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nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
2.25
Ostensibly set in a mostly-dystopian 1894 Texas town that places a premium on women's ability to bear children and suspects infertile women of witchcraft, this book is narrated by Ada, a seventeen-year-old wife and midwife's apprentice who has been exiled from her community after a year of marriage with no child. Passionate about science and serving women, Ada finds herself in the company of the Hole in the Wall gang, a group of outlawed outsiders with a flexible and fluid approach to gender, love, sex, and justice.
This feminist take on a Western novel, filled with crime, adventure, and challenging authority, was certainly creative, but I was quite the right audience for it. Indeed, I was so distracted by the references to race, doctors, baby Jesus, the Flu and Fever, and the seeming dissolution of the United States that I was almost more focused on trying to figure out whether this was a dystopian alternative history (a Confederate win in the Civil War?) or a dystopian future (post COVID-19?), and I'm honestly still confused.
I also was pretty confused by the role of religion and by all of the characters. There were many, each with a painful background, but none was particularly well-developed, and the sub-plots detracted rather than added to the story. The one exception to this, in my opinion, was Lark's story, which surprised and intrigued me, but he, too, was an underdeveloped character who stuck around too briefly.
I appreciate the reviewer who acknowledged that this book offers a different take on the Hole in the Wall gang. I had no idea that this gang was a real concept and really disappointed that there was no Author's Note explaining that research and that choice (which guess means this is an alt-history novel?).
I picked this up because I needed a quick read to help propel me out of a slump (too many classics in a row/at a time can do that to you), and it was definitely successful in that respect. The story was engaging enough and kept me turning the pages for the few hours that this took to finish, but ultimately, I think Anna North bit off more than she could chew--infertility, religion, feminism, justice, gender fluidity, insomnia, mental health, medicine, mothering, Western adventure--and it really didn't work for me.
This feminist take on a Western novel, filled with crime, adventure, and challenging authority, was certainly creative, but I was quite the right audience for it. Indeed, I was so distracted by the references to race, doctors, baby Jesus, the Flu and Fever, and the seeming dissolution of the United States that I was almost more focused on trying to figure out whether this was a dystopian alternative history (a Confederate win in the Civil War?) or a dystopian future (post COVID-19?), and I'm honestly still confused.
I also was pretty confused by the role of religion and by all of the characters. There were many, each with a painful background, but none was particularly well-developed, and the sub-plots detracted rather than added to the story. The one exception to this, in my opinion, was Lark's story, which surprised and intrigued me, but he, too, was an underdeveloped character who stuck around too briefly.
I appreciate the reviewer who acknowledged that this book offers a different take on the Hole in the Wall gang. I had no idea that this gang was a real concept and really disappointed that there was no Author's Note explaining that research and that choice (which guess means this is an alt-history novel?).
I picked this up because I needed a quick read to help propel me out of a slump (too many classics in a row/at a time can do that to you), and it was definitely successful in that respect. The story was engaging enough and kept me turning the pages for the few hours that this took to finish, but ultimately, I think Anna North bit off more than she could chew--infertility, religion, feminism, justice, gender fluidity, insomnia, mental health, medicine, mothering, Western adventure--and it really didn't work for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Sexual content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Infidelity, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, and Abortion
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
squish's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Gun violence, and Infertility
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Abortion and Alcoholism
kissmyash0600's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
I'm so split on this book - I liked the story, but I felt like it developed too slow and for too long. The climax was in the last 75 pages of the book, it seemed, and then it ended. It's quite a commentary on how women end up being blamed for so many things and shoulder the burden of the gender stereotype. Even today, when a woman fails to get pregnant, their fertility is looked at with such scrutiny. Our reproductive system and various issues that we have are barely understood and instead of a real effort to better understand these issues, we instead have to see several doctors and sometimes wait years to get a true diagnosis. This book is empowering to those who face gender stereotypes head on, as well as those who have been made to felt less than for not being able to fulfill expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Incest, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, and Domestic abuse
perstephone's review
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"Knowledge can be very valuable...but only if people want it."
I give Outlawed
🌟🌟🌟✨ 3.5/5 (rounded up)
⚠️TW: abortion, miscarrying, and mainly infertility are constant themes and subject matters throughout this story as a whole. If those are sensitive subjects for you or are just things you'd rather not read, this may not be the book for you.
I give 3.5/5 because while the story is an original one, that takes inspiration from history and makes it its own; I was left at the end with loose ends unfinished.
🌻🌻🌻
- Not a particularly long story, 12 chapters total, but still full of action, adventure, and steady pacing that gives course of events a natural feel.
- This is not your typical western, nor is it a factual account of the Hole in the Wall Gang. It is inspiration, and other than some names of characters, the similarities pretty much stop there.
- Women posse, women posse, women posse!!! 😎
- year 1894-95, LGBTQA+ representation.
- women taking control of their own bodies, their own fates, proving that they are just as capable as anyone else in an era that only saw women as "good for" maybe a handful of things.
- Felt a little lacking in POC representation if I'm being honest.
- Interactions between characters and the society as a whole felt genuine and on par for how things were done or viewed, especially regarding women, and what they were valued for.
- A bit melancholy of an ending, but a suitable one all things considered.
There are enough loose ends that I still want answers for, and some things plain left unfinished, but this story is still really original and worth a gander.
I give Outlawed
🌟🌟🌟✨ 3.5/5 (rounded up)
⚠️TW: abortion, miscarrying, and mainly infertility are constant themes and subject matters throughout this story as a whole. If those are sensitive subjects for you or are just things you'd rather not read, this may not be the book for you.
I give 3.5/5 because while the story is an original one, that takes inspiration from history and makes it its own; I was left at the end with loose ends unfinished.
🌻🌻🌻
- Not a particularly long story, 12 chapters total, but still full of action, adventure, and steady pacing that gives course of events a natural feel.
- This is not your typical western, nor is it a factual account of the Hole in the Wall Gang. It is inspiration, and other than some names of characters, the similarities pretty much stop there.
- Women posse, women posse, women posse!!! 😎
- year 1894-95, LGBTQA+ representation.
- women taking control of their own bodies, their own fates, proving that they are just as capable as anyone else in an era that only saw women as "good for" maybe a handful of things.
- Felt a little lacking in POC representation if I'm being honest.
- Interactions between characters and the society as a whole felt genuine and on par for how things were done or viewed, especially regarding women, and what they were valued for.
- A bit melancholy of an ending, but a suitable one all things considered.
There are enough loose ends that I still want answers for, and some things plain left unfinished, but this story is still really original and worth a gander.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Medical trauma
kylita's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Adventurous and rustic, Outlawed tells the story of Ada, daughter of the revered town midwife. Ada immediately piques your interest, with her first sentence begging you to learn how she became an outlaw.
Let's just say, I would have been an outlaw years ago if I lived in Ada's society, so I became engrossed with finding out how Ada would live her life after being kicked out of her husband's home for being infertile.
Ada's quest to seek scientific answers eventually lands her in the middle of nowhere, Hole in the Wall, with a cast of other tough and (mostly) barren women.
While Outlawed and its alt-history was a quick read, it was overall underdeveloped. Most of the women at the feminine commune (that's essentially what their camp was) didn't get to tell their story until there were only twenty pages left and the "main event" lasted five pages after a long build-up.
Would I still recommend it? Yes. Just beware: even though Ada is from the Dakotas, I couldn't stop reading it in an accent in my head. Is it the drama housed in me or is it truly impossible to read a "western" without channeling what I think cowboys sound like?
Let's just say, I would have been an outlaw years ago if I lived in Ada's society, so I became engrossed with finding out how Ada would live her life after being kicked out of her husband's home for being infertile.
Ada's quest to seek scientific answers eventually lands her in the middle of nowhere, Hole in the Wall, with a cast of other tough and (mostly) barren women.
While Outlawed and its alt-history was a quick read, it was overall underdeveloped. Most of the women at the feminine commune (that's essentially what their camp was) didn't get to tell their story until there were only twenty pages left and the "main event" lasted five pages after a long build-up.
Would I still recommend it? Yes. Just beware: even though Ada is from the Dakotas, I couldn't stop reading it in an accent in my head. Is it the drama housed in me or is it truly impossible to read a "western" without channeling what I think cowboys sound like?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Homophobia, Racism, Mental illness, Infertility, and Alcoholism
asha_'s review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this entire book in one day because I absolutely could not put it down. It made me care and it made me hurt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Excrement, and Animal death
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