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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Didn't like it. Didn't like narrator either. Didn't want to finish and gave up.
Jesus, this was great. I don't read many thrillers, but i was glued to this. Richly written, you are right in the narrator's head; you feel his confusion, angst and fear. And the end...
Dark, shattering, and ultimately exceedingly depressing BUT I still love Tana French. Her books are well-crafted and always a superior read. No one else out there today is writing this stuff, the intense and intricate play of character and interior psychology, with her verve and talent. One final recommendation: although The Witch Elm sorely tested my limits (self-actualization though murder? Really?) I can't wait to get my hands on her next one.
This book is definitely entertaining and well-written but it starts off pretty slow and a lot of the modern day pop culture references feel forced. An intriguing story, didn’t mind reading it but it didn’t make me want to read more of hers.
Amazing. I loved this book. A thrilling and subtle and remarkable investigation into privilege and all the ways it can affect those who have it and those who don’t. I was in awe of what Tana French was doing the whole time I was reading. And there was no loss of character or plot to this theme, they just perfectly served to illustrate it. It’s definitely a different tone than the Dublin Murder Squad books, but so so good.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
The Witch Elm was such a great story. I know Tana French was a good writer because I enjoyed In the Woods, the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad and felt it was one of the more well written mystery books I’ve read. For some reason, I never continued the series and kind of lost track of how many books there were and the series thing stresses me out sometimes, but I always check her new releases to see if they are not part of that series because I really wanted to read another book of hers. It’s less stressful to pick up something else then to get involved in a whole series again, if that makes sense. Anyway, here we are. The Witch Elm is a standalone and I was so happy to dive in.
I’ll admit, the book is very very slow. The event mentioned in the synopsis (the finding of the skull) doesn’t happen until like 40 something percent through the book. At that point, I warned my book club since we were all reading it this month that it was slow and to just know that and be prepared. Not everyone can make it through slow books like this one where the biggest plot point takes forever to actually happen, but sometimes expectations make all the difference. (This is a problem often in the creepy/spooky/mystery/horror genre because, while I think that a character based slow book can be even better than an action oriented bump in the night horror because we get invested in the people involved, it can turn some people away who aren’t looking for all that extra work.)
Despite the slowness, I really loved the story. I loved getting to know the characters and understanding their lives because I think it made the last half of the book that much more enjoyable. I felt like I was immersed in the writing and every bit of the detail that I was given in the beginning mattered in the end, especially as the book was about Toby, who was for most of his life a very lucky guy. The memory loss added to the mystery because Toby was an unreliable narrator and I LOVE those.
“The thing is, I suppose,” he said, “that one gets into the habit of being oneself. It takes some great upheaval to crack that shell and force us to discover what else might be underneath.”
The Witch Elm was a book about people, identity, life, family, and secrets. It was extremely well written and captivating. I highly recommend it!
I’ll admit, the book is very very slow. The event mentioned in the synopsis (the finding of the skull) doesn’t happen until like 40 something percent through the book. At that point, I warned my book club since we were all reading it this month that it was slow and to just know that and be prepared. Not everyone can make it through slow books like this one where the biggest plot point takes forever to actually happen, but sometimes expectations make all the difference. (This is a problem often in the creepy/spooky/mystery/horror genre because, while I think that a character based slow book can be even better than an action oriented bump in the night horror because we get invested in the people involved, it can turn some people away who aren’t looking for all that extra work.)
Despite the slowness, I really loved the story. I loved getting to know the characters and understanding their lives because I think it made the last half of the book that much more enjoyable. I felt like I was immersed in the writing and every bit of the detail that I was given in the beginning mattered in the end, especially as the book was about Toby, who was for most of his life a very lucky guy. The memory loss added to the mystery because Toby was an unreliable narrator and I LOVE those.
“The thing is, I suppose,” he said, “that one gets into the habit of being oneself. It takes some great upheaval to crack that shell and force us to discover what else might be underneath.”
The Witch Elm was a book about people, identity, life, family, and secrets. It was extremely well written and captivating. I highly recommend it!
Significantly slower-paced than her other work.