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beate251's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Meg, Daphne and Grace are three septuagenarians who are having coffee and a nice chat in a cafe when 17 year old Nina races in and begs them to help her. They do and take her home with them, where she tells them that she was trafficked into prostitution. They try to buy the pimp off but complications arise and murder plans are made.
"We had known him for two days when we decided to kill him."
Rosalind Stopps has a knack for strong opening sentences.
I've first read "Virginia Lane is not a Hero" and became interested in her back catalogue. This book has some themes in common, like the ordinary people who decide to help a stranger, thus coming to grips with their own traumas.
I do not agree with a previous reviewer that the author wanted to fulfill a diversity and inclusion quota. It is simply a modern story that acknowledges that black, brown and trans people exist and face many hurdles, like the person who called the trans woman a freak. That's what you should be in arms about!
There are a lot of toxic men in this story who have bullied, undermined and gaslit our heroines for so many years that it is hard for them to come out of it unscathed. Meg for example talks so much about her late husband Henry that I was soon sick and tired of hearing about that horrible man. She doesn't even realise she is doing it, and how he undermined her so much that she internalised it and is now constantly putting herself down. There is an easy to figure out twist in her story - I knew almost from the moment she started talking about him what might have happened to Horrible Henry.
That was the one thing that I didn't like - how long it took the author to tell us about the backgrounds and battle scars of our three ladies like they were all big secrets. I would have liked to know all this upfront so it wouldn't distract from Nina's story, but even that one was told in flashbacks.
It's the reason I can't give this a five star review. It has all the elements of a great story though, with an ever expanding cast of people congregating in Meg's flat, including contract killers (with a dog called Shoe) and other light criminals, plus a couple of Shakespeare-quoting homeless people. The book is well-written and the ending is satisfying if a little abrupt.
"We had known him for two days when we decided to kill him."
Rosalind Stopps has a knack for strong opening sentences.
I've first read "Virginia Lane is not a Hero" and became interested in her back catalogue. This book has some themes in common, like the ordinary people who decide to help a stranger, thus coming to grips with their own traumas.
I do not agree with a previous reviewer that the author wanted to fulfill a diversity and inclusion quota. It is simply a modern story that acknowledges that black, brown and trans people exist and face many hurdles, like the person who called the trans woman a freak. That's what you should be in arms about!
There are a lot of toxic men in this story who have bullied, undermined and gaslit our heroines for so many years that it is hard for them to come out of it unscathed. Meg for example talks so much about her late husband Henry that I was soon sick and tired of hearing about that horrible man. She doesn't even realise she is doing it, and how he undermined her so much that she internalised it and is now constantly putting herself down. There is an easy to figure out twist in her story - I knew almost from the moment she started talking about him what might have happened to Horrible Henry.
That was the one thing that I didn't like - how long it took the author to tell us about the backgrounds and battle scars of our three ladies like they were all big secrets. I would have liked to know all this upfront so it wouldn't distract from Nina's story, but even that one was told in flashbacks.
It's the reason I can't give this a five star review. It has all the elements of a great story though, with an ever expanding cast of people congregating in Meg's flat, including contract killers (with a dog called Shoe) and other light criminals, plus a couple of Shakespeare-quoting homeless people. The book is well-written and the ending is satisfying if a little abrupt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
fanchera's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking and Murder
Minor: Cursing
amcghig's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder
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