a saint status and I lost any personal connection with her, and her abbey grew in size so much and over such large jumps in time that I also started to lose touch with the other characters.
Overall a refreshing read, and a unique story that I have never encountered before. So go read this and then go daydream about living on a farm with women forever!
Minor: Violence and Rape
literarylion's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
- A unique and refreshing take on historical fiction, especially medieval historical fiction
- Strong character development
- Groff's grasp of medieval verbiage and phrasing is precise but not overwhelming to the point of seeming cheap
- Extremely slow; frustratingly so at times
- The pacing and structure are a bit muddied; I wasn't clear on what separated each section from the next
- Pretty dense
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and War
Minor: Alcohol and Rape
imrereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Death, Religious bigotry, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death and Rape
balth_the_chaotic_good's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and War
sincerelyleah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and War
elizabethfisher1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Rape
minbyrnes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I’ve never read a book without quotation marks to denote dialogue - this was my first one. And I don’t like it 😂
I liked Marie’s relationship with a lot of the women at the abbey. The relationship dynamics were very interesting. I especially and unexpectedly really liked her relationship with the queen.
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape
racheldelfuoco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Rape
msjenne's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Rape, and Religious bigotry