I found the characters (Hester specifically) extremely complex and well written. What knocked it down 2 stars was the way Hawthorne overexplained absolutely every single minute detail and it just made the whole book drag on, and I was listening to the audio at 2.5x speed so I can’t imagine actually reading it.

This was so lame. I’ve had it built up to me as a fantastic story but it really just felt like Western European Christian propaganda and I couldn’t enjoy it

This was an extremely soft and heartwarming compilation of stories featuring nostalgia, grief, and love. I didn’t realize this was the second in a series but it wasn’t detrimental to the understanding. I flew thru this

I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of the characters, there were so many strands of stories but nothing felt fleshed out. This was also pretty much entirely just white feminism in a historical tone. Just a way to pass the time but not enjoyable

I love I love I love I love haunted house horror. This was a fantastic novel with twists and turns and I wasnt expecting the twists to come as they were which immediately made it a 4 star read for me. It did a great job of weaving generational trauma and found family into an engaging read. The entire book made it so u didn’t want to put it down

I think that the idea was very thought out and while the execution was good, a lot of the ideas regarding womanhood and humanity seemed reductive. It was an interesting experience although I’m not sure if it was enjoyable as much as unsettling.

This book made me feel so anxious pretty much throughout the entire thing. It was fantastic commentary on post partum motherhood, depression, the effects of racism and white academia. Watching Alice fall apart due to her mothers loss, the racism she experienced as an indigenous woman in Toronto and the disconnect she felt, especially after moving off the  Six Nations reservation was poignant and compelling and the added snark of Alice’s voice made it impossible to stop listening.

I’m not usually one for multiple POV’s but I feel like this had a good balance and individual voice for each of the 3 main characters. Perhaps it’s because I couldn’t relate but Caroline’s story meant the least to me unless as a warning to not become complacent in my life and relationships. I loved Eliza’s chapters the most and the way the mystery unfolded as we learned what happened in the last days of the apothecary. I think that Caroline’s husband poisoning himself was out of left field and her voice too “woe is me” for my tastes. Nella’s backstory was the most heartfelt in my opinion. Overall it was enjoyable but not much more than that

This was an extremely comforting read. I love cats and I learned some about astrology, but this was overwhelming such a soft read that *pun intended* feels like drinking a warm cup of coffee

I understand why this is a classic. I wasn’t as engrossed as I wanted to be, but the audiobook helped immensely as ive picked up a physical copy and put it down at least 3 times before. It was enjoyable but nothing particularly special to me