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dreaminthepages's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5 stars - I enjoyed the concept of this story but the execution was sloppy!
Ok where to start. Criticisms first I suppose.
There was a very strong feminist theme in this book which I am all for however it came off a little too strong. There seemed to be this huge hatred towards 98% of men festering in this book and the solution was outright to harm them, which i'm sure in those days was the only way out at times. Maybe men of the 1700s were just all slimeballs so they deserved it but it would have been nice to see more of the good male characters, Alf and Tom Pepper.
The Caroline chapters.....oh gosh where do I begin! A lot of them were very boring, draggy and unnecessarily repetitive and way too convenient. A lot of the time many things were repeated in different ways which wasn't needed - there was a sense of over-explanation by the author which was frustrating because as a reader all this stuff was already known to us. The only Caroline chapter I seemed to enjoy was when James ingested the eucalyptus oil as there was some excitement and thrill!
Caroline as a character was very boring, whiny and had no development. She was supposed to be a history grad yet a lot of solutions were spoonfed to her thanks to Alf and Gaynor. The solutions were just too convenient and there was little suspense or struggle. She made the research all about her own personal life and kept linking the two together when really they were independent of each other. I also hated the end when she threw the vial back into the Thames. Sure you don't have to share that or Eliza's story with anyone but this was the startpoint to your new life chapter and you just throw it away like that?! The whole story revolved around that vial, sort of like when a school teacher gives you an object and you have to create a whole story incorporating the object in.
This may seem petty, but the way magic was spelt (magick) really irked me and I thought it was unnecessary.
I enjoyed the Nella and Eliza chapters and really enjoyed their sweet relationship like mother and daughter, apothecary and apprentice. Their story was of better quality and I always looked forward to their chapters more. Honestly this story would have been fine without the modern time period and if it was just set in the 1700s with more plot and characters.
Being a pharmacist, it was interesting to read and I suppose learn about a lot of these traditional medieval uses of herbal remedies as herbal medicine is not so widely practiced these days due to the lack of evidence and also toxicity potentials. I feel like these could have featured more in the story maybe we could have learnt about more cases.
Also I appreciate the authors generosity in sharing some recipes at the end of the book, but they literally had no context whatsoever. Maybe for example, if those rosemary cookies had actually featured in the story, it would have made sense but it just seemed out of place
Overall I appreciate that this was the authors debut novel and enjoyed the concept of it but felt like the author was trying too much which disrupted the flow of the story. Some of the chapters felt disconnected from each other and so much more could have been done with this story.
Spoiler
Ok where to start. Criticisms first I suppose.
There was a very strong feminist theme in this book which I am all for however it came off a little too strong. There seemed to be this huge hatred towards 98% of men festering in this book and the solution was outright to harm them, which i'm sure in those days was the only way out at times. Maybe men of the 1700s were just all slimeballs so they deserved it but it would have been nice to see more of the good male characters, Alf and Tom Pepper.
The Caroline chapters.....oh gosh where do I begin! A lot of them were very boring, draggy and unnecessarily repetitive and way too convenient. A lot of the time many things were repeated in different ways which wasn't needed - there was a sense of over-explanation by the author which was frustrating because as a reader all this stuff was already known to us. The only Caroline chapter I seemed to enjoy was when James ingested the eucalyptus oil as there was some excitement and thrill!
Caroline as a character was very boring, whiny and had no development. She was supposed to be a history grad yet a lot of solutions were spoonfed to her thanks to Alf and Gaynor. The solutions were just too convenient and there was little suspense or struggle. She made the research all about her own personal life and kept linking the two together when really they were independent of each other. I also hated the end when she threw the vial back into the Thames. Sure you don't have to share that or Eliza's story with anyone but this was the startpoint to your new life chapter and you just throw it away like that?! The whole story revolved around that vial, sort of like when a school teacher gives you an object and you have to create a whole story incorporating the object in.
This may seem petty, but the way magic was spelt (magick) really irked me and I thought it was unnecessary.
