The opening chapters of this historical novel are incredibly immersive, so much so that I went through the author's other novels and added a bunch of The opening chapters of this historical novel are incredibly immersive, so much so that I went through the author's other novels and added a bunch of them to my TBR. But the length, structure, and focus of this book eventually wore me down a bit, so that the visceral grip of the beginning never quite took hold in the same way again.
This story is based on the life of an 18th century New England midwife named Martha Ballard, and much of it centered around a brutal rape in her small community and Martha's contributions to uncovering the truth of what happened. The author's note at the end indicates that there is no historical documentation of Martha's existence other than her own notes and by way of her husband in public records. There's no doubt she was an extraordinary woman whose work and determination was remarkable, and considering the dearth of research material available, this work of fiction is pretty solid piece in some ways.
Still, as a novel, it is pretty uneven. After an incredible beginning written almost like a suspense novel, much of the rest of it felt like it was having an identity crisis. The most urgent parts relate to the central crime, though I would expect to feel anger and compassion more acutely for all the women. Ideas and observations are set forth from Martha's POV, which eventually felt like a writing shortcut in many instances, without enough actual demonstration or passion to balance them out. I'm also a little surprised by the inclusion of a couple of (mild, fade-to-black) sex scenes, which I have no objection to on principle, but felt out of place here when there are few instances of genuine emotion expressed otherwise other than a meager handful in passing.
All in all, I am glad to have learned about this very interesting woman, but as a work of fiction this didn't quite hit the mark for me. But it depends on what you're drawn to as a reader, I suppose; for me, this was overly long and needed more focus, deeper exploration of themes and a lot more emotion.
Audio Notes: Jane Oppenheimer's voice is very pleasant, but her narration feels more suited to cozy mysteries or modern thrillers than a historical work like this, though certainly the writing contributed to that as well. As a whole, this just didn't feel very "period," and I think the responsibility is both in the writing and in the choice of narrator....more
The Square of Sevens tries very hard to be Fingersmith, but it falls short on every level.
I try not to let marketing influence me too much, but when mThe Square of Sevens tries very hard to be Fingersmith, but it falls short on every level.
I try not to let marketing influence me too much, but when my favorite author is invoked, please forgive me for fixating on that a bit. Claiming that a book is "perfect for fans of Sarah Waters" sets up very high, perhaps impossible, expectations. I wish it was a surprise that the story, writing, historical immersion, atmosphere, and characters don't come anywhere near Waters level, but it's not. The comparison really does this book a disservice, because on its own, this is a perfectly serviceable bit of historical frippery if you're reading solely for plot, and in fact, with some edits probably would've made a better YA novel than an adult historical.
It does some Fingersmith sleight of hand, but the reveals come very late in a book that feels far too long for its content, and it's not nearly clever enough to justify the somewhat exhausting lead-up and the unnecessarily convoluted (in that it does not add as much to the story as it seems to think the reader wants) structure of painstakingly matching chapter content to playing cards, which here are used in divination. I also had trouble feeling immersed in Georgian society as well; aside from a few nice details such as when she's making fake coins on the streets, the historical elements felt somewhat generic and glossed over.
Anyway, I listened to all 20 hours even though I could tell after 3 major deaths that the book wasn't going to hit the intricacy of plotting, depth of character and themes, or emotional impact of a Sarah Waters book. A missed opportunity, because while it feels historical lite for adults, reworked a little, this could've been a much stronger cozy historical mystery or book for young adults....more
Wendy Darling
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