Reviews tagging 'Death'

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

19 reviews

jaklindberg's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion, Confinement, Infertility, Pregnancy, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

sometimesalyreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I know what you're thinking: "This looks like a great historical fiction about a female spy during World War II" and you're right to think that, but you're WRONG. This book is set in modern day-ish (2016), 1971 and 1980. So many years, none being the 30s or 40s. 

That being said, it IS a great historical fiction! About other years. A teenager in the 70s who finds herself pregnant and forced to give her baby up for adoption, the trauma that she and the other women face, the eventual decision to become a doctor and join an underground abortion network, so that women can have a choice. 

Another woman, modern day, desperate for a child of her own - discovers a letter. She decides, like many others, to go looking for Jane. 

The plot twist in this book threw me for an absolute loop, I will give it that. I was flabbergasted. Taken back. Shocked. 

The plot starts slow, and at time and dialogue at times, was a little too "scripted infomercial" on women's oppression and the fight for reproductive rights, but the plot was beautiful. I cried many times reading this book club pick and I highly recommend it.

Buckle up for the last 20% because the author does rush to tie everything together, but I felt it was well-done and really, all about women and our multitudes. 4.5 stars!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Suicide

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Infertility, Grief, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, and Physical abuse

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Self harm, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Dementia, Vomit, Abortion, Infertility, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Racism, Rape, Pedophilia, Murder, Infidelity, Incest, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Child death

shae_reads's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Suicide, Confinement, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Abortion

Moderate: Police brutality, Rape, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Racial slurs

katiejohns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Abortion, Suicide, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, Death, Blood, Miscarriage, Sexism, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape and Infidelity

mdavis26's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Misogyny, Suicide, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Abortion, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

anni_in_wonderland's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

This was one of my best reads of 2022 and a release that could not have been better timed: The book was published in Spring 2022, Roe v Wade was overturned that summer. To clarify: The book does take place in Canada but it does show that limiting women’s access to abortion is historically not a US problem and the book highlights what happens when access to abortion is limited (in general). 

The book follows the story of three women living in three different eras. I won’t spoil too much as all three stories are connected but part of the appeal of the book is that the connections unravel slowly and accumulate in a sort-of “plot twist”. Without spoilering: I have seen other reviews mention that some of the connections between the stories were only enabled by coincidence. While this isn’t wrong and would be something that I would see as weakening the plot in other genres (like a thriller, for example), I don’t really think it matters here at all. 

I liked all the characters and I liked that every story represents a different angle on motherhood and abortion and the book does a good job at highlighting how motherhood, fertility, adoption and access to abortion are tied to women’s rights and female quality of life.  I understand that this book might be a difficult read for someone that is staunchly pro-life but it’s well-researched and well-argued - it’s fiction that uses historical facts to make a point. I hope anyone will give it a fair shot and seek a facts-based debate on the topic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Death

klbreyfogle's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Moderate: Rape and Grief

kawooreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Self harm, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Medical trauma, Medical content, Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Abortion

Minor: Sexual violence, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Rape, Death of parent, and Death

reading_rainbows's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

It took a bit to get into, then it was hard to stop.  I stayed up 4 hours later to finish listening to the audio book. I cried a bunch reading this book and loved it.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Cancer