Reviews

good lord I was seriously torn between giving this either 4 or 5 stars

There's so much to say about this. First of all THE PROSE. God it was even more gorgeous than my expectations leading into this. Like one of those paintings you stare at in the museum wondering how you can go on living after witnessing something THIS beautiful. Who on earth starts a book with THAT banger of a stanza and expects us not to believe it'll get even more beautiful? (spoiler: it does lol)

The romance between the two was just heartsquishingly gorgeous to read but frankly, as much as it was beautiful to read I had to suspend my own disbelief at some points and wonder aloud whether two under-18 year old girls would say this kinda stuff to one another (I'd like to put my head where your hands have been) yea c'mon

I really did not want to dock a star but I had to because I was a little heartbroken by the plot and some aspects of Hanne's intertwined personality/facet of being with nature felt a bit repetitive. Yea I know she communes with the earth and trees and the water and it's all pretty to read the first time through but this is fleshed out VERY repetitively throughout the novel right up until the end

Speaking of which, I wish the end was expanded on a bit more, as satisfying as it was.

NO REGRETS READING THIS GODDDDDD the PROSE MADE UP FOR EVERYTHING

alexjreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Hannah Kent babe oh my god

adriannasophiabookss's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Wow what a book!

This is a historical sapphic novel that begins in 1830’s Prussia and follows Hanne, a Lutheran who lives in a small village in Germany. One day she meets Thea and the two become inseparable but then the Lutheran community is offered the chance to emigrate to South Australia and to finally be free from persecution. The journey is long and dangerous and as they set off, Hanne and Thea’s bonds are tested by tragedy.

I love historical novels that focus on pieces of history that aren’t necessarily widely talked about. This piece of history, the Lutheran emigration to South Australia (or colonisation as it was really) is something I personally had never learnt about in school or had heard of before. The authors writing really immerses you in the time period and the daily lives of these characters. For example; when they were on the ship I could literally feel the seasickness Hannah Kent was describing. Her writing is incredibly lyrical and atmospheric. There were so many beautiful lines in here.

At first I wasn’t too sure about the magical realism aspect of the book but I ended up really enjoying it. I think it added another dimension to the story and we got to see things we wouldn’t have otherwise seen, parts of the story would not have been able to happen. This book is very much steeped in nature and if you love magical realism involving nature you will love this.

I felt so attached to the characters, I loved seeing the members of this community throughout this time period and how their lives progressed. Hanne and Thea had such a beautiful relationship, I was desperately rooting for them and that ending had me tearing up.

I believe this novel was actually published last year but the paperback came out in early May 2023 so definitely grab this one if you like a historical novel with a touch of magical realism and that is quite character heavy. I’m so excited to read more of Hannah Kent’s work!

talitha's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

De eerste helft van dit verhaal was zo goed! De schrijfstijl, de sfeer, de personages.. Maar toen kwam de twist en was ik te teleurgesteld om daarin mee te gaan. Er was teveel afstand en ik kon niet meer goed in het verhaal komen.

carlymaria's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

lindsayashworth21478's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

wordsofclover's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

In 1836, Prussia, Hanne is living a stifled life with her family, learning how to grow under her mother’s stern expectations, as well as dealing with all the feelings that come with a changing body and the expectations upon her as a woman. Then Hanne befriends Thea, a new neighbor to the Lutheran community. Hanne and Thea form a strong bond, which threatens to break when their community emigrates to Australia and sickness boards the ship with them. But the bond is more than nature can break, and Hanne soon discovers so much more than life beyond what she could have imagined.

I love Hannah Kent’s writing so much - it’s soft and lyrical, while also embodying so much human experience and emotion. I love how she takes moments and people in history, and creates such compelling stories. The pacing of this novel was quite slow and you feel like you are slowly but very pleasantly digesting Hanne’s way of life and her relationships with a number of people and her growing and with Thea. We learn about the strict religious community she lives in, and the piety of her father - and how the jealousy of neighbors could pose a risk to Thea and her family.

The twist in this book halfway through definitely surprised me but I didn’t hate it. I actually liked the supernatural element of it and how the steps Hannah Kent took with Hanne brought in the naturalist element of this book even more. There is a real emphasis on nature in this book from both Hanne’s connection with it but also just the gorgeous descriptions of the woods in Prussia, the stream and fields, the waves and whales seen from the ship and then the golden, harsher environment of Australia but just as beautiful in its own way. I do think at this point in the book the pacing suffered a little bit as Hanne was quite literally stuck in where she could go and what she could do or wanted to do.

I appreciated how Hannah Kent wrote the Indigenous population of Australia - how they treated the immigrants coming and taking their land, literally helping them and showing them how they could survive, and how in turn they were treated less than a decade later - being run off the land with guns by white people. It was so upsetting to read how these people were treated but so important to learn about as well.

I wasn’t really crazy about the ending. As Thea’s life progressed, I feel like we saw an immaturity and selfishness in Hanne - seemingly wanting Thea all to herself which was impossible for so many reasons, and in turn this making it seem like she wanted Thea to be alone. The ending made me sad as while Hanne and Thea seem happy, I couldn’t help but think of all the grieving people left behind including a baby who would grow up without a mother - and that the women in the community who treated Hanne and Thea so badly never seemed to get their comeuppance (other than apparently being a spinster). I would have much rather read a story where we see Hanne more at peace with her situation, and watching Thea grow with her family and eventually reunite after a long and happy life rather than one cut short far too soon.

Content Warnings

More...