Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

5 reviews

naomi_k's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Child death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Torture, Grief, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Confinement, Classism, Alcoholism, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Sexual content, Murder, Miscarriage, Infertility, Incest, Antisemitism, Cursing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Gaslighting

queerloras's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Misogyny

jhbandcats's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is probably the fourth time I've read Wolf Hall. I love the writing - it's immediate and it’s subversively funny, and I find myself rereading parts just because I enjoy them so much. The novel opens with a riveting scene of a teenaged Cromwell being beaten almost to death by his father, dazed on the paving stones, crawling away as best he can, wondering if this is the day he dies.

Told in the present tense, it feels as though you're right there with Cromwell as he tries to escape his father's next kick. The attention to detail - the knot in the twine of his father's boot ripping his forehead open - also brings every scene to life.

This obviously doesn't sound like the opening to a funny book, but the sardonic humor makes the corner of your mouth twitch in a smile, and it's so, so clever. There are secret nicknames that are both insulting and fitting - the Princess Mary is a shrimp. When Cromwell leaves home in the morning he pats his wife, kisses the dog. Cromwell's perspective is askew from everyone else's. and it's that difference that results in much of the humor.

I will gladly reread this again in a couple of years. It brings me so much joy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Vomit, War, Child abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Bullying, Death, Gore, Infertility, Blood, Torture, and Violence

quickermorequickly's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Antisemitism, Adult/minor relationship, War, Violence, Torture, Murder, Infertility, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, and Body shaming

Minor: Incest

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

dark tense 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? No

2.5

The style of writing for this book takes a while to get used to. Everyone seems to have the same name so, as a reader, it takes a while to get all of the similarly named characters straight. As well, the style of writing and dialogue can be a bit hard to follow. There were several points in the novel where I had no idea what was going on and several side plots that were difficult to understand.

Maybe the book would be clearer if I had a stronger background in the history of the time but, as a history novice, I found myself confused a great deal of the time.

This being said, some of the characters were really interesting. I really enjoyed the insight into the personalities of Thomas Cromwell, Anne and Mary Boleyn, and Cromwell's family and wards. The dialogue was also very funny and entertaining at several points.

I don't plan to read the next book in this series, and I don't think I could honestly recommend this book to others. But if you are more familiar with this period of history, you would likely enjoy it much more than I did!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Pregnancy