Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

11 reviews

knitterscasket's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexism and Adult/minor relationship

roksyreads's review against another edition

4.5

This is a beautiful but difficult read. You must be able to suspend your modern mindset to a degree, something I often struggled with as Fleetwood feels so familiar to me - I saw much of myself and my frustrations with the world reflected and being a woman reflected in her. I think it will take time and another reading of this book to fully unpack my feelings about it. For now, I can say it is a deeply compelling tale about a young woman seeking justice, and her beliefs resonate strongly with my own. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Sexism

Minor: Miscarriage

yikeslou's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

In case, like me, you're ridden with furious anxiety throughout this book and want a spoiler free reassurance: it all works out. Just you wait and see how!

Anyway let's talk about how Alice was a better husband to Fleetwood throughout that whole book. Every man in this is evil and should get hemorrhoids.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Vomit

Moderate: Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

Minor: Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Main character is seventeen years old and married to a man a few years older than her, as was common at the time. MC occasionally hints at an instance of sexual abuse in her childhood before discussing it in depth at the end of the book

the_bees_books's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.25

If you're interested in the Lancashire witch trials, historical misogyny and historical thrillers, read this! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Infertility, Sexism, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Confinement, and Death

chloemakesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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? No

3.0

A good story. Could have used a little haircut, and a deeply flawed main character that I don't think I liked... And a heaping dose of classism. I wanted a little more historic in my fiction, I think. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Sexism

Moderate: Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Classism, Child death, Pedophilia, Confinement, and Alcoholism

Minor: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

emmasanderson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative medium-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Sexism

Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia

evelum's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Exactly the kind of heartfelt adventure I was looking for. Fleetwood's perseverance was touching, and I loved how down to earth all her relationships were. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Child death

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

alomie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Solid book, it took me a while to get through the audio book, it's not one that will stay on my shelves, but definitely worth picking up if you like historical fiction based on real people and events.

It was possibly about 100 pages longer than I would have liked but overall I enjoyed the story. 

Fleetwood the main character is a strong leading lady and very worthy in trying to save her poor midwife Alice who is accused of witchcraft and the murder of a child. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual assault

nataliaf4's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

5 stars! This book gripped me from cover to cover. I adored the characters and gothic setting and the main friendship in this is one of my favorite literary female/female friendships to date!

TW: descriptions of miscarriage and stillbirth, animal death, gaslighting, blood, and mentions of sexual abuse of a minor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Blood, Animal death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Sexism, Misogyny, and Infertility

Minor: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

bybookandbone's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.5

I don't think I have the words to describe everything I loved about The Familiars. Fleetwood is an incredibly sympathetic character. Just as I was getting irritated with her inaction, we discover that she is only 17, been married for four years and is pregnant with four miscarriages behind her. That's just so much for a young person to take. Plus the childhood neglect and abuse... absolutely horrific. 

Throughout the book, Fleetwood has to deal with being seen as nothing more as an interactive uterus in an expensive dress. 
I don't want to say much more than that without spoiling the story, though I wish it had ended with the violent murder of her husband, Richard, and his friend Rodger.

Alice is one of the women accused of witchcraft and Fleetwood's only friend, as well as the only midwife who has actually helped her with her difficult pregnancy. 
Don't be fooled into thinking this book is about the Pendle trials, it's set around them but at the end of the day, it's Fleetwood and Alice's story.

I still wish they ran off together

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Infertility

Minor: Abandonment, Body horror, and Confinement