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samstillreading's review against another edition
1.0
I just couldn't get into the style of this one, felt like I had to read each sentence several times over. A bit too slow paced for me. Gave up at 25% (just over 100 pages)
eshalliday's review
1.0
This doesn't work.
I had such high expectations after seeing positive reviews and recommendations, and this sounds like the kind of narrative&setting I usually lap up eagerly. However, read into other Goodreads reviews more closely, and you get an inkling of the ways in which this novel fails to function cohesively.
[LATER EDIT: Then, read the Goodreads questions on this book, and - spoilers notwithstanding - you'll get an even clearer idea of what kind of flaws are apparent here!]
The multiple viewpoints are tiresome; the jumping through time is baffling; the family tree is overcomplicated; the 'big reveal' is a total flop. The novel keeps promising, promising, promising that it'll get better, and... it just doesn't.
The cacophony of voices here is discordant; the 'main' character, Iris, gets completely lost in the din; the novel limps along at a pace so slow, it made me sag at the thought of taking it up again every time I did. The plot revisits certain things repeatedly, and the action just gets more and more diluted as it does so.
There is nothing here to grasp! There's no core substance to provide any impetus to keep reading. I finished the book, with pains, because I kept thinking SOMEthing would happen that justified all these rave reviews. Alas, nothing ever did. The book petered out with just as much disappointment as I'd felt all the way through. I'm left angry at the time I wasted reading this, when there are so many stellar books sitting on my 'to read' shelf, which I could have been enjoying.
I had such high expectations after seeing positive reviews and recommendations, and this sounds like the kind of narrative&setting I usually lap up eagerly. However, read into other Goodreads reviews more closely, and you get an inkling of the ways in which this novel fails to function cohesively.
[LATER EDIT: Then, read the Goodreads questions on this book, and - spoilers notwithstanding - you'll get an even clearer idea of what kind of flaws are apparent here!]
The multiple viewpoints are tiresome; the jumping through time is baffling; the family tree is overcomplicated; the 'big reveal' is a total flop. The novel keeps promising, promising, promising that it'll get better, and... it just doesn't.
The cacophony of voices here is discordant; the 'main' character, Iris, gets completely lost in the din; the novel limps along at a pace so slow, it made me sag at the thought of taking it up again every time I did. The plot revisits certain things repeatedly, and the action just gets more and more diluted as it does so.
There is nothing here to grasp! There's no core substance to provide any impetus to keep reading. I finished the book, with pains, because I kept thinking SOMEthing would happen that justified all these rave reviews. Alas, nothing ever did. The book petered out with just as much disappointment as I'd felt all the way through. I'm left angry at the time I wasted reading this, when there are so many stellar books sitting on my 'to read' shelf, which I could have been enjoying.
rebecca_w93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.75
greenwoodspicers's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alliehwilliams's review against another edition
This was as a did-not-finish for me due to unexpected vivisection, which involved upsetting scenes with rabbits. I might have just skipped those scenes, but the story involved a flashback to the past that was not as interesting as the present-day storyline (though I am sure it was necessary to understanding the present-day situation). The author is talented, this is just not what I was expecting or wanting.
belacqua's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It great debut novel from one of my now favorite authors. Never has a haunting felt so relatable.
leafwhistle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.25
glet10's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic work of gothic fiction that's as indebted to the work of Patrick McGrath as it is to the Brontës, Charles Robert Maturin et al. Honours the conventions of the genre while also subverting them in fresh and pleasing ways. Highly recommended.
juliette_21's review
1.0
This book looked amazing but was such a burden and a difficulty to read. I couldn't understand what was going on and gave up quickly.
What a shame as the storyline seemed interesting
What a shame as the storyline seemed interesting