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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
If not for my book club I would have given up on this one. Don’t listen to the audio, usually when the author is the narrator I think they do a great job. Not this time, she had no emotion in her narration and I often tuned out. Found the story very dry and the characters not very compelling
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
This book has all the great aspects of 17th century settings: witches, the plague, religious mania etc. It's a really compelling story, well-written, with a well rounded and believable protagonist. Anna's voyeuristic role as almost a historical witness to the devastation of her village makes her a great narrator, and I just found her really multi-faceted and believable (also bisexual icon??). There's a general sense of dread, desperation and mourning, punctuated by gory and sometimes quite violent moments of madness that keep the narrative tense.
I did think the villagers were kind of difficult to keep track of, and the last few chapters literally lost the plot. Michael's personality switch was undeveloped but forgivable as he was already giving major weird vibes, but Elinor's death felt like such a silly 'gotcha' moment that cheapened the ending for me. It felt like a melodramatic and overly convenient conclusion to an otherwise quietly mournful and skilled fictionalization of real events. Anna moving to the Barbary Coast was also out of left-field and honestly thoroughly unbelievable, but at least it was interesting. However overall I did really enjoy this.
I did think the villagers were kind of difficult to keep track of, and the last few chapters literally lost the plot. Michael's personality switch was undeveloped but forgivable as he was already giving major weird vibes, but Elinor's death felt like such a silly 'gotcha' moment that cheapened the ending for me. It felt like a melodramatic and overly convenient conclusion to an otherwise quietly mournful and skilled fictionalization of real events. Anna moving to the Barbary Coast was also out of left-field and honestly thoroughly unbelievable, but at least it was interesting. However overall I did really enjoy this.
dark
sad
tense
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
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I enjoyed this book until the last 55 pages. What the heck was that?
I really liked this book. It’s well written (some scenes stole my breath away) and deeply researched, based on a true story, and has a lovely main character. It’s not a masterpiece, hence the four stars, but it’s a really good novel and one I couldn’t put down until the end. I recommend it 100%. I enjoy books about obscure events so this one was right up my alley!
I also liked the way female characters shined through it - this absolutely is a feminist book!
The ending is a little abrupt and definitely a change of pace but I didn’t dislike it.
I also liked the way female characters shined through it - this absolutely is a feminist book!
The ending is a little abrupt and definitely a change of pace but I didn’t dislike it.
Spoiler
P.s. Anna and Eleanor were totally in love and that's final
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Contrary to some other reviews, I happened to like the ending... what can I say, I enjoy a happy ending now and then; I feel like I don't get that so much in most of the books I read