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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
28 reviews
readwithelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexism, and Death of parent
wardenred's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The earth is the center of a web of force that touches the moon, the sun, the other planets, and perhaps even all those distant stars that burn so far away. But every other moon, sun, comet, planet, and star is itself a center, and exerts its own force upon all the rest.
Nothing in the universe stands alone.
An incredibly beautiful and thoughtful book. I deliberately read it at a slower pace than usual, even though sometimes it was hard to pace myself and not just gulp down all the remaining chapters. But I didn't want to miss out on anything. The prose here is gorgeous, the characterization throughout the book is consistently evolving, and even though the romance obviously takes central stage, there's so much else going on.
I loved both Catherine and Lucy, independently and together—especially together. Theirs is exactly the kind of relationship I want to see in romance: two people building a future together as they work through the effects of their individual pasts, seeing the best in each other and lifting each other up, helping each other be the best version of themselves. It was wonderful to see these two women let each other in and work together as partners. All the beautiful details woven into their relationship—the art and the science, the translations and the embroidery—added so much to the story.
The parts of the book that were perhaps the most fascination but also the most difficult to read involved the vividly painted picture of the society these characters live in. It's impressive how the author doesn't gloss over or sugar-coat any of the numerous aspects of the systematic oppression Catherine and Lucy encounter, whether head-on or in passing—and at the same time, manages to lead the story to a powerful and hopeful ending. The world around the characters doesn't change in an instant, but there's a strong feeling that it can change, bit by bit.
Without diving into spoilers, I'll just say I also enjoyed how the subject of the power imbalance between the romantic leads was handled. Like so many topics in this story, it was very directly confronted instead of steering toward something like, "but they love each other, so of course this won't be a problem, let's focus on something else." And it was firmly the kind of confrontation that leads to solutions, not problems.
Overall, an amazing read, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Olivia Waite in the future.
Graphic: Misogyny, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This historical romance has layers on layers. It's a sapphic love story that deals with coming out to yourself and to others, as well as readjusting your view of the world by breaking free of common, false understandings of relationships. In this story, we find the countess Catherine St. Day, widowed and glad to be free of her husband, even as she struggles to find a new purpose outside of funding and supporting his scientific expeditions. We also get to know Lucy, who stood in and outgrew her father's shadow but finds her career options in astronomy limited after his death.
This warm, heartfelt love story covers the trials of building a relationship in secret that ought not be treated as shameful or unusual, but society paints it so. It's about seeing your own potential and reaching for it. It's about the magic of science and of art to show us pieces of ourselves, others, and the universe. It's about how those big questions concerning who we are and our place in the world should be open to everyone, not be dictated and pruned by some pompous white man.
And at the heart of it all, this is a lovely read with a satisfying romantic arc from attraction to true connection. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, and Death of parent
lipstickitotheman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Grief
anovelbeauty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Historical Fiction LGBT romances will almost always have a fine line to ride between just being downright depressing and not completely ignoring historical context in favour of a happy ever after. I actually think The Lady’s Guide walked it pretty well. There is certainly a decent amount of heavy sexism and the knowledge that queer relationships are frowned upon for women, however there are still sweet and happy moments. I also liked the acknowledgement that queer couples throughout history have existed and many were able to find ways to remain with their partners for their lifetimes.
Now, the part I /certainly/ adored was a consistent blending of science and art. While Lucy is our stalwart astronomer, Christine is both an artist and firmly within the scientific world. While very few of the characters in the book seem to be based off of real historical figures, I will always appreciate recognition for the women throughout history who have created art and contributed to science’s progression who were often relegated to the sidelines or erased entirely. Most of female characters in this work are strong and wonderful. Lucy and Christine’s relationship is equal parts steamy, healing, and sweet. I should mention that there is both lesbian and bisexual rep in the book! The characters that were supposed to be mature /actually/ acted mature or at least realized quickly when they messed up. I /loved/ a lot of the artistic and scientific descriptions in the book as they really brought the setting to life for me. I was thoroughly invested in Lucy’s fight to translate Oléron’s works and be acknowledged for work by the men of science in England. There were a few lovely moments of comeuppance and just it was a lovely, compelling read. As a bit of a science and art nerd myself, this romance hit the sweet spot for me! If you’re looking for a mostly pleasant, historical, sapphic romance that is equal parts science and art (and yes, an actual happy ending) you will probably love this one!
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent and Grief
danajoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
I think my favourite aspect of this was the amazing portrayal of consent and the importance of enthusiastic consent when progressing with intimacy.
"The whole point is to feel excited about one another, isn’t it? If you’re more anxious than excited, then we wait. Simple."
It IS simple. I love seeing this sort of thing in books! This was the story I read directly after The Duke and I by Julia Quinn which unfortunately has a very problematic, non-consensual scene which really does make it hard to think back on the rest of the story with anything but uneasiness. When I read this story I was so happy that consent was clear and enthusiastic. There are a lot of steamy scenes in here. They are usually a little long, very tender and very hot so if that is something you're seeking out then I highly recommend picking this book up.
Personally, I found the plot interesting enough to keep me engaged but a bit on the predictable side. The docked half star is for my frustration with a very common romance trope also present in this story -
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Homophobia
womanwill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism
decklededgess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
surprisingly diverse!!! hella brown and poc characters mentioned except none of them have their actual races mentioned save one because of his name. but the book is making several points about first wave feminism which is interesting!! really enjoyable.
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism