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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
dark
tense
I would actually probably do a 3.5. There are parts I really liked. I have SUCH a hard time with Grady always writing women characters, but he did a good job nailing the sense of abuse and powerlessness.
Some parts were so s l o w it was almost painful and had me considering a different, but I am glad I powered through. I love this sort of ending so that was very satisfying.
Some parts were so s l o w it was almost painful and had me considering a different, but I am glad I powered through. I love this sort of ending so that was very satisfying.
Plot summary: Our protagonist, Fern, goes to a home for unwed mothers, and she's given a magic spell book by a visiting librarian. She and her friends use a spell to get even with their dismissive doctor, then pledge loyalty to this librarian - actually a witch - so that they can do more powerful magic.
First of all, Fern is boring. All she wants is to have a "normal life", which, while understandable for a 15 yr old pregnant girl, is not interesting to read. There's about a dozen other girls in this Home, and they're all more interesting than her.
Secondly and more importantly, this book is confused. For a book about the horrors of misogyny, Hendrix really couldn't figure out who his antagonists should be. We've got religious extremists, a child rapist, and the uncaring medical system - those are all real, terrifying forces arrayed against pregnant girls. Oh, and there's the female separatist commune that wants to possess Fern's body. That's where he lost me. What the fuck, Hendrix?
Why are female separatists - women who've removed themselves from larger society because of male violence - just as terrifying as a child rapist? Why aren't they a comfort to our protagonist, who has been powerless her whole life? She could've joined them and rained hell on everyone who hurt her. That would've been worth reading. This was not.
Lastly, this book should not have been a horror novel. The horror elements didn't appear until halfway through the book, and even then they were half baked. It was more "magical realism" than horror. Hendrix's other books scared me - this one made me feel impatient and bored.
First of all, Fern is boring. All she wants is to have a "normal life", which, while understandable for a 15 yr old pregnant girl, is not interesting to read. There's about a dozen other girls in this Home, and they're all more interesting than her.
Secondly and more importantly, this book is confused. For a book about the horrors of misogyny, Hendrix really couldn't figure out who his antagonists should be. We've got religious extremists, a child rapist, and the uncaring medical system - those are all real, terrifying forces arrayed against pregnant girls. Oh, and there's the female separatist commune that wants to possess Fern's body. That's where he lost me. What the fuck, Hendrix?
Why are female separatists - women who've removed themselves from larger society because of male violence - just as terrifying as a child rapist? Why aren't they a comfort to our protagonist, who has been powerless her whole life? She could've joined them and rained hell on everyone who hurt her. That would've been worth reading. This was not.
Lastly, this book should not have been a horror novel. The horror elements didn't appear until halfway through the book, and even then they were half baked. It was more "magical realism" than horror. Hendrix's other books scared me - this one made me feel impatient and bored.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Unlike anything I’ve read before. I made me so angry and sad and it wasn’t the ending I wanted but it was the right ending.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If a book makes me shed at least 1 tear I give it 5 stars. Grady Hendrix strikes again, somehow managing to describe the female experience in a manner most male authors could only dream of achieving.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Horrible to read how unwed pregnant girls were viewed and treated in the 1960s. First of all, the shame is all on them - what about the boys and men who impregnated them? And many of them were either forced or were naive when fooling around with boyfriends. The first half of this story got me so angry especially as many of the attitudes have not changed. Then the story shifted and a mysterious librarian came into the picture and ultimately turned out to be a witch. She lured some of the girls at this home for wayward girls into believing they could have power - but at what cost? Now it got pretty gruesome throughout the second half. Not just the witch stuff but also the very explicit detail describing childbirth (both the cruel approach towards unwed mothers in the hospital and a difficult at home birth).
Long story short - clearly the witch aspect was a metaphor for women taking charge of their lives.
I listened to the audiobook and had to skip through the lengthy bits of screaming and moaning - both during witch spells and the childbirth scenes. it got pretty tedious.
Finally, the main character realized all these people who treated her badly were not really cruel - they were scared of her power. Which is actually the driving force behind much of the awful treatment of women over the millennia.
Long story short - clearly the witch aspect was a metaphor for women taking charge of their lives.
I listened to the audiobook and had to skip through the lengthy bits of screaming and moaning - both during witch spells and the childbirth scenes. it got pretty tedious.
Finally, the main character realized all these people who treated her badly were not really cruel - they were scared of her power. Which is actually the driving force behind much of the awful treatment of women over the millennia.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma