Reviews

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

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elisevman's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-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

2.5

odickensbowman's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

somelady's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn't really enjoy this book as much as the author's other books. This book has a dual perspective with dual timelines, one is set in the 1970s while the other is present day. While that doesn't bother me, I just wasn't as into the 1970's storyline. I think there were some aspects that kind of turned me off to the 1970s storyline such as the age difference in the female characters and the male characters and all that entails.

In 1974 it follows Mari, her musician boyfriend Pierce, rock star Noel, and Mari's stepsister Lara. Noel invited them to join him at the villa. During this timeline, someone is murdered, someone goes to jail, Mari writes a great horror novel, and Lara eventually composes an album that goes platinum.

In the present day, it follows Emily and her childhood friend Chess. Although they have stayed in touch over the years, their relationship isn't as close as it was in the past. Chess invites Emily to join her on vacation to an Italian villa. Emily is the author of a popular mystery series and Chess is a popular self-help author. Emily is also going through a divorce and is in a kind of writing slump. Both Emily and Chess hope to get some writing done and also spend some time together in hopes of rekindling their friendship. They end up staying in the same villa where Mari and the rest stayed in 1974. Emily becomes interested in the story of what happened in 1974 and follows clues that Mari left behind.

There were many parallels between both the past and the present and while I was interested in what was happening in 1974, I was kind of more interested in the present timeline and what was going on with Emily and Chess. Overall, not a bad book at all but just not my favorite that the author has written.

rileyreads11's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Took about 50 pages to really get into the story but after that it was a page turner! The ending had my jaw on the floor! So many unreliable narrators!

ellehawk's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm utterly convinced that Rachel Hawkins can do no wrong when it comes to mysteries. I LOVED this book. I loved the main characters and was angry/sad/glad right along with them every step of the way. I thought this novel had a strong sense of place and I liked the dual narratives/perspectives, I thought it only enhanced the story. I'll definitely be preordering Hawkin's next mystery/thriller.

My only qualm that was camping out in the back of my mind throughout the book: I'm stuck between thinking that this was a sort of love letter from the author to Mary Wollstonecraft-Shelley and that the author was completely ripping off Mary Shelley's life... fortunately, I'm a big Mary Shelley fan, and this novel felt like it was more in honor of her rather than in spite of her. It definitely put a view on Hawkin's books for me though... seems like she is borrowing some ideas from other works/people with her books (The Villa was a twist on Mary Shelley's life, The Heiress felt somewhat reminiscent of Rebecca, Reckless girls felt like it had a tinge of Lord of the Flies meets And Then There Were None, and I'm understanding that The Wife Upstairs is an ode to Jane Eyre)

jidkii's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Спочатку мене зачарувала атмосфера книги: розкішна італійська вілла, сонце, дві подруги дитинства відпочивають разом та розслідують темне минуле вілли, паралельно розбираючись зі своєю драмою у житті. Персонажі також були цікавими, хоч і не без вад.

Найбільша проблема - це те, що "погані хлопці", хоч і були негідниками, не заслужили на таку жорстоку розправу. Якщо те, що відбулося в минулому було закономірним, то дії гг у нинішньому були доволі дивні та навіть трохи тупуваті.

Хоч історія має декілька вад, загалом книга мені сподобалася. Вона захоплива, з гарною атмосферою та цікавими загадками. Сварки, драми, трохи параної та сюжетні лінії минулого й сучасного – все це робить книгу динамічною. Можливо, дещо наївною, інколи безглуздою, але загалом легкою та цікавою для читання.