Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Daughters of the Deer

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

11 reviews

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

A deeply heartbreaking novel that speaks to the use and abuse of Indigenous women at the hands of the French, among other settlers. It provides a semi-biographical story of the author's ancestors during the 1650s and beyond as the French settled in the Algonquin lands

I appreciated the nuanced perspectives of Marie, who wants to keep the memory of her people alive within her family, but is forced to leave her tribe behind; Pierre, her French husband who is extremely devoted to the church and his family; and Jeanne, their eldest daughter, who is two-spirited and in love with a woman. Every perspective was so important, and all the elements of their history and beliefs feel like they made the perfect storm for everything that happens to them over twenty years time. Absolutely heartbreaking, but also eye opening, as we journey with this couple through their lives together and the hurt and pain that comes with being who they are, but also what they believe in.

We need more books like this in the world, and I'm so thankful I picked this one up. Truly, such an important read. I'm so glad that a part of this author's family history is now forever part of the world through this book.

TW: blood, religious bigotry, war, death, colonialism, racism, sexual harassment, rape, domestic abuse, injury detail, sexism, pregnancy, death, death of an animal (hunting), grief, alcoholism, alcohol, grief, lesbophobia; mentions attempted rape, homophobia, death of a child, death of a parent, suicide

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richy_qu33r_readzz's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

Gut-wrenching.
Tells the story of a woman, a family, a people and their slow imprisonment within colonialism (patriarchy, forced religion, racism, and homophobia included). A decision made for survival shapes and eventually unravels a woman’s life, but first it traps, harms, and unravels her daughter.
Perhaps needlessly violent for historical fiction, but tells the story as though it really happened and lends voice to the forgotten. Perhaps that’s a gift, it’s definitely a burden. I am left filled with rage and anguish. Do the queers only ever get to be happy in cheesy romance novels??

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khaben31's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

daniellekat's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.25

An important story focused on colonialism in Canada that needs to be told more often. Ultimately the writing was just not for me. It was very simple and I was expecting something with more nuance and prose. The characters were flat and it was hard to understand their motivations with the changing POVs and switching from first and third person narration. I was confused by the target audience for this book because the content could be challenging but the writing was very juvenile. It would be a great novel study for high school students due to the developed themes and stylistic choices. It was fascinating to know that this fictional tale was rooted in the author’s ancestry.

Content Warnings

mold_munchr's review

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

Content Warnings

kelly_e's review

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emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Title: Daughters of the Deer
Author: Danielle Daniel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: March 8, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Haunting • Moving • Illuminating

📖 S Y N O P S I S

1657. Marie, a gifted healer of the Deer Clan, lost her first husband and her children to an Iroquois raid. In the aftermath of another lethal attack, her chief begs her to remarry for the sake of the clan. Marie honours the ways of her people, and Pierre, the green-eyed ex-soldier from France who wants her for his bride, is not the man she would choose. But her people are dwindling, wracked by white men's diseases and nearly starving every winter as the game retreats away from the white settlements. If her chief believes such a marriage will cement their alliance with the French against the Iroquois and the British, she feels she has no choice. Though she does it reluctantly, and with some fear--Marie is trading the memory of the man she loved for a man she doesn't understand at all, and whose devout Catholicism blinds him to the ways of her people.

1675. Jeanne, the first child born of the new marriage, neither white nor Algonkin - caught between worlds. As she reaches adolescence, it becomes clear she is two-spirited. In her mother's culture, she would have been considered blessed, her nature a sign of special wisdom. But to the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful - a woman to be shunned, and worse.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Daughters of the Deer was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint! A work of historical fiction inspired by the author's family history. I was transported into the story from the very first page.

In this delicately told novel, Danielle Daniel reaches back through the centuries to touch the very origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent, disruption of First Nations culture. It paints a portrait of how French colonization and religion tore apart families and communities, and attempted to eradicate culture and ways of knowing in the Trois-Rivières region of Quebec during the 1600s. Additionally, it touches on differences in cultural perspectives to two-Spirited individuals.

Despite the heartbreaking nature of the story, the mother/daughter relationship between Marie and Jeanne was so wholesome and genuine. It was just so beautiful to watch unfold, as was Jeanne and Josephine's relationship. It's so well written that it moved me to tears, while at other times igniting such anger. And had me hoping that everything work out.

An outstanding debut novel and tribute to the author's ancestors! This beautiful, powerful novel honours women who have literally fallen through the cracks. It's not often I'd re-read a book, but this is one I can see myself re-reading down the road. I will definitely be keeping my eye on what this author's releases next.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• historical fiction lovers
• anyone wanting to educate themselves on the impacts of French colonization in Quebec
• readers who like mother/daughter relationships

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"They take without asking and speak of this land being new. But how can it be new if we have always been here?"

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