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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
If it weren’t for the end this book would probably have received 4 stars. It just got jumbled at the end and lost the flow.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not sure how I felt about this book. The writing is great but it's terribly depressing in parts and while I loved the mystery, the outcome is... Dark.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Really enjoyed it, quite slow pace but I think that enabled me to understand the main character Toby much more, it also adds a massive contrast between the start and the end which is very impactful. I understand that a lot of people say that the characters aren’t the most likable, however I didn’t see that as an issue as I was just enveloped in how the whole family interacted.
I almost didn’t finish this book because the beginning was soooo slow! I was thinking tana this isn’t like your normal books. But I’m rating it 3 stars because the ending was a huge saver. The twist in this book was great and the ending wow! This book was the slowest burn I’ve ever read but don’t give up on it.
I would have given this book three stars if it hadn't been for the last two chapters. This Wych Elm turned out to be more of a character study than the mystery thriller I expected.
(I wrote the majority of this review when I was around chapter 10/13).
First I just want to say that I love Tana French's writing style. It is easy to read and it always pulls me into the story. However, that being said, the Wych Elm is not by favorite book written by her.
To start, the main character, Toby, is insufferable. He wants to have the attention focussed on him and feels like he always needs to contribute something:
He also has difficulties emphasizing with others. About homeless people he says:
All in all, his personality makes it very difficult to sympathize with him.
The other characters also become less likeable the further the story progresses, though this is not necessarily due to Tana French's writing but due to the story itself (if that makes sense). For me, this unlikeableness of the characters (or suspects because that is what they are) put me off. I usually don't mind when suspects are unlikeable when the story is written from the perspective of the detectives like the Dublin Murder Squad series (which I loved).
Unfortunately, it takes a long time, around 190 pages in my edition, before they find the skull. Everything before that is character building for Toby, which I personally think could have been shorter. After they find the skull the story becomes way more interesting.
(I wrote the majority of this review when I was around chapter 10/13).
First I just want to say that I love Tana French's writing style. It is easy to read and it always pulls me into the story. However, that being said, the Wych Elm is not by favorite book written by her.
To start, the main character, Toby, is insufferable. He wants to have the attention focussed on him and feels like he always needs to contribute something:
"I felt like I needed to make some kind of mark on this conversation", he thinks while his entire family is being questioned about the skull in the backyard.
He also has difficulties emphasizing with others. About homeless people he says:
"They could have gotten jobs. The recession is over; there isn o reason for anyone to be stuck in the muck unless they actually choose to be."
All in all, his personality makes it very difficult to sympathize with him.
The other characters also become less likeable the further the story progresses, though this is not necessarily due to Tana French's writing but due to the story itself (if that makes sense). For me, this unlikeableness of the characters (or suspects because that is what they are) put me off. I usually don't mind when suspects are unlikeable when the story is written from the perspective of the detectives like the Dublin Murder Squad series (which I loved).
Unfortunately, it takes a long time, around 190 pages in my edition, before they find the skull. Everything before that is character building for Toby, which I personally think could have been shorter. After they find the skull the story becomes way more interesting.
Spoiler
The thing that actually bugs me the most about Toby is that he is genuinely upset when he finds out he is in fact not the one who killed the person in the tree.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes