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kimberlyswalters's review against another edition
It was very slow paced and I wasn't a huge fan of where things were headed. I like things that feel more tense and the pacing didn't make me feel like things were going to pick up or get better.
quastquast's review against another edition
3.0
Struggled to rate this one. Story of Rajah is very compelling and I wanted to know more, but Kezia was a lack luster character. I didn’t care about the woven romance in the novel and wished instead that I got more backstory from each convict (i.e. OITNB story-telling). Still worth a read because it’s a super fast story that might prompt you to actually learn more about these ladies.
mazza57's review against another edition
2.0
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It started off well, the premise of female convicts being transported to Van Diemens Land. The background includes references to prison reform and to Elizabeth Fry. I found, however, the majority of this book was just heavy going. Like the ship the book seemed to be taking a long time to get absolutely nowhere. I am not sure that creating two timelines that were so close to each other really did anything to help this I felt a linear approach which concentrated more on the creation of tension that must have been evident in a situation like this. Instead each repetition of Now was indeed that, a repetition of the last Now, the investigation seemed banal and lack lustre. I often wonder in these cases whether author's are writing to a pre conceived idea of optimal book length. I believe this would have been better as a more concise 200-250 page book.
hitch's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
writingwwolves's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 4.5
It’s been a while since I read a historical mystery & I really, really enjoyed this one. I requested the book as I loved the concept of the ship/journey & I was excited to learn a bit more about this (not so nice) part of British history... in the end though, it was the mystery that really kept me interested - the “who done it” approach taken in the book was fantastic; I loved having chapters from the perspective of the most likely suspect, whilst still not actually knowing who she was, & I liked the little mysteries that were thrown in alongside the main event. I got rather attached to the characters as well, & I’m a little sad that there wasn’t more about Kezia’s life after this journey included in the afterword - I desperately hope that the real Kezia was at least half as kind & wonderful as Hope Adams’ Kezia. This book touches on some very sad & harrowing facts about the things women endured in past-Britain, & I commend Hope Adams for not shying away from telling the brutal, saddening truth. Overall, this was just a really fantastic read.
⚠️ Murder by stabbing, as well as a lot of other violence, discussion of hangings, on-page self-harm, suicide, mental illness, sexual themes & ableism. The story also includes characters who discuss memories of domestic violence, the death/murder/mistreatment/neglect of children & young babies, rape, parent-child violence & alcoholism ⚠️
I was sent a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Extended Review to follow.
It’s been a while since I read a historical mystery & I really, really enjoyed this one. I requested the book as I loved the concept of the ship/journey & I was excited to learn a bit more about this (not so nice) part of British history... in the end though, it was the mystery that really kept me interested - the “who done it” approach taken in the book was fantastic; I loved having chapters from the perspective of the most likely suspect, whilst still not actually knowing who she was, & I liked the little mysteries that were thrown in alongside the main event. I got rather attached to the characters as well, & I’m a little sad that there wasn’t more about Kezia’s life after this journey included in the afterword - I desperately hope that the real Kezia was at least half as kind & wonderful as Hope Adams’ Kezia. This book touches on some very sad & harrowing facts about the things women endured in past-Britain, & I commend Hope Adams for not shying away from telling the brutal, saddening truth. Overall, this was just a really fantastic read.
⚠️ Murder by stabbing, as well as a lot of other violence, discussion of hangings, on-page self-harm, suicide, mental illness, sexual themes & ableism. The story also includes characters who discuss memories of domestic violence, the death/murder/mistreatment/neglect of children & young babies, rape, parent-child violence & alcoholism ⚠️
I was sent a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Extended Review to follow.
becksus's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting historical premise, and I liked Kezia's character. I was expecting a wider variety of different characters' points of view, but it mostly centred around Kezia and Hattie and Sarah. This was not as thrilling or 'locked room'-esque as the reviews on the back promised, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. I appreciated the notions throughout that brought forward women's position in society during those times. I find myself relating to Kezia for sure, becoming emotional over not being heard and thus having my words be dismissed due to the emotion expressed.
jackyobrien6's review against another edition
2.0
I was excited by the premise, as it reminded me somewhat of the Brideship series, but I felt as if execution left me wanting more. It didn't feel suspenseful, or have anything that made your heart race, considering there was a murderer on board. Instead it was a story about wronged women who stitched on a boat.
books_and_tea_make_katy_happy's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable historical fiction murder mystery set in 1841 and what tempted me to request it from Netgalley was the 'locked room' element of the story taking place on a ship in the middle of the ocean! The 'dangerous women' of the title are all convicts from prisons in England, who have been sentenced to transportation to Australia for their crimes. Adams makes it clear that the women's crimes are relatively minor, e.g. stealing fabric, however they are being punished almost in the extreme by sending them to another country for reacting to events largely out of their control (and it's hard to think that in 2021 we are still having conversations about supporting women in the justice system to escape abuse etc.).
