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wonderforehead's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I don’t even know where to start. Much like what the narrator says at one point, what happens in this book is like a fever dream. What felt like a slow start was slowly eclipsed by the struggles that just kept coming, one after another, in that makeshift maternity ward. At the same time, I wished the book was longer, much as it made me feel all sorts of things. But then again, I think I just wish that because of at the end of the day, this book just breaks my heart. It’s hopeful in some ways, but bitter in others. I’m rambling now but basically, I think I’m gonna remember this book for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: War
Minor: Physical abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Child abuse
hermione_y's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Death
centurylore's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
emma donoghue does it again!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Misogyny, and War
Minor: Alcohol and Slavery
heidi_checkedout's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Read for OPL 2023 Reading Challenge- Read a Book About or Featuring LGBTQIA+ History. This book was on the OPL suggestions for this challenge but I don't think it fit. Yes, this was historical fiction, yes the main characters were gay, but it was just a matter of fact and very brief- no dive into what that meant for the characters or society for that timeframe. Fast paced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child death, and Death
han_cat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Death
jpellwood's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Blood, Death, and Medical content
siobhanward's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
Alright, this is your warning that there are spoilers ahead! I've formatted them appropriately, but I know that doesn't always work when viewing a review on mobile, so this is your warning!
Overall this book was really, really timely. A book about the Spanish Flu pandemic? Very close to home. This is the second book I've read about the pandemic this year, but unlike the last book ( In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters), this one was published this year, so presumably it was written in 2019. Weird.
Anyway, the book was fine. I liked Julia and her story, I liked the idea of everything taking place in a maternity ward, which is definitely not the typical setting for a pandemic-era book. Bridie was a great character and I loved her and her development throughout the book, but there were some parts that definitely turned me off. Some things would have been impossible to predict - when Donoghue was writing this book, I'm sure she didn't anticipate that having multiple characters talk about how "masks didn't do anything" or "masks are useless if you've already have the flu" would be a controversial take by the time the book came out, but it was still a bit weird to read that and it didn't sit well with me.
(THIS NEXT PART IS WHERE THE SPOILER IS, MOBILE READERS!)
However, the part that really didn't sit well with me was the queer plotline that IMMEDIATELY ended in tragedy. This is a huge, ongoing problem in media. Queer characters are part of the story, get their happily ever after and then immediately experience some form of violence and tragedy. In this case, there was already so much death in the book, did having one more really add to it? Or if we needed one more death that was close to Julia and acted as her breaking point, did it need to be the person that she realized she was in love with, immediately after she realized she was gay?? I get why it was done, I do. If she had fallen in love with a male character and he had immediately gotten the flu and died, I would have been a bit more accepting, but by making her gay and then immediately killing off her love, which is a media trope, it really took a lot away from the book for me. Not cool. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't seen more reviews that make reference to this spoiler.
For the plot itself and the characters, I would easily give this 4* - for the issues that were present in the text and the parts that just really didn't sit right with me, I'd be tempted to pull it down to 2.5*. Since it was overall a good book with some flaws, I'm happy to settle on 3*. It's a good read, but brace yourself for some parts that really did not age well, despite it only being published in 2020.
Overall this book was really, really timely. A book about the Spanish Flu pandemic? Very close to home. This is the second book I've read about the pandemic this year, but unlike the last book ( In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters), this one was published this year, so presumably it was written in 2019. Weird.
Anyway, the book was fine. I liked Julia and her story, I liked the idea of everything taking place in a maternity ward, which is definitely not the typical setting for a pandemic-era book. Bridie was a great character and I loved her and her development throughout the book, but there were some parts that definitely turned me off. Some things would have been impossible to predict - when Donoghue was writing this book, I'm sure she didn't anticipate that having multiple characters talk about how "masks didn't do anything" or "masks are useless if you've already have the flu" would be a controversial take by the time the book came out, but it was still a bit weird to read that and it didn't sit well with me.
(THIS NEXT PART IS WHERE THE SPOILER IS, MOBILE READERS!)
For the plot itself and the characters, I would easily give this 4* - for the issues that were present in the text and the parts that just really didn't sit right with me, I'd be tempted to pull it down to 2.5*. Since it was overall a good book with some flaws, I'm happy to settle on 3*. It's a good read, but brace yourself for some parts that really did not age well, despite it only being published in 2020.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
natashaball's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse
rachschmitz9's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Death
clemrain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Violence, War, and Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual violence
This shattering story takes place over three strenuous days of a nurse and runner in a maternity ward during the influenza pandemic. It’s a difficult, slow read that dives into the little hours of horrors experienced by the most vulnerable. I don’t really have the words for this book. I had a very vague knowledge of the influenza pandemic. But academic readings don’t do the justice to this tragic period of time. This book does and I think it’s because it’s takes a very small real part of the pandemic and focuses on it. The world is so much more than just the grand scheme of things. I don’t know much about Ireland’s history past the famine most of us are taught about. But of course just like any country, Ireland had its l share of religious trauma. I wanted to scream and yell and cry. The romance was so fleeting but it was impactful. I wish it had been woven into the plot a bit earlier but