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tylahhhmarie's review against another edition
1.0
This was incredibly boring. It took me so long to get through this one. Overly descriptive, not much of a story at all, ending was terribly done and dull. I’m surprised I even continued through this to finish it.
tigerlily33's review against another edition
3.0
giveaway win
This book is an emotional thriller about Rebecca wilding, an archaeologist whose life starts to unravel when she is falsely accused of fraud, she suspects her husband having an affair & loses trust in him & then he disappears.
I found this easy to read & quickly got absorbed in the story, which was very slow in starting & it didn't really pick up until about 65% in.
The characters were well described & a real sense of Rebecca's paranoia, anxiety & loneliness & worry could be felt.
I really had the plot worked out quite early on & wasn't surprised by the ending & was left feeling a bit disappointed & that it wasn't quite finished.
overall I enjoyed reading this
This book is an emotional thriller about Rebecca wilding, an archaeologist whose life starts to unravel when she is falsely accused of fraud, she suspects her husband having an affair & loses trust in him & then he disappears.
I found this easy to read & quickly got absorbed in the story, which was very slow in starting & it didn't really pick up until about 65% in.
The characters were well described & a real sense of Rebecca's paranoia, anxiety & loneliness & worry could be felt.
I really had the plot worked out quite early on & wasn't surprised by the ending & was left feeling a bit disappointed & that it wasn't quite finished.
overall I enjoyed reading this
sweetlybsquared's review against another edition
3.0
Rebecca Wilding is convinced her husband is having an affair, but there’s no proof. She knows she’s doing her job and doing it well, but they’re investigating her for fraud. The truth is becoming more and more confusing.
This book read a lot like literary fiction. The story flowed through Rebecca’s life and contemplations about what it all might mean. In her personal life, she was dealing with her own suspicions and concerns without proof that any of it was really in crisis. In her professional life, she expected things to be rather uneventful, until she’s accused of a series of actions that could cost her all of the progress and existence of her career. Was it possible that some of her worries were just her own anxiety? On the other hand, is there something to worry about even when she knows she hasn’t done anything wrong?
The characters and pacing of the story were just right. While the kangaroo attack never seemed to fit a lot with the rest of the book (?), its results did influence the way it all progressed. And what would a book taking place in Australia really be without a good kangaroo attack?
Overall, I’d give this book a high 3.5 out of 5 stars. The ending was a bit anticlimactic after all the build up, but I’m not sure how it could have been different. I’d recommend this book for those who like contemporary fiction.
This book read a lot like literary fiction. The story flowed through Rebecca’s life and contemplations about what it all might mean. In her personal life, she was dealing with her own suspicions and concerns without proof that any of it was really in crisis. In her professional life, she expected things to be rather uneventful, until she’s accused of a series of actions that could cost her all of the progress and existence of her career. Was it possible that some of her worries were just her own anxiety? On the other hand, is there something to worry about even when she knows she hasn’t done anything wrong?
The characters and pacing of the story were just right. While the kangaroo attack never seemed to fit a lot with the rest of the book (?), its results did influence the way it all progressed. And what would a book taking place in Australia really be without a good kangaroo attack?
Overall, I’d give this book a high 3.5 out of 5 stars. The ending was a bit anticlimactic after all the build up, but I’m not sure how it could have been different. I’d recommend this book for those who like contemporary fiction.
ryansiriwardene's review
2.0
I don't care if my coordinator at work like this book. This book was way too descriptive to the point where I actually skimmed at least 100 pages and still got the narrative.
hayley_loves_books's review
2.0
An enticing read which I devoured in two days. The writing seemed a little disjointed though and I was somewhat disappointed with the way the story unravelled.
tricky's review
4.0
Rebecca Wilding is in the prime of her life where everything should be perfect, she has a great job, wonderful husband, adult kids and the perfect beach house. Yet slowly everything begins to unravel, the university she works at is facing cutbacks, she is at loggerheads with the dean, she faces allegations of fraud and the possibility her husband is having an affair.
Travelling from Australia to Europe for work Rebecca and her husband Stephen try to reconnect but deception and paranoia weighs the marriage down.
The book is part mystery and part dissection of relationships. Turner creates a rich tapestry of characters that are flawed, vivid settings and powerful prose. It is easy to lose yourself in this book as you try to determine where the guilt lies.
As a reader I found Rebecca a frustrating character, there were several times I wanted to scream at her and that was good. She made mistakes, she took the wrong turn, made a poor judgement and was fixated on the wrong things. I liked her imperfections.
I want to write more but I do not want to give away anything as a reader this is the kind of book where you need to follow and appreciate the unravelling of the mystery. You do not want people giving away endings. There is twists, turns and red herrings to keep your interest in the book. I really liked that there are loose ends and an open ending to some elements as it is more reflective of life. If you want a nice neat package of an ending this is not for you but I liked it, as we cannot know all the reasons.
This is a strong debut novel and I am sure it will become a book club favourite as there is plenty to debate.
Travelling from Australia to Europe for work Rebecca and her husband Stephen try to reconnect but deception and paranoia weighs the marriage down.
The book is part mystery and part dissection of relationships. Turner creates a rich tapestry of characters that are flawed, vivid settings and powerful prose. It is easy to lose yourself in this book as you try to determine where the guilt lies.
As a reader I found Rebecca a frustrating character, there were several times I wanted to scream at her and that was good. She made mistakes, she took the wrong turn, made a poor judgement and was fixated on the wrong things. I liked her imperfections.
