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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
This author has a very particular style — some might say, formula — to her books: someone in the present is investigating a mysterious, probably tragic event in their family's past; the narrative POV skips back and forth between multiple characters, past and present, to reveal different perspectives and details of the events in question; clues are discovered in old papers, journals, etc; and there's probably a crumbling mansion involved somewhere along the way. Luckily, these things exactly my catnip and I will read variations on this theme over and over forever, please and thank you.
This was a top-notch example of the form; I had one of the major reveals called early on, but as usual, there were several more layers to be untangled, and at least one twist that made me actually gasp out loud. The book takes its sweet time, as usual, letting the reader luxuriate in the details, carefully setting down one thread to focus on another before picking it back up again to throw you for an entire loop as you notice the answers that took shape while you weren't paying attention, weaving a tapestry of a plot that ultimately comes together in a smooth and eminently satisfying whole.
I particularly appreciated the attention to character-building, especially regarding Nora — for someone who is never a POV character, she's the locus around which the rest of the story is anchored, and rarely has my opinion of a character shifted so dramatically without feeling like I'm being directly manipulated by the hand of the author. The detail reveals are well-placed and so thoroughly grounded in Jess and Polly's perspectives that at no point does it feel inorganic or unearned by the plot.
If I had one complaint, it's that having big chunks of the story taken up by the book-within-a-book felt awfully convenient on Jess's part, and I'd have liked some of that story space to be doled out to actual POV sections for the characters involved, with Jess doing a bit more digging on her end for the info. But in the end, it's a fairly minor quibble, and didn't detract much at all from my enjoyment of the story. The whole thing sucked me in and kept me riveted straight through to the end, as per usual with this author — thoroughly enjoyable read.
This was a top-notch example of the form; I had one of the major reveals called early on, but as usual, there were several more layers to be untangled, and at least one twist that made me actually gasp out loud. The book takes its sweet time, as usual, letting the reader luxuriate in the details, carefully setting down one thread to focus on another before picking it back up again to throw you for an entire loop as you notice the answers that took shape while you weren't paying attention, weaving a tapestry of a plot that ultimately comes together in a smooth and eminently satisfying whole.
I particularly appreciated the attention to character-building, especially regarding Nora — for someone who is never a POV character, she's the locus around which the rest of the story is anchored, and rarely has my opinion of a character shifted so dramatically without feeling like I'm being directly manipulated by the hand of the author. The detail reveals are well-placed and so thoroughly grounded in Jess and Polly's perspectives that at no point does it feel inorganic or unearned by the plot.
If I had one complaint, it's that having big chunks of the story taken up by the book-within-a-book felt awfully convenient on Jess's part, and I'd have liked some of that story space to be doled out to actual POV sections for the characters involved, with Jess doing a bit more digging on her end for the info. But in the end, it's a fairly minor quibble, and didn't detract much at all from my enjoyment of the story. The whole thing sucked me in and kept me riveted straight through to the end, as per usual with this author — thoroughly enjoyable read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
The book was fine. The mystery was less compelling to me and the first half especially dragged for me.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5. So good! Family saga combined with a mystery over a 79 year time span. Just loved it. I thought I could predict the ending - who did what and who is who but I was mainly wrong. My method of suspecting everyone at some point did not even really help here.
Thanks Mom - great recommendation!
Thanks Mom - great recommendation!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated