Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Animals at Lockwood Manor

A gothic f/f wartime romance isn't what I thought I'd be drawn to this week, but Jane Healey's debut is written in gorgeous, reflective prose and full of atmosphere that sucked me right in.

Full review to follow.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

rieviolet's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

All in all, the book was a lot darker than I expected, it wasn't a terrilble read, it was readable enough but nothing much stood out to me, in terms of writing style or characterization.

The writing style especially felt a little bit flat for me, I found the prose either quite plain or overdone, too much sensational. The narrative was a bit disjointed and slow-moving. At times, it felt like the descriptions dragged on and there was little else under the surface to keep you engaged.

As the story progressed and more and more dark themes were added, it became quite a lot to digest. I think that this darkenss, paired with the really gothic setting and the supernatural undertones, made the story feel at times a little bit "too much", too melodramatic.

I admit that I'm not really keen on taxidermy so maybe it's mostly on me, but I still think that there were really too many details about the animals
that added little to the story. Especially in the final part of the book, there were way too many lists, I counted at least 5, interminable catalogues of animals and objects that really took me out of the reading experience and just annoyed me.

I can appreciate the ending chosen for the main characters but the story
and its characters did not particularly stand out to me, it was just okay. I think I came into it with too high expectations and so I was even more disappointed.

Content Warnings

longlost's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

This book was sold to me as "a ghostly, gothic love story" and you know what. That checks out. Props to the author because at no point in this Decently Long book do I feel like we're not right there in 1939 despite the book being published in 2020. It's super cool to see how some authors can immerse a reader into the past, and considering the 30s were almost 100 years ago at this point it's just incredibly cool to read a book where it feels like you're there in that time.

The narration by both POV characters felt very genuine as women in the late 30s, and the gothic mystery elements were very well done. You do feel the tension as Hetty struggles to understand what is going on with the animals she's been charged to care for, and the strange responses from some of the people at Lockwood. Lucy is a beacon of light in this book; where every other character is dismissive and at times outright cruel, Lucy meets Hetty's concerns with kindness and empathy.

Their romance is also lovely to read; Healey develops their connection in an incredibly heartfelt way, and you find yourself rooting for Hetty and Lucy to reach their happy ending at the book's conclusion.

It's important to note that the book has no shortage of potentially triggering content; there are heavy themes of mental health issues that can be uncomfortable to read about, along with the end stretch of the book revealing a pedophilic relationship in a way that is very jarring and graphic. This is definitely a book to approach cautiously if you're triggered by any of the things listed in the content warnings.

Content Warnings

hilarylouise's review

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

chardavidson's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I liked parts of this book. Certainly the exposition is entertaining, and the given circumstances are creepy. But I think the author relies on these things too much, focusing on what we already know is there, like the little beady eyes of the animals in the manor. Little beady eyes can only go so far, when you’ve mentioned them over and over. They lose their creepiness after that... and the book loses it’s subtlety. To me, this book tries too hard to be a ghost story or a gothic novel when I often felt the author leaning towards love. That’s not a surprise, as she mentions in the description a narrative of love, but with it is her promise of a gothic novel. I think she would have done better to write what she really wanted to write, some gorgeous LGBTQ+ historical fiction.

Content Warnings

emmaward55's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

Content Warnings

lindsayreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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