Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

12 reviews

theliterarylair's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It might be because I'm not used to reading historical fiction, but I first found this book very difficult to get into. 

While parts of this story are certainly problematic (very questionable dynamics 🚩🚩), I feel happy to have had the opportunity to learn more about this truly inspirational woman.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia

gris_zorra's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Abortion, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Xenophobia, War, and Racial slurs

erinwolf1997's review

challenging informative inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Racism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Antisemitism and Classism

kaycie51782's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

This book tells the story of JP Morgan's personal librarian, a Black woman who passes herself as Portuguese in early 1900s New York. It is a fascinating story that was incredibly eye opening. They tell the story of how they are able to live as a white family, not shying away from that trauma. The book talks about the immediate post Civil War South, and the hope that was sadly quickly dashed.

This book covers a lot of deep topics, and it doesn't hold much back. Be warned: there blatant racism, misogyny, heavy alcohol consumption, abortion, abandonment...

My main criticism of the book is that it's told in first person, but it very deliberately and overtly points things out. I think telling it in omniscient third person would have felt less like I was hearing a summary than a story. It's like in video games where the next person you need to talk to is highlighted, the author basically points and says "Look at this" instead of molding it into the story.

The book is less about what is in the library (though it is discussed) and more about how she loves through the world carefully, deliberately, and choosing to hide in plain sight. It was a fascinating look at life in 1900s New York as a woman, moving in orbit around the ultra rich (Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, etc.) but being constantly terrified of having it all taken away.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Antisemitism, Miscarriage, Slavery, Racism, Sexism, Alcohol, Classism, Grief, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Racial slurs

kcrockford's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Initially the pace felt very slow but picked up about halfway through, and I couldn't put it down. I didn't initially realize this book is based off of real people which adds an extra layer of intrigue for the reader. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Grief, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Racism

karyan1's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: War, Abortion, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Classism

readbycarina's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Racism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Slavery

Minor: Death of parent and War

meganpbennett's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

3.0

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, and I don't normally enjoy fictional books written about real people. This goes double when a large portion of the historical "facts" are presented through conjecture and inductive/deductive reasoning. Or when something important in the real person's real life is changed because it works better for the story. 

This book has all of those things, following the fictionalized life of Belle de Costa Greene, the librarian for J. P. Morgan's library. Only, Belle de Costa Greene.... was a black woman, passing for white in a world where being caught meant death. Not much is known about her, though Morgan's life is rather well documented. My hometown library did a "one book, one community" read with this book, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to read a book I would not have otherwise picked up to read. It was a very interesting read, though I found it to be rather on the slow side. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

susannah_knox's review

emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

3.5

I appreciated getting to know the real person behind the novel and this was an interesting, fun read... but I was not in love with the writing style.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Abortion, Antisemitism, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, and Infidelity

chloemakesbooks's review

inspiring medium-paced

Pros: good work "aging" the character, interesting premise, some good characterization, book p0rn
Cons: dragged out ending, anti-climactic, suffers from historical fiction's cardinal sin, name-dropping, barely passed the Duvernay test 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Abandonment, Classism, Infidelity, and Racism

Minor: War