There are three female voices that tell the story of this voyage: Kezia, who is leading a project for the women to sew a quilt to teach them skills and pass the time onboard; Clara, who is escaping the hangman's noose and hoping for a fresh start, and Hattie, who is being transported with her young son for the theft of children's clothes and who will meet her fate on board.
There were some scenes that were well written and atmospheric, I particularly enjoyed the scene where Clara swaps her identity for another convicts' in order to escape being hanged as you could really picture the squalor of the prison and Clara's fear was tangible. Overall though, I struggled to "hear" the voices of the women as they all came across a bit samey to me, on several occasions I had to double check whose perspective I was reading from. The wider cast, e.g. the sewing group, also felt a bit generic which meant that I couldn't really bond with any of them.
I think that the title "Dangerous Women" makes the novel sound like it will be more of a thriller style murder mystery and it really wasn't that for me (and I feel it's meant to be an ironic title as the women on board aren't dangerous, only their contemporary society views them in that way as they have transgressed from the patriarchal notion of femininity!). A good debut, I will keep an eye out for any future novels by Adams. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.
There are three female voices that tell the story of this voyage: Kezia, who is leading a project for the women to sew a quilt to teach them skills and pass the time onboard; Clara, who is escaping the hangman's noose and hoping for a fresh start, and Hattie, who is being transported with her young son for the theft of children's clothes and who will meet her fate on board.
There were some scenes that were well written and atmospheric, I particularly enjoyed the scene where Clara swaps her identity for another convicts' in order to escape being hanged as you could really picture the squalor of the prison and Clara's fear was tangible. Overall though, I struggled to "hear" the voices of the women as they all came across a bit samey to me, on several occasions I had to double check whose perspective I was reading from. The wider cast, e.g. the sewing group, also felt a bit generic which meant that I couldn't really bond with any of them.
I think that the title "Dangerous Women" makes the novel sound like it will be more of a thriller style murder mystery and it really wasn't that for me (and I feel it's meant to be an ironic title as the women on board aren't dangerous, only their contemporary society views them in that way as they have transgressed from the patriarchal notion of femininity!). A good debut, I will keep an eye out for any future novels by Adams. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
5.0
I was first attracted to this novel because it was based on an actual voyage that transported women convicted of petty crimes to Australia to serve out their sentences. The story itself exceeded all my expectations and buddy reading it with bestie @keeperofpages was as always, a wonderful experience and provided us with so much to discuss.
The 180 women on board the Rajah are looked after by a young woman called Kezia who is seeking to promote reformation of female prisoners. She immediately sets a group of the women to a task - sewing an extravagant quilt to present to the governors on arrival in Australia. This has the effect of keeping the women busy, allows them to work as a team and the end result is something they can be proud of being a part of.
Things go smoothly until there is a murder onboard of a young mother. Immediately everyone is a suspect. As suspicion mounts and Kezia assists the captain, minister and doctor with the investigation, the mystery of who killed the young woman and why deepens.
I do love reading about events in history that I was previously unaware of. I think it’s also wonderful that the quilt made by the group of women is proudly on display in a museum in Australia. This is an intricate and page-turning narrative that will leave you questioning everything and everyone. I was certainly trying to play detective and was delighted by the twists and turns in the plot.
My favourite thing about this novel though was the way we got to know the back stories of some of the women. It’s horrendous to think that these women were punished so brutally for such minor misdemeanours and many of them spent up to fifteen years across the other side of the world away from family and friends.
Dangerous Women is a beautiful debut from a talented and imaginative author and I’m eager to read wherever she writes next!
Five exciting stars
The 180 women on board the Rajah are looked after by a young woman called Kezia who is seeking to promote reformation of female prisoners. She immediately sets a group of the women to a task - sewing an extravagant quilt to present to the governors on arrival in Australia. This has the effect of keeping the women busy, allows them to work as a team and the end result is something they can be proud of being a part of.
Things go smoothly until there is a murder onboard of a young mother. Immediately everyone is a suspect. As suspicion mounts and Kezia assists the captain, minister and doctor with the investigation, the mystery of who killed the young woman and why deepens.
I do love reading about events in history that I was previously unaware of. I think it’s also wonderful that the quilt made by the group of women is proudly on display in a museum in Australia. This is an intricate and page-turning narrative that will leave you questioning everything and everyone. I was certainly trying to play detective and was delighted by the twists and turns in the plot.
My favourite thing about this novel though was the way we got to know the back stories of some of the women. It’s horrendous to think that these women were punished so brutally for such minor misdemeanours and many of them spent up to fifteen years across the other side of the world away from family and friends.
Dangerous Women is a beautiful debut from a talented and imaginative author and I’m eager to read wherever she writes next!
Five exciting stars
laura6's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75