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lindsayvale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Infidelity, Alcohol, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Drug use, Grief, Car accident, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Alcoholism, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders
rsagarin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Ableism, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Murder, Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Misogyny, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
jes_reads00's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Drug use, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
diazahra_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism and Addiction
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Animal cruelty
hayleyonjupiter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Car accident and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual content and Adult/minor relationship
chelle22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Stalking, Child death, Murder, Confinement, Sexual content, Deadnaming, Death, Violence, Car accident, and Cursing
literatureleaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Reading time: 4 days
Difficulty level: 2/5
Rating: 6.5/10
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn follows Anna Fox, a no-longer practicing child psychologist who finds herself suffering from agoraphobia after tragedy strikes her household. While battling her own mind, Anna passes the time by watching her neighbors. Most of the time she sees nothing but the mundanity of rich, suburban lifestyles, but one fateful day a new family, the Russell’s, move into the neighborhood, and everything changes.
After observing the new neighbors through her windows, and getting to know Jane Russell, the woman of the house, and Ethan Russell, her teenage son, Anna begins to suspect that everything is not quite as it should be within the household, and the root of the domestic strife lies with Alistair, Jane’s husband and Ethan’s father. One night the situation reaches a boiling point, and Anna witnesses something that no one was meant to see, sending her spiraling into a web of deception and mystery where she quickly finds that she can trust no one, not even herself.
Finn pens a gripping portrait of a psyche ravaged by loneliness, substance abuse, and mental illness. Anna is a flawlessly executed unreliable narrator, and an air of tormented despair permeates throughout the book, creating a continuous feeling of dread and uncertainty. At times the narration can become a bit longwinded, and Anna tends to ramble, but for the most part, within the context of her fragile mental state, this works with the story rather than against it.
At the heart, The Woman in the Window is a thriller, and Finn is certainly a master of the genre. The book centers around one large mystery, with several other, smaller, interconnected mysteries at play that intertwine seamlessly into one main plotline. Each element is given just the right amount of attention, and the different subplots serve to flesh out the main story, rather than overshadow it. The suspense scenes are not only plentiful, but executed to near perfection, igniting a feeling akin to holding a live wire. Holding your breath is nearly a guarantee!
Despite the expertly crafted suspense elements, the book struggles with the mysteries themselves. The twists were, for the most part, largely unoriginal, and despite the riveting leadups, the reveals themselves were underwhelming, leading to a feeling much like eating a delicious dinner, then following it up with a prepackaged Hostess cake from the local gas station for dessert. When considering the high caliber of the rest of Finn’s writing, the twists can’t help but feel phoned in.
Unfortunately, the mysteries aren’t the only aspect of the novel that leaves something to be desired. At times, it feels like the book is taking on more than it can handle. Without giving too much away, in addition to being a simple thriller, The Woman in the Window attempts to delve into mental health, family, resiliency, domestic abuse, grief, and drug addiction. While some of these are explored in detail and very well done, others fall by the wayside and are not given the respect and attention that such heavy topics deserve. However, when so much is crammed into one book, it is almost inevitable that certain themes will take precedence over others.
At its core, The Woman in the Window is a fun and suspenseful read that excels at keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Anna is an outstanding main character, and Finn makes it startlingly easy to empathize with her, even when revelations are made that don’t cast her in the best light. The plot is solid and entertaining throughout, and, despite the predictable twists and less-than-stellar exploration of some of the heavier themes, Finn is undeniably great at writing a novel that’s no less than a great time.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Child death, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts
lenagf's review against another edition
4.0
Es muy loco como la mayoría del tiempo no parece estar pasando nada, de hecho, la "acción" se demora harto en empezar (pasadas las 100 páginas) y hay miles de descripciones, información y líos mentales de la protagonista que a mí, personalmente, no me interesaban mucho. Como punto a favor, debo confesar que no tengo mucha experiencia leyendo thrillers psicológicos, por lo que puede que sea algo común de este género (por algo se llaman así, ¿no?); además, igual fue entretenido y la historia avanzó bastante rápido.
Por otro lado, Anna es una protagonista muy poco confiable que de verdad te hace cuestionar si lo que pasó fue real o está delirando, y cuando se reveló
Luego, la revelación final
Quiero hablar sobre muchas cosas de este libro, pero lo terminé ayer y todavía lo tengo fresco y no sé cómo ponerlas en escrito, pero si dejaba pasar la reseña luego no la iba a escribir nunca. En general, lo disfruté bastante y lo recomiendo si les gustan los libros con una narradora no confiable llena de enredos mentales y problemas.
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Sexual content
pott's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content and Murder
konstantina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, and Torture