Reviews

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff

Only show reviews with written explanations

gabriellleest's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

lotte_898's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

3.0

shealwaysreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff and I have some mixed feelings about it! 🤔📚

On one hand, I really enjoyed the atmospheric writing and the way Rosoff captured the lazy, hazy days of summer. It was like being transported right into the setting of the book. 🌞🌊

However, I found the pacing a bit slow and the plot a tad meandering at times. It took a while for the story to really grab my attention and I was hoping for a bit more excitement. ⏳💤

The characters were interesting, but I didn't feel as connected to them as I would have liked. I wanted to delve deeper into their motivations and personalities. 🤷‍♀️

Overall, while The Great Godden didn't quite hit the mark for me, I can see why others might enjoy it. If you're looking for a slow-burn, atmospheric read, this might be right up your alley. 📖🌟

lucyferlioness's review

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

booksnest's review

Go to review page

reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

lottifus's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

well-written guilty pleasure summer read about what happens when you trap a bunch of beautiful dysfunctional rich people in the middle of nowhere. I initially didn’t care for the protagonist and her* constant put-downs of women who supposedly aren’t as ‘dark and complex’ as her (I am failing to see the complexity) due to their physical attractiveness. it grew on me as it unfolded into more of a story about the family as a whole and how the location shapes them, to the lighthouse style.

would be a 3 star if I could make my mind up about the twist - I wish there had been more of a build up, still a ‘wait what?’ moment but one that would encourage me to look back on the events leading up to it with a new perspective. it’s not quite a great godden but it’s a pretty good godden.

*edit: the protagonist’s gender isn’t specified. I assumed they were female because of the girl on the cover, the semi-autobiographical feel to the book and, perhaps, because their observations about the other characters remind me of my own ‘not like other girls’ phase. interested to see whether this is clarified, or made even more ambiguous, in the second book.