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charliegirl211's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
catastrojb's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
katie_mosscrop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
booknerdjo's review
3.0
This was a strange book which combined historical fact with Scottish fairy folklore.
Isabel Aird is a doctor's wife in the 1850s and she follows her husband when he takes up a job as the doctor on the site of the Loch Katrine waterworks project - a project which will bring clean water to Glasgow.
Having suffered multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, their marriage is under strain and, despite her initial misgivings about leaving her comfortable Glasgow life, Isabel begins to relish in the freedoms that her new life afford her.
She takes to walking for miles each day, and she encounters a strange man called Robert Kirke - a man who, legend says, was taken by fairies nearly 200 years before.
I quite enjoyed this book - it was an interesting glimpse at a place and time in history about which I knew nothing. I loved the character of Kirsty - the straight-talking navvie's wife who befriends Isabel.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also appear in the book - but I'm not entirely sure how or why they fit in. And I think I would have liked to know more about the fairies - their lives and motivations.
All in all, it was an ok read, but I won't be rushing to recommend it.
Isabel Aird is a doctor's wife in the 1850s and she follows her husband when he takes up a job as the doctor on the site of the Loch Katrine waterworks project - a project which will bring clean water to Glasgow.
Having suffered multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, their marriage is under strain and, despite her initial misgivings about leaving her comfortable Glasgow life, Isabel begins to relish in the freedoms that her new life afford her.
She takes to walking for miles each day, and she encounters a strange man called Robert Kirke - a man who, legend says, was taken by fairies nearly 200 years before.
I quite enjoyed this book - it was an interesting glimpse at a place and time in history about which I knew nothing. I loved the character of Kirsty - the straight-talking navvie's wife who befriends Isabel.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also appear in the book - but I'm not entirely sure how or why they fit in. And I think I would have liked to know more about the fairies - their lives and motivations.
All in all, it was an ok read, but I won't be rushing to recommend it.
helephantastic's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
girlglitch's review
3.0
In The Ninth Child, Sally Magnusson blends fact with folklore into a haunting piece of historical fiction.
I loved the gothic concept, but I felt that it was sometimes underplayed. I think this is partly due to Magnusson's choice of narrative technique, splitting the story between different points of view - none of which are immediate. At times, this narrative distance takes the edge off the emotion, undermining some of the dramatic moments. While I liked the characterisation and distinctive voices, it was a little disorientating to dissipate the action between different narrative timelines.
I enjoyed The Ninth Child but it was one of those books I thought could have been better with a different editorial steer - comptent, but not quite as spellbinding as a faery-tale should be.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
I loved the gothic concept, but I felt that it was sometimes underplayed. I think this is partly due to Magnusson's choice of narrative technique, splitting the story between different points of view - none of which are immediate. At times, this narrative distance takes the edge off the emotion, undermining some of the dramatic moments. While I liked the characterisation and distinctive voices, it was a little disorientating to dissipate the action between different narrative timelines.
I enjoyed The Ninth Child but it was one of those books I thought could have been better with a different editorial steer - comptent, but not quite as spellbinding as a faery-tale should be.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
amymegan27's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jippieyay's review
5.0
In contradiction with the Seal Woman's Gift, that took some time to reel me in, The Ninth Child had me entranced from the first page onwards. Sally Magnuson is a great story teller and this books proves that once again. She has a great way of describing surroundings and is able to transport you through time and space. The book is set up in a very clever way, a real page turner that I'd recommend to anyone who loves magical realism and/or historicly inlcined fiction and/or Scotland.
sophieroses's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
lawbooks600's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Six points out of ten.
At first I enjoyed this when I first read it in the early days of 2023 but looking at it now I wouldn't pick this back up again since I found some issues retroactively within this and even though the concept is actually quite interesting the execution is a bit lacking to say the least, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main character Isabel Aird living in a Scottish historical urban fantasy world which is quite a mouthful by the way and she can't be a mother because of her body at least that's what the book thinks but that is soon proven wrong which I'll get to later. There were a couple of subplots involving minor characters but the author couldn't find a way to make these characters actually relatable and thus I couldn't care nor could I connect to them. By the way the fantasy aspects of this novel were just barely there and this felt more like a historical book, nothing much happens in the middle of the book but it's probably to build up some suspense leading up to the end of the story, in the end I think the villain revealed himself just before a big battle could happen. The epilogue was interesting since I could see Queen Victoria visiting the Glasgow Waterworks Project or whatever it's called, I don't remember and Isabel has her ninth child, hence the title ending this on a high note.
Score: Six points out of ten.
At first I enjoyed this when I first read it in the early days of 2023 but looking at it now I wouldn't pick this back up again since I found some issues retroactively within this and even though the concept is actually quite interesting the execution is a bit lacking to say the least, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main character Isabel Aird living in a Scottish historical urban fantasy world which is quite a mouthful by the way and she can't be a mother because of her body at least that's what the book thinks but that is soon proven wrong which I'll get to later. There were a couple of subplots involving minor characters but the author couldn't find a way to make these characters actually relatable and thus I couldn't care nor could I connect to them. By the way the fantasy aspects of this novel were just barely there and this felt more like a historical book, nothing much happens in the middle of the book but it's probably to build up some suspense leading up to the end of the story, in the end I think the villain revealed himself just before a big battle could happen. The epilogue was interesting since I could see Queen Victoria visiting the Glasgow Waterworks Project or whatever it's called, I don't remember and Isabel has her ninth child, hence the title ending this on a high note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage