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jessicalong127's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
oliviaalice_199's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
san_alejandra's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.75
johnlock's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this! It was really good, up until the end, which felt simultaneously rushed and like it could have been condensed. It wasn’t enough to put me off the book entirely, but it did sour my enjoyment slightly. Still, it is very enjoyable, and if it sounds like something you would enjoy I highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Murder, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Colonisation
It’s about a woman who is forcibly assigned to an asylum by her manipulative husband after a graphic stillbirth, and is traumatized as a result. There’s also a semi-graphic rape scene about midway through.megaden's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Clara has just been released from a mental institution after her husband had her forcibly confined after the stillbirth of their child. As she struggles to readjust to “normal” life, she finds herself stifled by her controlling husband. Enter Mary Ann Cotton, England’s first female serial killer. Cotton is in prison awaiting trial for the murder of her child (and suspected murder of multiple other children and a few husbands). Clara meets her when she visits the prison to do charity work and finds herself drawn to Mary Ann. Mary Ann consistently proclaims her innocence, but as Clara discovers her husband’s plan to reinstitutionalize her to claim her vast inheritance she starts thinking that poisoning your husband might not be the worst idea in the world.
Clara reminded me of the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper. Both faced incredible traumas that today probably would have been diagnosed as postpartum depression, but instead of treatment they are treated like feral idiots. As the book went on, I couldn’t help but hope that her husband, Henry, met a bad end. His gaslighting was infuriating and Clara’s isolation and growing terror of imprisonment were palpable. I highly recommend this book with the caveat that it might make you very angry at misogynist society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Violence, and Physical abuse
thesassybookworm's review
2.0
⭐⭐ -- I wanted to like this book more than I did. I just found it a bit on the boring side. I also didn't love Clara as a character or the ending. In fact, the ending very nearly made me throw my tablet across the room.
arissashepherd7's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
n_charity's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tales_of_a_succubus's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
What's it about?
Taking place in 1870s England, Clara Blackstone has been recently released from a sanatorium. With traumatic experiences from it, she must adjust to society and reunite with her husband in Durham. On the way home they run into a crowd with infamous killer Marry Ann Cotton being brought to prison. Clara is quickly fascinated with her.
Okay y'all know I don't lie or sugarcoat: this does start off slow. Keep in mind that this does take place in the Victorian era so the prose will be accurate to that time period. This sucked me in and really fascinated me, I feel it was done justice. I loved the gothic undertones throughout. Some of the central themes made me straight up angry - from the way men treated women to females not being able to trust/fall back on one another. Husbands could throw you in an asylum with little reason. It broke my heart. Clara's attempts at escape could get a little repetitive but I also know it was trying to highlight a specific point. The ending definitely took an unexpected turn. While I was hoping Clara would follow through with her plans, I can't complain about what ended up taking place.
Our main character, Clara, is a strong willed woman who has gone through hell and back. She's also got plenty of development and growth that take place here which I loved being a witness to. She was brave enough to tackle issues that most women wouldn't of been able to at that time. Henry is an absolute piece of shit and so are his friends, that is all (I'm gonna stop there before I rant). Marry Ann Cotton is absolutely intriguing in this. I never knew before reading the author's note that she was potentially wrongfully convicted.
Historical fiction isn't normally my thing but this was such a great gothic thriller/horror. If you're into true crime at all, I think you'll like this. The author did a wonderful job with bringing awareness to how women were treated in England in this era, as well as how the courts convicted with little evidence. We'll never know if Marry Ann Cotton committed these crimes or not but it was crazy to even see the way that women could be forced into asylums for next to nothing! It angered me but created a ton of gratitude to understand this component of history. I highly recommend picking this up just to learn!
I'd recommend this to gothic literature readers, those that enjoy Victorian historical fiction, feminist voices, and true crime bookworms.
4.5 stars
Taking place in 1870s England, Clara Blackstone has been recently released from a sanatorium. With traumatic experiences from it, she must adjust to society and reunite with her husband in Durham. On the way home they run into a crowd with infamous killer Marry Ann Cotton being brought to prison. Clara is quickly fascinated with her.
Okay y'all know I don't lie or sugarcoat: this does start off slow. Keep in mind that this does take place in the Victorian era so the prose will be accurate to that time period. This sucked me in and really fascinated me, I feel it was done justice. I loved the gothic undertones throughout. Some of the central themes made me straight up angry - from the way men treated women to females not being able to trust/fall back on one another. Husbands could throw you in an asylum with little reason. It broke my heart. Clara's attempts at escape could get a little repetitive but I also know it was trying to highlight a specific point. The ending definitely took an unexpected turn. While I was hoping Clara would follow through with her plans, I can't complain about what ended up taking place.
Our main character, Clara, is a strong willed woman who has gone through hell and back. She's also got plenty of development and growth that take place here which I loved being a witness to. She was brave enough to tackle issues that most women wouldn't of been able to at that time. Henry is an absolute piece of shit and so are his friends, that is all (I'm gonna stop there before I rant). Marry Ann Cotton is absolutely intriguing in this. I never knew before reading the author's note that she was potentially wrongfully convicted.
Historical fiction isn't normally my thing but this was such a great gothic thriller/horror. If you're into true crime at all, I think you'll like this. The author did a wonderful job with bringing awareness to how women were treated in England in this era, as well as how the courts convicted with little evidence. We'll never know if Marry Ann Cotton committed these crimes or not but it was crazy to even see the way that women could be forced into asylums for next to nothing! It angered me but created a ton of gratitude to understand this component of history. I highly recommend picking this up just to learn!
I'd recommend this to gothic literature readers, those that enjoy Victorian historical fiction, feminist voices, and true crime bookworms.
4.5 stars
raechel's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Maybe literature in a Victorian setting just isn't my thing. I didn't like this, I didn't like The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories: Volume Five, and I didn't like Fingersmith. I thought this book was way too heavy-handed with the misogyny, everyone in the book was an idiot, and there was also zero tension.
The book primarily takes place during Clara's return home from being away at an asylum after the stillbirth of her baby and she has a lot of trouble adjusting. All the men in her life are ridiculously evil (like rubbing their hands together and laughing about how they're going to send her away and take her family fortune), yet she still keeps trusting them and being shocked when she overhears them say awful stuff. Also, there are flash-forward chapters where we're basically told what's happened to certain characters... so we know everything turns out all right. And we know something specific that happens so there's a real start-and-stop feeling because every time Clara is totally for sure escaping... we know that isn't the case because the flash forwards tell us what actually happened.
Also it turns out Henry (her husband) is just... a mama's boy? And it's a WOMAN who was the true evil behind it all???
Clara is so dumb and naive but we're just supposed to believe she turns stone cold at the veryyyyy end of this book. What?
The book primarily takes place during Clara's return home from being away at an asylum after the stillbirth of her baby and she has a lot of trouble adjusting. All the men in her life are ridiculously evil (like rubbing their hands together and laughing about how they're going to send her away and take her family fortune), yet she still keeps trusting them and being shocked when she overhears them say awful stuff. Also, there are flash-forward chapters where we're basically told what's happened to certain characters... so we know everything turns out all right. And we know something specific that happens so there's a real start-and-stop feeling because every time Clara is totally for sure escaping... we know that isn't the case because the flash forwards tell us what actually happened.
Also it turns out Henry (her husband) is just... a mama's boy? And it's a WOMAN who was the true evil behind it all???
Clara is so dumb and naive but we're just supposed to believe she turns stone cold at the veryyyyy end of this book. What?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault