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A review by pussnb00ks
The Savage Instinct by Marjorie DeLuca
3.0
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
As soon as I read the description of this book, I knew I needed to read it. Women's agency and bodily autonomy is a topic near and dear to my heart, and has been the subject of many a research project- especially in this time period.
DeLuca makes so many references to discourse and literature being published and discussed in the 19th century and before. Allusions to Mary Wollstonecraft's comparison of women's married life to slavery, fiction writing such as The Yellow Wallpaper, and many more, come up as little Easter eggs that I adored identifying and unraveling.
The novel touches on issues surrounding women's agency and bodily autonomy, or more so the social norms that prevent them from exercising these rights, and focuses especially on how these power dynamics manifest themselves in terms of health and reproductive rights.
*This might be spoiler but I'm not sure*
I do wish Henry had been a more complex character. Although unarguably a villain, I think showing different sides of him, or maybe fooling the reader into thinking him sympathetic character at some point, would have made the overall plot more interesting and engaging. The narrative and plot also became choppy in some parts of the book, which disrupted the reading experience for me.
Overall, an enjoyable read!
As soon as I read the description of this book, I knew I needed to read it. Women's agency and bodily autonomy is a topic near and dear to my heart, and has been the subject of many a research project- especially in this time period.
DeLuca makes so many references to discourse and literature being published and discussed in the 19th century and before. Allusions to Mary Wollstonecraft's comparison of women's married life to slavery, fiction writing such as The Yellow Wallpaper, and many more, come up as little Easter eggs that I adored identifying and unraveling.
The novel touches on issues surrounding women's agency and bodily autonomy, or more so the social norms that prevent them from exercising these rights, and focuses especially on how these power dynamics manifest themselves in terms of health and reproductive rights.
*This might be spoiler but I'm not sure*
I do wish Henry had been a more complex character. Although unarguably a villain, I think showing different sides of him, or maybe fooling the reader into thinking him sympathetic character at some point, would have made the overall plot more interesting and engaging. The narrative and plot also became choppy in some parts of the book, which disrupted the reading experience for me.
Overall, an enjoyable read!