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kelbi's review
4.0
Very good. I'm now looking for more by her. Really great narrative and characters
emmavardy2's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really enjoyed this. Set in Manchester and London. Set around young woman striving to become a doctor in late 19th century.
dormousereads's review
5.0
I loved this book! It's the first book I've managed to finish in ages and I was so involved with Ally's story. I cared so much about Ally and empathised so much too with her desperation to live up to expectations.
I wish the art could have been more involved somehow - I loved that each chapter began with an artwork by her father or Aubrey but I think the philosophy of art could have been woven into the plot more. That said, i can see why it was perfect for a Wellcome shortlist - a pioneering female doctor with an artist for a father!
I'm so happy there's a sequel! I can't wait to read it :))))
I wish the art could have been more involved somehow - I loved that each chapter began with an artwork by her father or Aubrey but I think the philosophy of art could have been woven into the plot more. That said, i can see why it was perfect for a Wellcome shortlist - a pioneering female doctor with an artist for a father!
I'm so happy there's a sequel! I can't wait to read it :))))
ilseoo's review against another edition
3.0
This book was different than I expected and unfortunately not in the best way. Overall this was a good book and a -mostly- enjoyable read, but it just wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I know that, that isn’t this books fault, but my own.
The writing style used in this book sometimes confused me, as did the storyline. For me it jumped around within and between scenes to fast and without warning. Therefore, it took me a while to get into this book. After I got used to it the reading went easier and the book became more enjoyable. I found some parts to be really good, while other parts only confused or bored me. This is why I settled for a three-star rating.
The writing style used in this book sometimes confused me, as did the storyline. For me it jumped around within and between scenes to fast and without warning. Therefore, it took me a while to get into this book. After I got used to it the reading went easier and the book became more enjoyable. I found some parts to be really good, while other parts only confused or bored me. This is why I settled for a three-star rating.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
4.0
An evocative historical novel about sisters Ally, who becomes one of the first women doctors, and May, a nurse. Ally and May come from a home characterised by acute psychological terrors: their mother, Elizabeth, believes in self-control and has an exacting moral standard for her children. Though she works towards alleviating the suffering of working-class women, particularly sex workers, she has no sympathy for her own daughters, and metes out cruel and strange punishments should they fail to meet her standards. Ally is particularly terrorised by her mother, though she is the more morally scrupulous and academic of the two. She finds some escape in rigorous study. The novel covers Ally's childhood and early youth, describing her struggles at home, and her work as a doctor. Over time, she begins to develop self-confidence and insight into her own family. A novel full of pyschological depth, and a well-realised historical setting. My only caveat was the the other theme in the novel -- art, particularly the paintings of Ally's father -- didn't fit into the rest of the narrative, and felt underexplored and examined. It was also very hard to believe that the father would have married Elizabeth. Otherwise, I found this book engaging and moving.
marie_remarka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
jelena666's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.75
s_l's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Sexism, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
betweenbookends's review
4.0
‘Ally likes Latin. It seems more like Maths than like French, a language with an integral logic. English words are slippery, leaning on each other and on unspoken presences, on ghosts, for their meanings. Latin is so tightly woven that it barely needs punctuation, the relationships between words so clear that the order in which they come doesn’t matter. Life would be much easier if we spoke Latin.’
Oh, Sarah Moss! How wonderfully you write and how nice it feels to be wrapped up in your words like a blanket! Bodies of Light was an intriguing, wonderfully written, and complex story of female roles in the 19th century, of women fighting to find their place in professional and academic settings than being restricted to domestic roles, of a dysfunctional family, a domineering mother, of mental health and its stigma, of art and its appreciation, and ultimately a journey of a woman to attain her goal.
Moss’s story is genre-defying. It’s not historical fiction in its traditional sense. It’s a cerebral, almost academic take on feminist roles in the 19th century in England told through the characters of a single family. And while it does take a while to become interesting, once it does, there was no looking back. The subtlety of the time period this book is set in is beautifully captured. It is atmospheric not in an overwhelming way, but in a very organic, believable, and realistic way. The nuance and attention to detail in ample portions. The discussion on prostitution, mental asylums, poverty and women in academia was so incredibly fascinating and possibly the aspect I enjoyed most in this book.
Where Bodies of Light slightly fell short, and in this I can’t help but compare it to her later book, The Tidal Zone, was in its characters. While do you eventually really care for Ally and want her to succeed in her life, it was only the second half that the feeling really surfaced. Unlike Adam and Miriam from The Tidal Zone, the characters don’t really step out of the page and are rather confined within the story being told. It also was slow to start, the first few chapters are slightly dull, before it gets interesting. The book also covers a larger timeline in a short length, so many scenes are skimmed over than described.
If you haven’t ever read Sarah Moss, I’d recommend you read The Tidal Zone first. But if you’ve already read and enjoyed Sarah Moss, there’s a very high chance you’ll enjoy this too!