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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
3.5 stars rounding up to 4. This was so LONG. Too long- probably a good 150-200 pages could have been cut. I love all of Kate Morton's books, but after reading them all, they're getting a bit predictable. Still, really enjoyable read.
mysterious
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Infertility, War
Was there a minimum word count that the author needed to achieve? Why did we need the middle 400 pages?
The book starts off flipping back and forth and I was intrigue when we find the dead people. Then it’s all pittered out to a long drawn narrative that doesn’t seem to move (except for Jess physically moving while she reads books she finds) and only giving the most minute bits of info that carries the story on.
The pacing is dead slow and then the last 100 pages remind you of what you were here for. And yes, I didn’t predict it… so yes it was interesting … BUT did I care anymore? Probably not.
Nora was manipulative at best but we don’t delved into her POV and instead we get a half baked account from Polly. Jess stays in her bubble and really is not much wiser by the end either.
Even if the book didn’t sell itself as a mystery crime fiction, and went for mother/daughter relationship - it would have still failed for me.
The slog was not worth it.
The book starts off flipping back and forth and I was intrigue when we find the dead people. Then it’s all pittered out to a long drawn narrative that doesn’t seem to move (except for Jess physically moving while she reads books she finds) and only giving the most minute bits of info that carries the story on.
The pacing is dead slow and then the last 100 pages remind you of what you were here for. And yes, I didn’t predict it… so yes it was interesting … BUT did I care anymore? Probably not.
Nora was manipulative at best but we don’t delved into her POV and instead we get a half baked account from Polly. Jess stays in her bubble and really is not much wiser by the end either.
Even if the book didn’t sell itself as a mystery crime fiction, and went for mother/daughter relationship - it would have still failed for me.
The slog was not worth it.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Nothing like a Kate Morton book. This one started slow and the story didn’t grab me right away, but then suddenly it sucked me in. Has all the best twists and turns and of course the wonderful old creepy house!
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This wasn't a bad book by any means. What it was though was much too long. I enjoy a good bit of detail, but the story really just took too long to move along. It initially had me, but lost me up until about 100 pages at the end when it picked up somewhat again. I found myself not even caring anymore about "figuring it out" through the slow middle of this book. I did call some of the reveals, as they seemed pretty obvious. Others were surprises, but nothing made me go "wow!" I can't say I had fun reading this, which is a shame. I've liked other books by this author. It didn't move me to feel deeply about anyone, which was also a miss for me. I like to feel connected to the characters, but didn't. The events were sad but I didn't feel that sadness. This was just too slow and disconnected from feeling for me.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one... life meant I couldn't read it as fast as I would have liked but I couldn't leave it unfinished
mysterious
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:
Yes
Honk shoo, honk shoo, mimimimi.
Rounding my rating down to what Goodreads labels as "it was ok" because I'm so very frustrated with this story's wasted potential. I heard such wonderful things about this book but was disappointed. I've liked the other couple books of Kate's I've read, too!
This book was far too long. I say this after having just read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which is a very long and slow book, but I was never bored reading it. Homecoming was both slow and boring. There's so much mindless detail about Jess like, moving around the house and reading the book within a book. And you get every little minute thought or action she does. The book got pretty repetitive.
This was such a chore to get through after a very intriguing prologue. Jess did not work as a main character for me in the slightest; you're supposed to feel sympathy for her as she's working out the multiple mysteries but she was SO rude to Polly and a wet rag of a character overall. Polly's brief POVs were the most interesting to me outside of Percy and his family's story. One of the "mystery" plots of the book was guessable from the off.
Nora can kick rocks.
There are truly SO many plot holes to this story. Let me list a few from the top of my head:
1) You're telling me multiple people rifled through Isabel's journal but Polly is the first one who immediately and magically finds the threatening note at the back? The police had this journal! A writer had this journal! Gah!
2)That many people were able to stay quiet about Meg and the baby?! Including CHILDREN?
3) Jess, who had been looking around extensively for a letter sent to Nora that she knows Nora read and was disturbed by, never thinks to CHECK THE TRASH CAN IN NORA'S ROOM?
4) How in the world did Jess come to the conclusion that it was Meg? Us readers know it, because we read it, but Jess just decides it must've been her because Percy was Isabel's lover?
There are more, but I found the ending lackluster and got annoyed as well that poor Polly was so used and abused by Nora and never even got to explain to Jess. So Jess is just walking around thinking Polly abandoned her. Boo to Jess! Boo to Nora! Justice for Polly and Becky!!!
Rounding my rating down to what Goodreads labels as "it was ok" because I'm so very frustrated with this story's wasted potential. I heard such wonderful things about this book but was disappointed. I've liked the other couple books of Kate's I've read, too!
This book was far too long. I say this after having just read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which is a very long and slow book, but I was never bored reading it. Homecoming was both slow and boring. There's so much mindless detail about Jess like, moving around the house and reading the book within a book. And you get every little minute thought or action she does. The book got pretty repetitive.
This was such a chore to get through after a very intriguing prologue. Jess did not work as a main character for me in the slightest; you're supposed to feel sympathy for her as she's working out the multiple mysteries but she was SO rude to Polly and a wet rag of a character overall. Polly's brief POVs were the most interesting to me outside of Percy and his family's story. One of the "mystery" plots of the book was guessable from the off.
Nora can kick rocks.
1) You're telling me multiple people rifled through Isabel's journal but Polly is the first one who immediately and magically finds the threatening note at the back? The police had this journal! A writer had this journal! Gah!
2)That many people were able to stay quiet about Meg and the baby?! Including CHILDREN?
3) Jess, who had been looking around extensively for a letter sent to Nora that she knows Nora read and was disturbed by, never thinks to CHECK THE TRASH CAN IN NORA'S ROOM?
4) How in the world did Jess come to the conclusion that it was Meg? Us readers know it, because we read it, but Jess just decides it must've been her because Percy was Isabel's lover?
There are more, but I found the ending lackluster and got annoyed as well that poor Polly was so used and abused by Nora and never even got to explain to Jess. So Jess is just walking around thinking Polly abandoned her. Boo to Jess! Boo to Nora! Justice for Polly and Becky!!!