Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
A Tana French book that I liked but didn't love.
I was so excited to read this book. A stand alone Tana French book that has something to do with a witch elm? Yes! There is an old unsolved mystery about a skull found in a witch elm in 1940s England, 'Bella in the Wych Elm,' and I wondered if this book was inspired by that tale. It probably was, but this novel is set in the modern day with very modern problems driving the conflict.
I think my two problems with this book were 1) it is too long, and 2) I didn't like the characters. This book is less than 500 pages long but feels longer. The beginning is tedious, you don't even get to the mystery plot of the book until about a third of the way through. The middle part drags and it seems that all of the characters just sit around eating meals and talking to each other for a hundred or so pages. It feels claustrophobic and made me long for French's other novels where the characters are always on the move, interacting with the outside world.
The characters are interesting and purposely written so that you don't know who is a reliable narrator. But this too gets old after a while because I got tired of trying to keep track of each character's motivations and figure out which one was the most likely sociopath.
But this was still a Tana French book, so it had a great ending that you don't see coming and I will read whatever else she writes in the future.
I was so excited to read this book. A stand alone Tana French book that has something to do with a witch elm? Yes! There is an old unsolved mystery about a skull found in a witch elm in 1940s England, 'Bella in the Wych Elm,' and I wondered if this book was inspired by that tale. It probably was, but this novel is set in the modern day with very modern problems driving the conflict.
I think my two problems with this book were 1) it is too long, and 2) I didn't like the characters. This book is less than 500 pages long but feels longer. The beginning is tedious, you don't even get to the mystery plot of the book until about a third of the way through. The middle part drags and it seems that all of the characters just sit around eating meals and talking to each other for a hundred or so pages. It feels claustrophobic and made me long for French's other novels where the characters are always on the move, interacting with the outside world.
The characters are interesting and purposely written so that you don't know who is a reliable narrator. But this too gets old after a while because I got tired of trying to keep track of each character's motivations and figure out which one was the most likely sociopath.
But this was still a Tana French book, so it had a great ending that you don't see coming and I will read whatever else she writes in the future.
Definitely a departure from her Dublin Murder series - I found it interesting but a bit predictable, not as twisty as her other books. I like the exploration of how one event so changes Toby's life and his whole understanding of who he is as a person, but I kind of mostly found the whole book a bit bland and depressing.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I like that Toby is unlikable in a human way, not that he sucks but he’s a human being. Not a lot of books write the protagonist as a person with flaws and this is done very well
I found this super tedious, but I stuck with it, so I guess it wasn’t all bad?
Weighing in at a hefty 528 pages, The Witch Elm by Tana French is a character-driven mystery that is quite absorbing.
Toby Hennessy is the first to admit he is a lucky man. He has been blessed with a loving family, good looks, charm and a silver tongue. He has a wonderful girlfriend, Melissa and two best mates, Declan and Sean, who mean the world to him. After finessing his way out of a tricky situation at work, Toby is celebrating his success with Declan and Sean with a few pints. However, his world is turned upside down when two burglars beat him nearly to death later that night. Toby's road to recovery is long, arduous and quite frustrating as speech problems, memory losses and physical issues continue to plague him long after his release from the hospital. He is even more distressed to learn his beloved Uncle Hugo is dying and prodded by his cousin Susanna, Toby decides to move into the family's home to help care for Hugo. The shocking discovery of a skull in a tree in their garden puts Toby and the rest of the family into a bit of a tizzy. However it is not until the police identify the victim that Toby truly goes into a downward spiral that has long lasting repercussions on his life.
Written in first person from Toby's perspective, the slow moving narrative provides a firsthand view of Toby's heartrending struggles in the aftermath of the beating. He no longer knows who he is since the skills that he relied on for much of his life are now gone. His Swiss cheese memory leaves him doubting himself and he cannot help but be a bit suspicious of being taken advantage of by others. He is also embarrassed by the lingering physical defects that continue to plague him. Toby tries to hide the worst of his issues from his family but it is easy for everyone to see he is irrevocably changed by the attack.
The story arc and characters are multi-layered and the leisurely parceling of information sometimes bogs down the unfolding story. The discovery of the skull does not take place until fairly far into the novel and the subsequent investigation moves in dibs and drabs. Toby is plagued by suspicions as his cousins Susanna and Leon cause him to doubt his somewhat dubious memories of their shared past. He cannot trust what he believes to be true about himself and once he loses faith in the person he thought he was, Toby is rather desperate to uncover the truth.
The Witch Elm is an innovative mystery with an interesting but somewhat difficult cast of characters to like. The novel is quite atmospheric and somewhat gloomy with some intriguing foreshadowing that hint that something dire is going to occur. Readers will most likely figure out who killed the victim but Tana French throws in shocking twist that is definitely impossible to predict. Although rather lengthy and somewhat long-winded on occasion, fans of the genre will enjoy this fascinating mystery.
Toby Hennessy is the first to admit he is a lucky man. He has been blessed with a loving family, good looks, charm and a silver tongue. He has a wonderful girlfriend, Melissa and two best mates, Declan and Sean, who mean the world to him. After finessing his way out of a tricky situation at work, Toby is celebrating his success with Declan and Sean with a few pints. However, his world is turned upside down when two burglars beat him nearly to death later that night. Toby's road to recovery is long, arduous and quite frustrating as speech problems, memory losses and physical issues continue to plague him long after his release from the hospital. He is even more distressed to learn his beloved Uncle Hugo is dying and prodded by his cousin Susanna, Toby decides to move into the family's home to help care for Hugo. The shocking discovery of a skull in a tree in their garden puts Toby and the rest of the family into a bit of a tizzy. However it is not until the police identify the victim that Toby truly goes into a downward spiral that has long lasting repercussions on his life.
Written in first person from Toby's perspective, the slow moving narrative provides a firsthand view of Toby's heartrending struggles in the aftermath of the beating. He no longer knows who he is since the skills that he relied on for much of his life are now gone. His Swiss cheese memory leaves him doubting himself and he cannot help but be a bit suspicious of being taken advantage of by others. He is also embarrassed by the lingering physical defects that continue to plague him. Toby tries to hide the worst of his issues from his family but it is easy for everyone to see he is irrevocably changed by the attack.
The story arc and characters are multi-layered and the leisurely parceling of information sometimes bogs down the unfolding story. The discovery of the skull does not take place until fairly far into the novel and the subsequent investigation moves in dibs and drabs. Toby is plagued by suspicions as his cousins Susanna and Leon cause him to doubt his somewhat dubious memories of their shared past. He cannot trust what he believes to be true about himself and once he loses faith in the person he thought he was, Toby is rather desperate to uncover the truth.
The Witch Elm is an innovative mystery with an interesting but somewhat difficult cast of characters to like. The novel is quite atmospheric and somewhat gloomy with some intriguing foreshadowing that hint that something dire is going to occur. Readers will most likely figure out who killed the victim but Tana French throws in shocking twist that is definitely impossible to predict. Although rather lengthy and somewhat long-winded on occasion, fans of the genre will enjoy this fascinating mystery.
3,5 stars
I have to admit, it is not one of Tana French's best books but it's still pretty good.
The beginning is slow and the pace picks up in the middle of the book but the last 100 pages are really, really good. It's so typical of Tana French that her main characters are worse off at the end of the book but I freaking love that.
And even though the book started off slow, I was never really bored or considered not finishing it because French's writing just hooks you and keeps you reading.
I have to admit, it is not one of Tana French's best books but it's still pretty good.
The beginning is slow and the pace picks up in the middle of the book but the last 100 pages are really, really good. It's so typical of Tana French that her main characters are worse off at the end of the book but I freaking love that.
And even though the book started off slow, I was never really bored or considered not finishing it because French's writing just hooks you and keeps you reading.