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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Kate Morton by far is one of my favorite authors. Her writing is exquisite and this novel is no exception. That being said I thought there were too many time lines to follow and therefore it was hard to stay engaged. I am glad I finished it but would recommend The Secret Keeper or The Forgotten Garden over this one.
2.5
I can’t, in good conscience, rate this any higher.
This book was a hot mess that would have benefited from a solid couple rounds with an editor.
There were far too many storylines, too many characters, not enough cohesion, and significant pacing issues.
The first 100 pages were a slog. I really struggled to keep going with it. If it had been anyone other than Kate Morton, I would have formally abandoned it. It picks up briefly around page 372 but it’s short lived and a few dozen pages of riveting reading doesn’t justify the length of the book nor make it any easier to get through. Ultimately, I found this wasn’t an enjoyable book to read.
The story had potential. I really like the Lucy/Lily timeline and characters. I also enjoyed Ada’s story. The rest of it didn’t do much for me. I thought Elodie was a total drip and having her as the “hero” didn’t do the book any favours. There is an excellent story here but it’s just too buried in filler and complicated interweaving attempts.
I was really disappointed in this highly-anticipated book. I hope it was just a fluke and the next Kate Morton story is back to its usual high standard!
I can’t, in good conscience, rate this any higher.
This book was a hot mess that would have benefited from a solid couple rounds with an editor.
There were far too many storylines, too many characters, not enough cohesion, and significant pacing issues.
The first 100 pages were a slog. I really struggled to keep going with it. If it had been anyone other than Kate Morton, I would have formally abandoned it. It picks up briefly around page 372 but it’s short lived and a few dozen pages of riveting reading doesn’t justify the length of the book nor make it any easier to get through. Ultimately, I found this wasn’t an enjoyable book to read.
The story had potential. I really like the Lucy/Lily timeline and characters. I also enjoyed Ada’s story. The rest of it didn’t do much for me. I thought Elodie was a total drip and having her as the “hero” didn’t do the book any favours. There is an excellent story here but it’s just too buried in filler and complicated interweaving attempts.
I was really disappointed in this highly-anticipated book. I hope it was just a fluke and the next Kate Morton story is back to its usual high standard!
Probably 3 1/2 stars. It was a great story and well written but too many characters and subplots to keep straight.
Incredibly slow moving, felt boring, could not get into it.
I only finished because I skipped much of the book. Dragged on.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes