Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore

9 reviews

alisonclane's review against another edition

dark funny reflective 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? No

4.75

I really enjoyed this book. Rebecca West is a protagonist I will remember for a long time - more so now that I know she was a real person. Blakemore manages to weave literary, beautiful writing with darkly funny social commentary in this decidedly feminist historical retelling. Come for the Witch trials, stay for the sharp criticism of patriarchal religion and the rebellious, unforgettable host of women the book centres around. Loved it!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual content

quiet_reader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Murder, Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexism, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Slavery, Trafficking, Torture, and War

fictionalatte's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

this book is a must-read, even if it isn’t one you’d normally reach for. 

the author also captured the story on numerous levels, which was evident by her volume of research and knowledge accompanying this novel. 

although the plot is heavy, the ending had positive notes which didn’t reflect the tone shown previously, it showed us a new journey for rebecca, one of which wasn’t darkened by her past life.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Miscarriage, Gore, Grief, Torture, Medical content, Sexual content, Violence, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

Minor: War and Slavery

james1star's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.5

DNF’d at 50% (my first DNF) - so maybe my ‘review’ isn’t that worthy but I still had some thoughts. I’d probably give it a 2.5 ⭐️ maybe but I don’t fully know so I’ll go with a 3 to stay more neutral. 

I was just really not jamming well with the writing, characters or plot of this book. It was alrightish and slightly intriguing but I just didn’t like it. We follow Rebecca in the town of Manningtree in Essex during the civil war, things happen and the residents begin a witch-hunt-esque fearmongering campaign against certain women. There was more but Yhh not for me. The narrative changes from first to third but it’s not always clear until a few pages in - I dunno just quite confusing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Grief, Sexual content, Death, War, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Violence

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense slow-paced

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

2.0

If you liked The Crucible, I think you'll like this. It follows a fictionalised account of real occurances and characters during the 'Witch Craze' of the English Civil War, and has a very "classic" style of writing - which didn't work for me but I'm sure some people would love. You can definitely tell the author is a poet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Child death, Classism, and Terminal illness

Minor: Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Miscarriage, Slavery, Sexual content, and Animal death

rachelwierick's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Animal death, and Religious bigotry

rosalind's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Death

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual content, Child death, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Cursing

Minor: Torture, War, Slavery, Excrement, and Suicide

emilyacres's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content

clea's review

dark 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? No

4.25

Beautifully rich, lyrical (but also quite dark) prose; the author's roots in poetry are obvious and help to create an immersive and captivating atmosphere of 17th century Britain. Due to this high level of writing and heavy use of "advanced" vocabulary, it was a little difficult for me to read. After a while, I had to take breaks from reading because my concentration eventually started decreasing (but this is mainly due to the fact, that English is not my first language) and this prevented me from really getting involved, engaged in the story. 
But it is still a fascinating story that reports the atrocity of witch hunts. The use of dark humor helped to alleviate the tension and allow the reader a brief but longed-for escape from the horrors of the characters' reality. Every character is multi-faceted and we get a profound understanding of their actions and motivations. They feel authentic and I think that A.K Blakemore did a really great job at narrating her story in such a human way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Sexual content, and Torture

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Miscarriage