Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - Λατρεία

Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Λατρεία by Hannah Kent

10 reviews

arwen_at_the_library's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful prose, bittersweet story. Nearly dropped my rating in the middle because of an unexpected change of direction in the plot but eventually came to understand and enjoy what the author was doing. Would have also enjoyed it purely as a historical novel without the magical realism also but it was so fantastic it's staying a 5 star read. One of those one that makes you think 'i wish I could write like this'.

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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Had a hard time getting into it/staying focused on audiobook. Long chapters made it hard to pick up.

Interesting, unique story about a community of Prussian Lutherans escaping to Southern Australia to practice their faith.

Sadly not for me, it’s very slow and boring with the story just kinda dragging. After 160 pages I still don’t feel that interested or compelled to pick it up. And I also could not tell you much of what’s happened so far 🫣 It’s not interesting enough for me to keep reading especially with how long it feels like I’ve been reading it already 😅

This is the second book I’ve tried reading from Kent so she’s just not an author for me it seems-but I have no doubt others will enjoy this character driven, historical, queer love story

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emmagreenwood's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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helen_t_reads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had already read and thoroughly enjoyed Hannah Kent’s first two novels: Burial Rites (set in 19th Century Iceland), and The Good People (set in 19th-century Ireland), so I was always going to read Devotion, her third novel. Why I left it so long to do so is the usual story of any avid reader with a large book collection, but I am so glad that I finally did, because what a novel it is.

Like her previous two titles, it is once again set in the 19th century and is rooted firmly in Kent’s impeccable and detailed historical research, which informs the story and imbues it with real authenticity whilst never weighing it down.

The story begins in the village of Kay in Prussia, where 17 year old Hanne Nussbaum lives with her family. Kay is home to a small congregation of Lutheran families who adhere firmly to their faith despite the persecution they face from the state and the Union church, which has banned it. A new family, the Eichenwalds, moves to the village, and they too are Lutherans, but some amongst the community, find it hard to accept them.

However, Hanne, who has never really made a real friend before, instantly bonds and connects with Thea Eichenwald, who is a similar age. They become inseparable, and a very intense relationship develops between them. Eventually, the Lutheran community of Kay makes the difficult voyage to a new, religiously tolerant colony in southern Australia, and at this point their lives change forever.

Devotion is an achingly beautiful, moving, and deeply affecting LGBTQ+ historical fiction which has supernatural elements, and a most unexpected twist, but is also a love story. It would completely spoil the reading experience for anyone if I gave away anything further.

What I can say is that I absolutely loved this novel, and I am struggling to compose a review that will do it justice. It is beautifully written with lyrically beautiful descriptions of both the natural world, and human emotion that move your soul and bring you to tears.

Populated with sensitively drawn, well-observed, fully-fleshed characters, especially the females, it develops the idea of “devotion” in both the religious and emotional sense as the story plays out, as well as exploring themes of tolerance, persecution, love and loss.

There are many kinds of love portrayed within the story: the love between a parent and child (not always tender and open-hearted, or freely expressed); heterosexual love; marriages of convenience; arranged marriages; the love between siblings; the love for ones homeland; religious love; but it is the love between Hanna and Thea that is the most dominant in the story, and there is a real depth, intensity and universality to it.

The novel also looks at the impact of white settlement on the native lands of Australia. We see how the immigrants took the lands of the indigenous populations and forced them to leave, whilst destroying their carefully natured eco-systems in the process, with the introduction more intensive farming practices which deeply impacted the natural environment. Given that the Lutherans were themselves persecuted and forced to leave their homeland, the irony is not lost on the reader.

I know that some readers have struggled slightly with accepting the supernatural aspects of the story, but for me, given the intensity of the connections, and the context, it was not problematic in any way. Some readers may also need to be wary of the harsher elements of 19th century life too, and there are scenes of animal slaughter, death and miscarriage for example, but unless you would find these triggering they do not detract from the story and are entirely legitimate within the context of the story.

Devotion is a novel of such depth and intensity of emotion. I devoured it in two sittings and if you’re anything like me, it will live long in your head after you have finished it. An easy 5 stars and definitely recommended.

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just22jess22's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Juuuuuuuuuust beautiful. Truly unlike anything I have ever read before. Devotion delivered all of my favourite tropes - anyone who knows me knows that I am always up for historical fiction, I love a thinker, I love a hint of the supernatural.. And when it comes to books, honestly? The sadder, the better.

I've seen very mixed reactions to the turn this book makes at the halfway mark - honestly I thought it was so clever and really set us up to view the pilgrimage to Australia, and I really felt the heartbreak and hopelessness of the two MCs.

The writing was immersive and rich, the characters were complex and emotive, the scene was timely and thought-provoking... Truly worth a read.

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malinhalia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Historical fiction with a truly epic sapphic love story that spans this world, and the next. Tender, sensuous and evocative. Religious freedom is a prominent plot point so there is an interesting juxtaposition between religious freedom and individual freedom. Hannah Kent really knows how to write.

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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

Content Warnings

ode_to_readers's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I really don’t know how to describe this book. It’s poetic and the story is truly profound. Two girls finding each other and falling in love, while living in an oppressed community. The story was a little too slow for my taste at the start, their boat journey (which was super intense btw and super realistic. Kudos to the author for always following the facts) only started about a third/halfway of the way in. Also there is quite an unexpected twist in the story I did not see coming!

So while this story was incredible in its own way, I don’t think it was for me, hence the 3 stars. But I am still glad I read it!

Also TW: animal slaughter, death, suicidal thoughts and attempts. (I personally found the pig scenes to be quite intense 😢)

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jameslyons's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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