Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell

6 reviews

nadiajohnsonbooks's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Ooooh this book was so satisfying!

We have two protagonists: Dorothea, an oddly progressive (by early Victorian standards) with an obsession with phrenology and Ruth, a seamstress and alleged murderess who seems to believe that she can impart curses with her stitches.

The two have had very different upbringings, but both have lost a parent to ugly deaths.

Dorothea becomes obsessed with Ruth's case, determined to prove that the young inmate can be reformed and, in doing so, change the very shape of her anatomy.

As Ruth's horrifying past is revealed, Dorothea comes to doubt some fundamental truths about her life and the nature of human morality.

The crimes are so layered and complex, the characters are deliciously complicated, and the ending felt so, so good.

I loved Purcell already, but I think I need to buy all her damn books now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Physical abuse

Minor: Blood, Classism, Bullying, Racism, Body horror, Gore, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This was one of my 12 recs from 12 friends and the second Purcell novel I’ve read. I was pulled in right away and didn’t want to put this one down!

The story is told through switching POVs between Ruth and Dorothea. I preferred Ruth to Dorothea, Dorothea’s storyline could be annoying and she doesn’t have as much depth  (her one personality trait is measuring people’s skulls to determine their traits and that constant narrative was irritating, although very Victorian).

The childbirth scene was gross and traumatizing-I had to look away and felt nauseous 🤢 But on that note, Purcell does such a good job with putting you in the novel. Very atmospheric writing and great job building the Victorian backdrop!

The twists were unexpected and well done. Pacing was also well done, as the tension slowly builds throughout as we hear Ruth’s story right alongside Dorothea. I did however feel slightly unsatisfied with the ending, it was a bit abrupt and wish we got an epilogue to wrap things up for Dorothea’s future after that final scene.

Overall an ominous, creeping story in the vein of a Victorian gothic horror story! Purcell is officially a favorite author I’ll be reading more from 💗 I recommend for anyone wanting a gothic historical mystery with complex characters and atmospheric writing (but be wary of the content warnings because it’s very graphic and dark)!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Gore, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Torture, Confinement, Child death, Sexism, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Self harm

asolis's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book was technically well-written, but I can't describe it more positively than "a solid OK."

I could not bring myself to care at all about Dorothea or her plot line. Her chapters felt like a reprieve from the misery of Ruth's story, at best, or an annoying interruption to her story, at worst. 

While I didn't get the sense that the book was written with this intention, I think one of its strengths was how unflinchingly it showed that the darkest evil was actually the way poverty was criminalized in Victorian England, something that remains distressingly true around the world today. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Violence, Child death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Blood, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Torture, and Vomit

holliebye's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Torture, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Terminal illness, and Violence

Minor: Body shaming, Self harm, Suicide, Slavery, and Excrement

trobinsonmorris's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

So dark

Pros:
- So many plot twists 
- Unreliable narrators 
- Two POV 

Cons:
- So depressing

🪡👗

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Child abuse, Murder, and Physical abuse

elvenpanther's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

 I really enjoyed this novel, right from the start. I loved the Victorian feel of it and the way the author unfolded both Ruth and Dorothea's stories. While I picked up on some of the clues for the pilot's twists fairly quickly, I was still a bit surprised at the turn that the ending took. 
Ruth's life was full of so much sorrow and pain and while I appreciated the peace of mind that was given to her at the end, I still wish things had ended differently for her. However, the direction that the author chose gave way for a more emotional reading experience.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Classism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Murder