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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
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
What a stupid book that was way too long... in true fashion, French leaves things unresolved- so annoying.
It pains me to say this, because I love Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series SO MUCH, but this just wasn’t my favorite. The first half of the book was so slow. It picked up around the mid-way mark and I thought she was going to win me back, but then it really fizzled at the end. It felt too “all wrapped up” but in a strange, unrealistic way. EDITED TO ADD: I gave this 3 stars because Tana’s writing is very strong and it was in this book. It was really plot and pacing that lost me here.
(audiobook) Ug - 22 hours later. I really did not like this book. It started super slow - 7 hrs in to really get to the point of the book. I know that I don't care for books with unlikable characters. This book was full of spoiled, nasty, unlikable characters. I've enjoyed French's books before but this one missed the mark. At least since it was an audiobook I was able to get things done while listening to it, not a total waste.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tana French is just so good. She has this way of worming into your brain so you are thinking of the novel all day & eager to get home and finish it. She has the ability to write characters so that the reader knows them so well that they can recognize what the character does and does not understand about himself.
dark
emotional
funny
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
slow-paced
tana french is great at writing police procedurals that center around unlikeable male protagonists with faulty memories.
slow-paced