2.5 Stars Rounded Up

I wanted to like this book. I was looking forward to it, but sadly I don’t think it was for me. This book was incredibly slow and too long. In all honestly, I think this could have been a novella and it would have hit harder.

There were some parts describing Nora’s grief and sorrow that were strong; however, those quickly turned to her just being a terrible person. She used her grief to excuse a lot of her actions, especially the unforgivable ones. The parts I was looking forward to from the blurb didn’t really come into play until about 70% into the book and then the pacing started to pick up. But at that point it was too late. The change felt odd, forced, and rushed.

I did enjoy the narrator and felt she was great at the voices and setting the tone.

I don't know why exactly, but this book just wasn't for me. It started out great but it just bombed in the middle and the ending was just ok. The characters were just ok too.

I think I was expecting more...

Now it could be the narrator so I will try this one again in paperback.

3 stars

This audio book was so rich in texture and tone, almost creepy sounding in places. Laced with dark magic and questions about what’s on the other side not only sounded a little eerie but made for an excellent listening experience.
This novel is perfect if you love a gothic tone to your novels set in the gilded age era where women becoming doctors was still frowned up.
If you love women moving in their second act of life with a spooky vibe then you’ll love this.

Oh my God. This was so, so good - amazing!

First off, the writing was so beautiful and haunting. The plot is slow, but it works so well with the story. It's spooky and dark and just so wonderful.

My heart was broken within the first 10% of the book. I wasn't expecting to be so invested in Nora and Euan so early on, but I was. The depiction of Nora's depression was really available.

The narrator did such an amazing job, especially with the dialogue. There were times when it felt like I was really listening to a full conversation between two people.

I'd give it a million stars if I could!

A lovely historical read. It was a great weekend, atmospheric read. I love reading about women in "non-traditional" roles and this one did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this ARC Audio Copy! 3.5 Stars

I loved the beginning of this book so much. A strong female character who would do anything to be a doctor in a time when women were not allowed to be doctors. I felt like there was so much potential for where the story was going to go from there but I was completely shocked where the story actually took me. There are time that this book reads as a horror, and though it has some extremely heavy themes it carried itself strongly as a gothic historical fiction.

The decisions that the FMC makes really confused me at times but we all grieve differently and during the time period and situation even though I was really not happy with the characters choices, I was so invested in her, and felt her struggles so deeply. This is not a happy story in any way shape or form, but it is thought provoking and and shows life in such a realistic and harsh way without trying to hide the ugly parts.

I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed "A Cure for Sorrow" by Jen Wheeler. Additionally, Jesse Vilinsky's narration of this book was great.
I don't typically read much historical fiction, but a premise about science, love, tragedy, and the supernatural intrigued me.

Despite the slow, plodding nature of the story, it continually held my interest. Wheeler's atmospheric prose skillfully conveyed just how monstrous grief can be.
I recommend adding this to your TBR if you're compelled to learn what happens to a family living on an old farmstead, haunted by secrets, heartbreak and ghosts, alike

My take-away? The most true and complete cure for sorrow may only be death.


Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for providing the unabridged audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: September 24, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I was excited to be approved for this audiobook because I enjoy Jesse Vilinsky's narration. However, this book fell short for me. While it wasn't necessarily too scary or gory, I just found this book to be too weird for my taste. And I am pretty dissapointed because the premise really did sound interesting.

I may try this book again at a later date or else try another book by Jen Wheeler in the future.

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

A Cure for Sorrow by Jen Wheeler
Pub Date Sep 24, 2024

This is a historical adult literary fiction filled with drama, romance, trauma, and the supernatural, following the life of a young, strong-willed female protagonist navigating life filled with love, loss, and complex lives of others who she comes to care for and fear.

Nora Harris is the only child of a well-respected surgeon who is following in her father's footsteps as a medical student in Gilded Age Manhattan. With a keen mind, her love of science and dream of becoming a doctor and working with her father has been her only goal in life, until her father’s newest protégé, Euan Colquhoun, steals her heart. She wanted to go with him during the summer school break to see his family and the farm he grew up on, but Euan discouraged that and didn't want to take her there. He avoided the topic and would talk her out of the idea. They planned for a grand future together once school was finished and in a year, both would become doctors and then get married, but a tragic accident derailed their future before their final year of school.

Grief-stricken, Nora was so devastated that she lost her passion for all she loved before, but when Euan’s older brother, Malcolm wrote to her giving his condolences to her it seemed to help him deal with the loss of his younger brother, she found peace and comfort that her family was not able to provide. Feeling lost with only the comfort of Mal's letters, she takes his invitation to visit the Colquhoun family farm deep in the tangled woods of upstate New York to try and close a part of her broken heart. When it is time to go back home, she finds that she doesn't want to leave and enjoys the simplicity of the farm and quiet wooded area and when Mal tells her she can stay as long as she wishes, and she does.

Although some of the family is a bit strange, she tries to normalize life on the farm but finds that there seem to be secrets the family keeps, and she starts to see things that science can’t explain. Nora doesn't understand why she sees and hears things that others cannot and her relationship with her new family is strained. When she gives in to dangerous temptations, she is filled with guilt and starts to uncover some of the past that haunts the property and herself. She is faced with new horrors that she is desperately trying to resolve, and this new simple life is turning into a nightmare.

This is an interesting story that starts slow but builds into layers as secrets are revealed and when the truth starts to come out, some are uncovered by the ghosts on the farm. The issue is Nora is the only one who can see them. There is mystery, murder, scandals, and paranormal activity in this story, and I enjoyed the journey of listening to it all.


This edition was an Unabridged Audiobook, provided by NetGalley for Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Apparently, a cure for sorrow is the slow determination to self-destruct and bring a whole family down with you.
This book is not at all what I expected, and I enjoyed it for the most part.

The voice actress for this audiobook was incredible, and I think that really made an impact on how enjoyable the story was.

Things I really enjoyed:
- The author's masterful descriptions of grief and emotion
- The gothic undertones of the book
- Nora's slow decent in to madness.... or was she mad?
- The author's effective use of several morally gray characters. The characters in this story really shone - several members of the family were loveable, several were despicable, many were a mix of both. I am a genealogist by profession, and I greatly appreciate the reality that families are MESSY and not every family legend you hear is what it first seems.. The relationships in this family were complicated and tangled, and that was well done.
- The paranormal threads of this story were definitely spooky, though perhaps a little underdeveloped. Was this a historical fiction or a thriller? It was both but sometimes it felt a bit disjointed.
- Some of the descriptions of gore and violence made my skin crawl - usually I have a pretty strong stomach for that, but it definitely was masterfully done.

Things I struggled with:
- The beginning and the ending were both quite rushed in my opinion. We didn't have a lot of time to fall in love with Euan. It jumps from 1888 to the end of Nora's life very quickly, and her happy ending felt very... sudden? Too easy? A little illogical as well, since comes to a conclusion about her ability to see ghosts that doesn't follow her sight of Olaf's ghost.


Trigger warnings:
Gore, suicide, murder, death of a child, infidelity, sexual scenes, death of an animal, curse words, drugging w/o consent, sexism

Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky
Presented by Brilliance Audio

Really enjoyed the first 20% or so, but it was all downhill from there.

Firstly, this book sold itself to me with the promise of supernatural happenings, and I was sadly disappointed on that front. Also 'haunted secrets' - where were the secrets?? I was bored, bored bored.

My favourite part of this entire novel was the building of the relationship between Nora and Euan, and how it spoke about the loss after. This evoked some really strong feelings in me and I was sucked in completely.

However, once Nora starts to move forward it all just became a tangled mess of love affairs and damaged people and relationships and also FARMWORK which was so incredibly dull. Nora went from a character I adored to a character I loathed, and nothing interesting justified how long this story dragged on for. When the 'supernatural' finally turned up, I rolled my eyes and that was me emotionally done. From then on it was listening just to be done.

On the plus side, the narration was well done. She did a great job of defining characters with different voices, and added a lot of feeling to the story. I'd happily listen to this narrator again.

If this hadn't been an audiobook I think I would have straight up quit halfway. As it was, it really became a chore to listen to, and I was happy when it finally ended.

Perhaps fans of historical fiction will enjoy this more than I did, but there wasn't much beyond the narrator that could redeem it for me.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

"A Cure for Sorrow" drew me in from the very beginning with its haunting exploration of grief, love, and the unexpected paths we tread in times of sorrow. Set against the backdrop of Gilded Age Manhattan, the story of Nora Harris—a strong-willed medical student and surgeon’s daughter—takes a poignant turn when she loses her fiancé, Euan Colquhoun, in a tragic accident. It’s a tale that seamlessly weaves together the threads of romance, loss, and a hint of the supernatural, and I found myself absorbed by each nuanced layer.
Nora is a compelling character, driven by logic and ambition, yet her world is turned upside down by heartbreak. Jen Wheeler captures her emotional turmoil beautifully, and I connected deeply with Nora's struggle to reconcile the world of science with the inexplicable feelings of loss and despair that engulf her. The writing is rich and evocative, painting a vivid picture of both the bustling city and the quieter, more mysterious countryside of upstate New York, where much of the story unfolds.
As Nora retreats to the Colquhoun family farm, hoping to find solace, she instead discovers a labyrinth of family secrets and eerie occurrences. The tension builds as she is haunted by a presence that defies logical explanation, and I find myself gripping my headphones, eager to unravel the mystery alongside her. The interplay between her rational mind and the strange happenings around her creates a palpable sense of unease that keeps me engaged throughout the story.
The correspondence between Nora and Euan's older brother, Malcolm, brought a touching depth to the narrative. Their letters, filled with shared grief and tentative hope, provided not just comfort but a connection that sparked new emotions in Nora as she navigated her sorrow. Malcolm serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities of love and family ties, adding layers to Nora’s healing journey.
Jesse Vilinsky's narration added dimension to my experience. His voice is warm and pleasant, and he skilfully differentiates between characters, breathing life into each one. I was particularly impressed by how he captured the melancholic undertones of Nora's journey. His expressive tone conveyed her introspection perfectly, making me feel as if I were right there with her, experiencing the beauty and pain of her story firsthand.
While some may find the pacing slow, I appreciated the contemplative nature of the narrative. It allowed me to fully immerse myself in Nora's emotional landscape, fostering a deep connection with her struggles and triumphs. The intertwining themes of grief, guilt, and the supernatural were explored thoughtfully, raising questions about the nature of existence and the beliefs that ground us in times of crisis.
Overall, "A Cure for Sorrow" is an enchanting and heartrending tale that stays with you long after the final words. It expertly blends elements of historical fiction with a touch of gothic mystery, making it the perfect listen for fans of introspective narratives that delve into the human experience. I found it utterly captivating, and it reaffirmed my love for stories that tackle the complexities of life with honesty and depth. I can’t wait to see what else Jen Wheeler has in store, and I look forward to more audiobooks narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, whose talent truly enhances the listening experience.