Reviews

Girl A by Abigail Dean

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sarah_86's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

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

2.0

heather_boo's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 rounded up. This is the story of the survival of childhood abuse so traumatic that the mind creates its own protection. Lex Gracie unravels her sordid history as her present and future unfold. The details are shrouded in good story telling such that much is inferred or alluded to which actually increases the angst and tension. I did not give a higher rating because the timeline jumps back and forth which can be disruptive and confusing, but I think this could be reflecting what the protagonist feels in her own life with snippets of the past resurfacing from time to time.

jaimie_lynn's review against another edition

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3.0

3-3.5⭐

I feel like this book had great potential but fell short. I love the subject matter but a good chunk of this was so boring to read. I liked reading about the past but was pretty bored when it came to present. I started skimming that stuff.

And don't even get me started on the long chapters. Like one chapter was almost 70 pages.

No. Thank. You.

scknitter's review against another edition

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4.0

Girl A is a beautifully written story that tells of horrible atrocities. It is a story about the slow slide into mental illness/paranoia by Charles Gracie (Girl A’s father) and how this led to the unimaginable existence that became reality for Lex (Girl A) and her 6 siblings. Dean does an amazing job telling the story from Lex’s viewpoint but at the same time showing us how each child (treated by different psychologists and adopted by different parents) lived after escaping the House of Horrors, as their home came to be known. The ultimate psychological drama, it is an in depth look at how a family can deteriorate into the depths of unimaginable horror with no one doing anything to stop it and how each one fares in the aftermath.