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ronanmcd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
4.75
I loved this - using a historical context, and a nail-biting criminal narrative to investigate the double standards against women in society that persists today, and to show we have always lived in a world of secrets and half-truths. There's a lot in this, I can't do it justice, other than to say it's a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Blood, Classism, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Suicide, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit
abbieinwonderland's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Classism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Cursing, Pregnancy, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Murder, Physical abuse, Vomit, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content
pricklyporcupine's review against another edition
Felt like the story didn't move forward much in 205 pages and I wasn't even half way through this long book. The constant chopping between character stories meant I struggled to want to keep reading onwards as the book felt disjointed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
bookmarked642's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
I don't listen to many audiobooks, and I don't tend to read a lot of historical fiction either, so this was maybe an odd choice for me. I do, however, love to try reading new things, hence why I picked it up.
It takes place in London toward the end of the 18th century. Caroline Corsham - or Caro, as she is known - is anxiously awaiting the return of her husband. Things become particularly interesting when she is wandering the Pleasure Gardens and discovers an injured woman. This woman is an acquaintance of Caro's, Lucia. Caro holds her bleeding body as she whispers her final words: "he knows."
It is later revealed that Lucia is actually a prostitute called Lucy Loveless. Nobody seems particularly motivated in investigating her murder in any real detail, so Caro decides to hire a thieftaker herself to look into it. Through their investigation, Caro ruffles a lot of feathers and discovers a lot about a variety of different people. It's hard to see how all the details are relevant at first, but it all comes together in the end.
There is also another narrative throughout the book, of 15-year-old Pamela from before the death of Lucy. Again, it isn't immediately clear what role she has in this whole affair, but it is all tied together very well later on. I particularly liked Pamela's chapters; the atmosphere was extremely mysterious and eerie, and I found Pamela as a character very interesting. I think I actually preferred her to Caro, personally.
This book covers a lot of issues and topics that may make people uncomfortable. It is largely centred around prostitution and the sex trade, as well as the misogynistic treatment and abuse of women that was sadly so commonplace during that era. Of course, there's more than a fair share of death and violence, too, along with foul language - just so you're prepared!
It was, in my opinion, a bit slow for a while. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the last parts of it, and the final 'twist' was very clever. It was perhaps a little too complicated, especially for an audiobook where I'm maybe not paying full attention at all times, and I may have missed some details because of that. But I know some people are far more interested in complex books with lots of intermingling details, so it's not a criticism! Maybe if I were to read it rather than listen to it, I would enjoy it a bit more. 3.5 stars overall.
It takes place in London toward the end of the 18th century. Caroline Corsham - or Caro, as she is known - is anxiously awaiting the return of her husband. Things become particularly interesting when she is wandering the Pleasure Gardens and discovers an injured woman. This woman is an acquaintance of Caro's, Lucia. Caro holds her bleeding body as she whispers her final words: "he knows."
It is later revealed that Lucia is actually a prostitute called Lucy Loveless. Nobody seems particularly motivated in investigating her murder in any real detail, so Caro decides to hire a thieftaker herself to look into it. Through their investigation, Caro ruffles a lot of feathers and discovers a lot about a variety of different people. It's hard to see how all the details are relevant at first, but it all comes together in the end.
There is also another narrative throughout the book, of 15-year-old Pamela from before the death of Lucy. Again, it isn't immediately clear what role she has in this whole affair, but it is all tied together very well later on. I particularly liked Pamela's chapters; the atmosphere was extremely mysterious and eerie, and I found Pamela as a character very interesting. I think I actually preferred her to Caro, personally.
This book covers a lot of issues and topics that may make people uncomfortable. It is largely centred around prostitution and the sex trade, as well as the misogynistic treatment and abuse of women that was sadly so commonplace during that era. Of course, there's more than a fair share of death and violence, too, along with foul language - just so you're prepared!
It was, in my opinion, a bit slow for a while. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the last parts of it, and the final 'twist' was very clever. It was perhaps a little too complicated, especially for an audiobook where I'm maybe not paying full attention at all times, and I may have missed some details because of that. But I know some people are far more interested in complex books with lots of intermingling details, so it's not a criticism! Maybe if I were to read it rather than listen to it, I would enjoy it a bit more. 3.5 stars overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexism
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