Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

80 reviews

booksandteatime's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

brdgtc's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bookscatteandme's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad fast-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

a_26_l's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

emjay2021's review against another edition

5.0

Fascinating, incredibly moving historical fiction. I had no idea Dr. Kathleen Lynn was based on a real woman doctor at the time. I found Nurse Julia Power to be a warm, quick-witted, appealing narrator and I loved her interactions with the newbie nurse helper Bridie Sweeney.

Emma Donoghue is a beautiful writer, and the audio version of this really does the prose justice. One funny thing about the audio book: I kept thinking the doctor was saying “N’est-ce pas?” an awful lot, and it made me wonder why she would lapse into French so often. Well, it turned out she was actually saying “Nurse Power” in an Anglo-Irish accent. It took me a LONG time to realize it.

This book is set in a quarantine maternity ward during the 1918 flu pandemic, so there is a lot of pregnancy, baby loss, and death. Heads up if these are things you don’t want to read about at this time. I was OK with it, but there was a time when I would not have been. There is also a lot about the abuses perpetuated on women and children by the Catholic Church.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ccornejo's review against another edition

3.25

Loved reading about obstetrical history- 1918.  The relationship that is formed in this book is beautiful between 2 woman.  Enjoyed the plot and it felt very realistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Pregnancy

swhitzel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated

2.5

 I have so many thoughts, all of them conflicting.

Generally, this was a beautiful story, but it also seemed quite abrupt (in its ending) and felt as though it had little resolution. Based on the synopsis, I expected more of a relationship to develop between the three main women, and yet the connections felt superficial and forced. They go nowhere, but they also had so much potential!

Also, the depictions of birth and the medical situations were quite graphic. I often found myself sick to my stomach at some of the descriptions, especially early on.

Now that I'm writing this, I think I enjoyed the potential of this story more than the actual story itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

isaaah's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, and Abandonment

lee_s's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Lesbophobia

bessadams's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Death of parent, and War