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A review by mysimas
Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth
dark
emotional
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? No
3.0
A very readable account of the lives of three women and the hardships they had to face, mostly due to their sex.
I wasn’t a fan of the romance aspect (didn’t like any of the love interests or even how the romances were written) and sometimes struggled to suspend disbelief, especially when it came to the discussion of women’s position in the world — the way they spoke about it felt very modern and not at all like something from the 15-17th century. Also none of the women seemed to suffer from internalized misogyny which was on one hand awesome but also kind of strange, given the setting.
I loved two of the lead characters. Margherita and Charlotte Rose were both brave and resourceful. Very easy to root for. The third one was the antagonist and also had the least space in the book, so while I felt for her and understood her drive, I didn’t really warm up to her.
The book contained some unexpectedly detailed depictions of violence and also a particularly nasty rape scene, which took me a bit off guard. The story was also sometimes too predictable and also often pointed things out way too explicitly, which took away some of the charm.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it made me feel the strength women are capable of and I enjoyed the predominantly female cast and how the lives of the three leads often paralleled each other. Much of the book was depressing though, and the pay off or the plot were not, to me, wonderful enough to want a reread.
I wasn’t a fan of the romance aspect (didn’t like any of the love interests or even how the romances were written) and sometimes struggled to suspend disbelief, especially when it came to the discussion of women’s position in the world — the way they spoke about it felt very modern and not at all like something from the 15-17th century. Also none of the women seemed to suffer from internalized misogyny which was on one hand awesome but also kind of strange, given the setting.
I loved two of the lead characters. Margherita and Charlotte Rose were both brave and resourceful. Very easy to root for. The third one was the antagonist and also had the least space in the book, so while I felt for her and understood her drive, I didn’t really warm up to her.
The book contained some unexpectedly detailed depictions of violence and also a particularly nasty rape scene, which took me a bit off guard. The story was also sometimes too predictable and also often pointed things out way too explicitly, which took away some of the charm.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it made me feel the strength women are capable of and I enjoyed the predominantly female cast and how the lives of the three leads often paralleled each other. Much of the book was depressing though, and the pay off or the plot were not, to me, wonderful enough to want a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Miscarriage