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jesselynn's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
We follow Lisbet, a heavily pregnant young woman who keeps bees alongside her husband and mother-in-law. Lisbet is desperate for her unborn child's survival, due to multiple previous miscarriages, which wounds her and familial relationships deeply. When her husband's sister Agnethe returns from seven years in the mountains atoning for a mysterious sin, the path of her life is forever changed.
The content is very emotionally stimulating, with really moving and detailed language and a narrative that is very centred around Lisbet's feelings and emotional state. The cast of characters are interesting, with Lisbet's sister-in-law Nethe being a favourite of mine. The story explores a very harrowing sapphic relationship, as well as themes of religious fervour, immigration and xenophobia. The story is not an account of the Dancing Plague as such, but the events of the summer and strange event are an atmospheric setting, the rhythm of the dance weaved throughout Lisbet's story in interludes. The novel is much more character focused than a simple retelling, which I liked. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially women's historical fiction. Tread carefully if pregnancy, infertility and miscarriage is a trigger point for you.
Thanks to Picador for the reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I'll definitely be recommending this one to my customers and am looking forward to future works from Kiran Millwood Hargrave!
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Animal death, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Confinement, Death of parent, Infertility, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Classism, and Miscarriage
barnfieldkatherine033's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage
mxrumphius's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Graphic: Drug use, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicide, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity
rozereads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, Grief, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
josiee's review
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Child death, and Child abuse
asherjean's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Violence, Miscarriage, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Grief, and Xenophobia
Minor: War and Alcohol
gurofl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
So I at first thought this was an ok read, but I find that I've been thinking about this book and especially the main character a lot after finishing it, and that I like it better now than I did immediately after finishing it. In the middle I thought this would be a 3🌟 read, but I now thinks it's a solid 4🌟.
(Loads of content warnings for this book! It's not an easy read.)
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Classism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Racism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship
saraza3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Homophobia
thealienamongus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content