Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

49 reviews

m_a_j's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death of parent

eliz_hop_1973's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Infertility, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Self harm, Violence, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Suicide

electricjuicebox's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Loved it! 
Some scattered thoughts:

• This is excellent historical fiction, it immersed me in an unfamiliar world and while I kept noting words I didn't recognize, I was able to pick up on their meanings through the general context of the story (I read the novel on a plane and wasn't able to look up any of the old-timey vocab). I wouldn't have expected to like a book set in 1518 Strasbourg as much as I did, but I was absolutely sucked in by KMH's writing. 
• Speaking of the writing, it was beautiful and evocative. 
• This book has some similar themes to The Mercies, the author's first book and one that I really loved. I think I prefer The Mercies between the two if I were forced choose, but I was glad that this was similarly excellent. There's the tragedy of womanhood and women struggling to find agency in a world controlled by men and by the Church (more often some combination of the two), a beautiful focus on complex relationships between women and an exploration of queer relationships in an early modern setting. There's also a really strong sense of place in the vivid descriptions of the oppressive summer heat. 
• I thought the characters were relatable and well fleshed out - I wanted to know more about everyone. Lisbet's struggle to conceive and the guilt she carries for each of her failed pregnancies, as well as the guilt she feels over her mother's death and every bad omen she's ever drawn a connection to, is poignant. 
• I really appreciated the little vignettes between chapters that lent purpose and context to the hundreds of women who fell under the Dancing Plague during this time. 
• I think my main critique of this book is that the plot sped up a lot towards the end in a way that felt less realistic than the first half. It was a more exciting read, but began to feel less believable as a result. I personally still enjoyed it enough to give it such a high rating. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Animal death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

voldycat's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Homophobia, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death

sauvageloup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I picked this up because it was on sale in Blackwell's and just liked the sound of it. Damn, I'm glad I did!

pros: 
- writing is poignant, powerful and weaves a compelling narrative, while never being especially verbose or wandering too far. The dialogue felt real enough for the period, but still intense and readable.
- the characters were all brilliant, they come to life gradually and several change over the period of the story, 

sophey from cruel to an ally, Nethe from cold to loving, henne from a decent man (in comparison to Plater) to cold and unlocking

although many of these are more the revealing of the true character that had been buried by trauma (apart from the latter of course).
- Lisbet showed great growth

both through her own bravery and strength, and through Eren, Nethe, Ida, Friedrich and Sophey's support of her. She is able to let go of her lifelong guilt, her grief for her mother, she is able to believe that she deserves better than Henne, she accepts and loves both a 'Turk' and a 'sodomite', because of who they are as people, and these are all huge things for her and yet the growth felt right and natural

 
- the setting, the history and the depiction of the dancing mania was all extremely evocative and intense, I could picture it all so well and you feel as if you're down there in the pulsing, dangerous crowds, or drowning in the smell of melting beeswax.
- lisbet's alliance with the bees and later the dog, Ulf, added another beautiful layer to her character and her skills as a beekeeper helped her realise her own worth, beyond being a wife and a mother.
- I loved the women's friendships, Lisbet's true love for Ida despite her mixture of jealousy and awe towards her friend, and Nethe's developing care and love for Lisbet, despite her initial fear of closeness.
- the significant tragedies of the book are balanced with successes, which stopped me from feeling betrayed at the end, which I sometimes am with tragic books. bitter sweet, I can do!
- Plater's grim awfulness is written in a way that is familiar but still ghastly, and the dread of his arrival is tangible every time he arrives.

cons:
-

it did plague me a few times that despite Lisbet's obvious love of Ida's children, she does leave them alone several times, when going to the forest or with Eren. I suppose we assume they are safe with the eldest daughter and ida's father, but I thought it odd that Lisbet didnt spare a thought

- also wish that the role of the eldest daughter as a replacement mother might have been examined a little.
-

I wish it hadnt ended like that with Eren, though of course I am glad Plater died. but it felt so unfair that Eren was blamed like that (though historically plausible I know) and there was no hint that those two might reunite, I thought. I know we see Lisbet's dissatisfaction with Henne and her love for Nethe, but I wish there had been a hint of the future. how could the two women leave now theyve got not just Lisbet's baby but all of Ida's children too? that's not ideal for running after Eren. so that was a bit of a shame. 
- it was of course upsetting, though somewhat expected from how saintly she is set up as, that Ida died. as Lisbet and Eren survived, couldnt Nethe and Ida have? it fitted with the story ofc, but it's a shame that it continues the 'bury your gays'

overall, I truly loved this haunting, sad, and powerful historical novel about the power of female friendship and love against loss, hardships and intolerance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Hate crime, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Sexism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Outing, Child death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Racism, Terminal illness, War, and Bullying

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Addiction, Police brutality, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Medical content

one of the gay characters ends up dead by accidental overdose, and there is the threat of hanging

lorriss's review against another edition

emotional tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Death of parent, Dementia, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Grief, Lesbophobia, Murder, Suicide, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Drug abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Classism, War, Child abuse, Cannibalism, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Excrement, Colonisation, and Slavery

thedukeofpuke_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Infertility, Grief, Sexism, Racism, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Blood and Excrement

caidyn's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My first fiction book of the year! And I was very happy with it. Definitely a heartfelt, difficult read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Confinement, Pregnancy, Homophobia, and Miscarriage

bootrat's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I found this book too slow and uninteresting, despite the promising premise and setting. I nearly DNFd it a couple of times, and took a break when it got too boring, but I eventually finished it. I also didn't like the main character, especially in comparison to the side characters who were much more interesting. 
Wouldn't recommend, and doesn't entice me into reading more of the author's works.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Suicide, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

amylovesbooksandyarn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

I hadn't heard of this book untill my close friend told me she was doing a buddy read and read me the synopsis and I was intrigued. (She also had a beautiful versions with spayed edges of bees and I am a sucker for a pretty book) 

That this was based a real phenomenon that occured in the 16th century and was so odd and mysterious it drew me in. 

This is not a happy book but it was a beautiful book.  The author is also a poet and her writing style whilst not written as a poem is very descriptive and rich.  In the authors note it draws links between the attitudes of the 16th century and current times and I feel that makes it even more sad. 

I am now hoping to read the Mercies by the same author.  . 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Blood, Suicide, Mental illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Religious bigotry