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carolyn0613's review against another edition
4.0
A really bizarre and disturbing story. I'm not quite sure what I think of it so would have to say that you should read it and make your own mind up. Or not, if you are like me.
scoutfinch75's review against another edition
5.0
If I could give this book more than five stars I would.
On stepping into this book you will find yourself immersed in a gripping tale of family, of fear, of growing up the Floxlowe way... and it's repercussions.
Green lives at Foxlowe with the family. It's not a conventional family but lost souls from all over, gathered together, blindly searching for something different, something more. The family has it's own rules, it's own ways and to be a part of the family requires obedience without question, a dedication of mind, body and spirit.
We have the founders, Richard, Libby and Freya, then the adults and last and very much least, the children, Green, Blue and Toby, they are the ungrowns.
This is a story of a cult, of brainwashing, of abuse, and the lasting effects it can have, especially on the children who grow up knowing nothing else. With chilling sentences like,
"The children are the easiest for the Bad to slip in to, they must be watched."
this harrowing story will break your heart, and chill you to the bone.
Dark, creepy and disturbing Foxlowe and it's inhabitants will haunt your thoughts for a long time after putting the book down.
One more thing,
the ending... I was not prepared at all!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
On stepping into this book you will find yourself immersed in a gripping tale of family, of fear, of growing up the Floxlowe way... and it's repercussions.
Green lives at Foxlowe with the family. It's not a conventional family but lost souls from all over, gathered together, blindly searching for something different, something more. The family has it's own rules, it's own ways and to be a part of the family requires obedience without question, a dedication of mind, body and spirit.
We have the founders, Richard, Libby and Freya, then the adults and last and very much least, the children, Green, Blue and Toby, they are the ungrowns.
This is a story of a cult, of brainwashing, of abuse, and the lasting effects it can have, especially on the children who grow up knowing nothing else. With chilling sentences like,
"The children are the easiest for the Bad to slip in to, they must be watched."
this harrowing story will break your heart, and chill you to the bone.
Dark, creepy and disturbing Foxlowe and it's inhabitants will haunt your thoughts for a long time after putting the book down.
One more thing,
the ending... I was not prepared at all!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
mysimas's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Picked this one up under the mistaken assumption it was magical realism — Goodreads and at that time Storygraph both had it tagged as such… But it’s really just the story of a girl raised in a cult and brainwashed to believe and repeat certain things. There’s nothing in the book suggesting or even implying that the girl’s world actually includes those supernatural things…
Overall a readable, if dark character exploration. Freya and all abusers like her can go burn in hell.
Overall a readable, if dark character exploration. Freya and all abusers like her can go burn in hell.
I see people speaking out all the time in the outside world, though not as much as you’d think. They might intervene in a shop when a kid is getting slapped around, say, or if there’s a fight on the bus. But then they can walk home, if they are lucky enough not to get bloodied up. They can go to their group, who will agree with them, who will say, Yes, you were right. But we were the home, we were the group, and there was nowhere to go if you were on the wrong side of the invisible lines, if you were pushed out of the shoal, except out in the cold and the place where there were jobs and old hated families and whatever terrible things out there had made them come to Foxlowe in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Child death
tomstbr's review against another edition
4.0
Good literary read. All about a cultish family living in an old home. Feels ghostly, haunted, claustrophobic and very spooky, but it's also sweet as the protagonist and narrator is a naive follower - we see everything from her perspecitve even as we know it's not quite right. Nothing much happens per se, but it's a good exploration of character. The ending is quite harrowing.
alicerosie's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vcb182's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
shadowsmoon's review against another edition
5.0
I can't implore you enough to read this book. Wasserberg is a very astute, conjuring and deep writer, whilst she effortlessly weaves ribbons of stories. Every telling of character, moment, thought, place and emotion make this book real and haunting. Each page gripped me with truth and authenticity of someone's experience. Quite harrowing but courageous. It speaks of a remarkable life; unfolding an exploration of the many layers of phenomena in humans; our individual worlds and collective existence. One of my favourite books of all time... Crikey, she's clever xx
theangrystackrat's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
swozniak13's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It was almost five stars, and then the last page happened.