You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
maggiedoodlez's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that was disturbing. Good mystery but perhaps more than I bargained for. I did solve it in the layers it was presented in which was fun.
emmabeckman's review against another edition
1.0
For once, I don't really want to give a rant review for a book I really disliked. Usually, I don't really need to LIKE characters, per se, but I guess I do need to have some level of sympathy for them and their situation, or at LEAST an interest in what they're going to do.
Yes, I hated every character, but I think you're supposed to, so I'm not mad about that. But I couldn't sympathize with anyone's rationale. I understood why they chose to do things, but no one ever gained anything from those decisions and never learned why they should have made other decisions and I just don't care about people being idiots for 350 pages and never growing as people.
Also nothing happened in this book. And yet it still managed to be super gross and not a great time to read. There were way too many clues about what really happened throughout the book, like REALLY obvious ones. So.... soz about that.
Ugh I'm not sure if that review made sense. But really. I DON'T have to LIKE a character, but I have to be INTERESTED in what they're doing and I really wasn't.
ALSO. The most interesting part to read was the "past" sections and they were still not really that great.
Edited to add: this review sums up most of my complaints about the book (contains spoilers).
Yes, I hated every character, but I think you're supposed to, so I'm not mad about that. But I couldn't sympathize with anyone's rationale. I understood why they chose to do things, but no one ever gained anything from those decisions and never learned why they should have made other decisions and I just don't care about people being idiots for 350 pages and never growing as people.
Also nothing happened in this book. And yet it still managed to be super gross and not a great time to read. There were way too many clues about what really happened throughout the book, like REALLY obvious ones. So.... soz about that.
Ugh I'm not sure if that review made sense. But really. I DON'T have to LIKE a character, but I have to be INTERESTED in what they're doing and I really wasn't.
ALSO. The most interesting part to read was the "past" sections and they were still not really that great.
Edited to add: this review sums up most of my complaints about the book (contains spoilers).
adinadwd's review against another edition
2.0
Flop ending which didn't make sense to me in regards to the character.
br1sr3alm's review against another edition
4.0
Color me a fan of Flynn. Discovering that this will be a movie in the fall of 2014 w/ Nicholas Hoult and Charlize Theron, I had to seek it out since I enjoyed Gone Girl. While Gone Girl drove me a bit batty with the characters I just wanted to punch, this story kept driving me to the end, knowing it's a less complex plot than Girl but no less intriguing in its plot turns as it's more of a whodunit years later than a character study. I look forward to reading Sharp Objects.
danimran53's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
courtneyajw's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really tempted to give this five stars but I literally JUST finished it so I'm going to have to revisit this mini review in a few days. The painfully slow start is why I'm not going to give it 5 right now. After reading two Gillian Flynn novels, I'm comfortable with saying that the slow start and huge uptick in action is just her style. I can appreciate it but that doesn't make I have to enjoy it. From the halfway point to the end I never wanted to put it down.
This is the story of Libby Day - a girl who survives the massacre of her family. Everyone blames the brother Ben and as the youngest child she is also coerced into blaming him. She spends her life living on the money that she makes from being the single surviving member of her savagely murdered family. She's a bit dishonest and somewhat of a klepto. As we meet her, she's at the end of her money and being told her by financial advisor that she needs to get a job. The irony is that she's in the same position as her mother was before she was killed.
I really enjoyed that this book is really only possible because Libby was so young when the murders happened and it makes you think about the real life situations when very young children are asked to think like adults and then have to grow up and live with whatever happened as a consequence of that.
So throughout the book, Flynn does a great job of aligning the guilt and making it hard to figure out who did it until just before it's revealed. I loved that Libby kind of slid into being interested in her own case simply because she was chasing money. The attitude of the kill clubs are also priceless. I'm going to Google around and see if those exist in real life - I'm sure they do. The ending was awesome although
Great read. Definitely recommend.
Revisit (less than an hour later):
OK - I also have to say that the massive number of coincidences does make things a bit tough. Not so much with the night of murders - isn't that kind of how these things work? They only work if the stars align for them to work, right? But in the end,
This is the story of Libby Day - a girl who survives the massacre of her family. Everyone blames the brother Ben and as the youngest child she is also coerced into blaming him. She spends her life living on the money that she makes from being the single surviving member of her savagely murdered family. She's a bit dishonest and somewhat of a klepto. As we meet her, she's at the end of her money and being told her by financial advisor that she needs to get a job. The irony is that she's in the same position as her mother was before she was killed.
I really enjoyed that this book is really only possible because Libby was so young when the murders happened and it makes you think about the real life situations when very young children are asked to think like adults and then have to grow up and live with whatever happened as a consequence of that.
So throughout the book, Flynn does a great job of aligning the guilt and making it hard to figure out who did it until just before it's revealed.
Spoiler
Until the chapter where we learn about Diehl, I would have sworn that it was all Trey and Diondre. I assumed that Ben didn't do it but was there and witnessed it once he started hanging out with them.Spoiler
I wondered why no one was concerned that Crystal might try to hunt down Libby... I guess if Diondre is already in jail what would be the point."Great read. Definitely recommend.
Revisit (less than an hour later):
OK - I also have to say that the massive number of coincidences does make things a bit tough. Not so much with the night of murders - isn't that kind of how these things work? They only work if the stars align for them to work, right? But in the end,
Spoiler
the fact that Diehl gets caught just around the time that Libby's case is losing momentum kind of struck me as too fast and too clean. Diehl's role is believable but the timing is not. It's a bit too cut and dry. I appreciate that the police needed something to push them into believing her story. That seems true and believable - they would never just accept it and go hunting for Diondre on Libby's word alone.witch_please's review against another edition
4.0
Dark Places doesn’t get as much hype as Sharp Objects or Gone Girl, but it was a satisfying read. Gillian Flynn’s writing is exquisite. I do think toward the end there were scenes and details that ultimately were not necessary, but that’s a forgivable sin.
It’s worth reading, but please check your trigger warnings first!
It’s worth reading, but please check your trigger warnings first!
abbieh25's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ashtynolive's review against another edition
3.0
One thing Gillian Flynn knows how to write better than anyone is messed up women...
If you are interested in true crime and have read books or listened to podcasts about the "satanic panic" in the 80s and 90s, this story is taking place due to the consequences of that (along with a lot of other unfortunate circumstances).
There are a few really disturbing sequences (the cow...yikes), but overall it's more of a mystery format.
I did listen to the audiobook for this one - narration was great! However, if you're new to Flynn's work, I would start with "Sharp Objects". I definitely enjoyed this book for a weekend read. 3/5 Stars overall.
If you are interested in true crime and have read books or listened to podcasts about the "satanic panic" in the 80s and 90s, this story is taking place due to the consequences of that (along with a lot of other unfortunate circumstances).
There are a few really disturbing sequences (the cow...yikes), but overall it's more of a mystery format.
I did listen to the audiobook for this one - narration was great! However, if you're new to Flynn's work, I would start with "Sharp Objects". I definitely enjoyed this book for a weekend read. 3/5 Stars overall.