Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

11 reviews

lumew2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

5.0

i need a cigarette.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Outing, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Incest

siobhanward's review

emotional informative 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? No

4.0

This book is incredibly sad, and even sadder when you get to the end and learned it's based in the reality of Daniel's ancestors. While I went in with a good knowledge of atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples in Canada in the name of the church, it was still a bit of a shock to read. Dividing the narrative between Marie and Jeanne added a great deal to the book - I think a whole book about one or the other would not have had the same impact as insight into both. Daniel is a talented writer and I am really looking forward to whatever comes next from her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Suicide, Child death, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

booklover_04's review

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, War, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Suicide, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Grief, Racism, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Genocide

Minor: Sexual harassment

psalm1003's review

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

2.0

This book was very depressing and the pacing was disjointed. Many characters were one-dimensional with minimal explanation for why they did what they did and would drastically change from one page to the next. The book offered a perspective on the indigenous queer experience but in my opinion lacked nuance to truly present that experience in its fullness. It felt like miserable experience after miserable experience for the non-white and LGBTQ+ characters. The white people and church were caricaturistic villains lacking any humanity. Again, no nuance. I found Marie’s perspective to be the most consistent and interesting. I appreciated the presentation of community and the mother-daughter connection that develops. The ending was very anti-climactic and sad. I’m not sure if I can say this book provided representation of the indigenous experience and I wonder if other works by native and/or queer authors would do a better job. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Racism, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, and Pregnancy

daniellekat's review

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Grief, Suicide, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Outing, Animal death, Racism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual content, Murder, and Pregnancy

jen_again's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Colonisation, Racism, Child death, Racial slurs, Outing, Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pregnancy

mold_munchr's review

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Outing, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Racism, Murder, Rape, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, and Misogyny

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Alcoholism, Blood, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Racial slurs

kelly_e's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Child death, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, Hate crime, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mental illness, Addiction, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping

Minor: Animal death

genocide, death, death of partner, colourism, drowning

kknel01's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Torture

corneliusmcstrawberry's review

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

currently writing this review in tears! just finished the book and i knew it was not going to be a happy ending yet the last paragraph pushed my tears over the edge. a beautiful and devastating book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Racism, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Grief, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Pregnancy, Incest, Blood, and Miscarriage