I enjoyed the Nella and Eliza chapters and really enjoyed their sweet relationship like mother and daughter, apothecary and apprentice. Their story was of better quality and I always looked forward to their chapters more. Honestly this story would have been fine without the modern time period and if it was just set in the 1700s with more plot and characters.
Being a pharmacist, it was interesting to read and I suppose learn about a lot of these traditional medieval uses of herbal remedies as herbal medicine is not so widely practiced these days due to the lack of evidence and also toxicity potentials. I feel like these could have featured more in the story maybe we could have learnt about more cases.
Also I appreciate the authors generosity in sharing some recipes at the end of the book, but they literally had no context whatsoever. Maybe for example, if those rosemary cookies had actually featured in the story, it would have made sense but it just seemed out of place
Overall I appreciate that this was the authors debut novel and enjoyed the concept of it but felt like the author was trying too much which disrupted the flow of the story. Some of the chapters felt disconnected from each other and so much more could have been done with this story.
kirstink's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
2.0
This book should have been right up my alley, but it was too slow and the modern characterโs story was drawn out and boring. Bummed because I was SO excited to read it!
laramarler's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fun and interesting look at womenโs issues through the lens of historic fiction.
quercine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lizzietish101's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.75
rachelhilary's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook and felt that this book was an okay read, but not as exciting as I had hoped based on the synopsis. The historical chapters (Nella & Eliza) were by far more compelling than the modern day chapters. In fact, I feel like this would have been a better book if Caroline's chapters were removed altogether and the historical parts had been expanded upon.
Caroline's story didn't make a lot of sense to me, and the connections between the present and past felt a bit forced. Her research and discoveries were too convenient and unrealistic for me to be able to suspend my disbelief. A certain event after the husband arrived in London was completely bizarre. While I understand that it was meant to draw a parallel between the past events and Caroline's life, it once again felt extremely unrealistic. Honestly some of her chapters had me wanting to give this book a two star rating, especially the final chapter. Oh I just casually applied to grad school at Cambridge yesterday and have somehow already been accepted? Okay.
I would have liked to have a deeper look at Nella and her sinister, secretive dealings with locals. She was a way more interesting character and I would have liked to know more. It would have also been nice to learn more about what became of Eliza beyond a single newspaper clipping. This was definitely an interesting premise, but the dual time periods didn't really work for me this time.
Caroline's story didn't make a lot of sense to me, and the connections between the present and past felt a bit forced. Her research and discoveries were too convenient and unrealistic for me to be able to suspend my disbelief. A certain event after the husband arrived in London was completely bizarre. While I understand that it was meant to draw a parallel between the past events and Caroline's life, it once again felt extremely unrealistic. Honestly some of her chapters had me wanting to give this book a two star rating, especially the final chapter. Oh I just casually applied to grad school at Cambridge yesterday and have somehow already been accepted? Okay.
I would have liked to have a deeper look at Nella and her sinister, secretive dealings with locals. She was a way more interesting character and I would have liked to know more. It would have also been nice to learn more about what became of Eliza beyond a single newspaper clipping. This was definitely an interesting premise, but the dual time periods didn't really work for me this time.
frozenheartv's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
4.5 stars
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๐ง My thoughts
Iโm glad that I decided to pick this book up despite the average rating. It was atmospheric, revengeful, deep, mysterious, and feminist without being pretentious. We got to know 3 different women as main characters, connected with them, went through their life journeys, got to know their decisions in life and the reasons behind them. They were different people but somehow connected and relatable with each other. It was just beautiful. The book could end in many different ways but I was glad that it ended magnificently. I got chills down my spine when the twist was revealed.
On the other hand, there were some minor drawbacks. The ending related to Caroline felt a bit too convenient and easy. At the beginning of the book, the characters felt a bit flat, I was glad that it got a bit better later.
๐ What I like
- Deep, atmospheric, and feminist without being pretentious
- Gripping story
- The ending was very beautiful
๐ What I don't like
- The ending related to 1 of the characters is a bit too convenient and easy
- At the beginning, the characters are flat