I want to write more but I do not want to give away anything as a reader this is the kind of book where you need to follow and appreciate the unravelling of the mystery. You do not want people giving away endings. There is twists, turns and red herrings to keep your interest in the book. I really liked that there are loose ends and an open ending to some elements as it is more reflective of life. If you want a nice neat package of an ending this is not for you but I liked it, as we cannot know all the reasons.
This is a strong debut novel and I am sure it will become a book club favourite as there is plenty to debate.
lisa_setepenre's review
1.0
The Lost Swimmer tells the story of Rebecca Wilding, a archaeologist and a professor whose life seems to fall down around her. She doesn't get along with the dean, she's just been accused of embezzling money from the university and her husband has been distant, so much so she suspects him of having an affair. Things go badly when Rebecca and her husband, Stephen, head to Europe on holiday and he disappears.
For me, The Lost Swimmer was an easy read and a compulsive one. I ended up reading the book – quite accidentally – in two sittings. I can see where other readers would find it an enjoyable read. And, in all honesty, I did find this book enjoyable, but in the same way watching a popcorn movie is enjoyable. It's entertaining and fun, but it's not what I would class as a quality read.
I think the main issue I had with the book is that it doesn't really know what it's supposed to do. As a thriller, it's slow and the stakes are never that pressing. As a work of literary fiction that uses the ingredients of a thriller to explore the human psyche, The Lost Swimmer is far too superficial to succeed.
The characters that make up The Lost Swimmer feel very shallow, and they continue like that throughout the book. I wasn't expecting richly developed, complex characters – but I didn't expect the cardboard cut outs that pass as characters in the book. True, there are moments that I think author Ann Turner tries to give them depth, but it doesn't really work.
Furthermore, I didn't find the character of Rebecca Wilding any more richly developed than the rest of the characters – there was just more of her. I found her vaguely unlikeable, firstly because the moment she seizes upon the idea that her husband is having an affair, she immediately suspects each and every woman she sees, and only confronts her husband once. When everything is revealed, I found her reactions frustrating and weak. I also found her extreme and unsubtle paranoid wearying and the way she held the accusations of embezzlement frustrating and lacking common-sense.
I'm sorry, but despite having the person investigating the embezzlement okay it, going away on holiday in the middle of the investigation doesn't seem that smart. Worse: treating the suggestion of delaying the holiday as a personal insult suggests a pettiness and selfishness that I'm sure Turner didn't intend. That plot detail was just plain stupid in my eyes.
While a fast read, the pace is just too slow and the tension too low for The Lost Swimmer to feel like a proper thriller. It's well over the half-way point that the promised action – the disappearance of Rebecca's husband – takes place. From the blurb, I'd expect this to be much sooner, with most of the book dedicated to unravelling that mystery.
Additionally, the 'reveal' of the mystery is a bit too sloppy to really work. There are too many red herrings. Numerous moments raise suspicions and signpost that there is something not right going on – but these are never explained. One of the biggest reveals involved a character I barely remembered and, I think, only mentioned once – which, I suppose, was the point. But I dislike reveals when you're like "who? WHO?" and have to search the book to find them mentioned once in passing at the very start of the book and are never referenced again.
In all, The Lost Swimmer was a book I wanted to like, but couldn't, finding it frustrating and slow as a thriller with the characters, writing and relationships too shallow for this to be a character-driven exploration of loss and secrets.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for review.
For me, The Lost Swimmer was an easy read and a compulsive one. I ended up reading the book – quite accidentally – in two sittings. I can see where other readers would find it an enjoyable read. And, in all honesty, I did find this book enjoyable, but in the same way watching a popcorn movie is enjoyable. It's entertaining and fun, but it's not what I would class as a quality read.
I think the main issue I had with the book is that it doesn't really know what it's supposed to do. As a thriller, it's slow and the stakes are never that pressing. As a work of literary fiction that uses the ingredients of a thriller to explore the human psyche, The Lost Swimmer is far too superficial to succeed.
The characters that make up The Lost Swimmer feel very shallow, and they continue like that throughout the book. I wasn't expecting richly developed, complex characters – but I didn't expect the cardboard cut outs that pass as characters in the book. True, there are moments that I think author Ann Turner tries to give them depth, but it doesn't really work.
Furthermore, I didn't find the character of Rebecca Wilding any more richly developed than the rest of the characters – there was just more of her. I found her vaguely unlikeable, firstly because the moment she seizes upon the idea that her husband is having an affair, she immediately suspects each and every woman she sees, and only confronts her husband once. When everything is revealed, I found her reactions frustrating and weak. I also found her extreme and unsubtle paranoid wearying and the way she held the accusations of embezzlement frustrating and lacking common-sense.
I'm sorry, but despite having the person investigating the embezzlement okay it, going away on holiday in the middle of the investigation doesn't seem that smart. Worse: treating the suggestion of delaying the holiday as a personal insult suggests a pettiness and selfishness that I'm sure Turner didn't intend. That plot detail was just plain stupid in my eyes.
While a fast read, the pace is just too slow and the tension too low for The Lost Swimmer to feel like a proper thriller. It's well over the half-way point that the promised action – the disappearance of Rebecca's husband – takes place. From the blurb, I'd expect this to be much sooner, with most of the book dedicated to unravelling that mystery.
Additionally, the 'reveal' of the mystery is a bit too sloppy to really work. There are too many red herrings. Numerous moments raise suspicions and signpost that there is something not right going on – but these are never explained. One of the biggest reveals involved a character I barely remembered and, I think, only mentioned once – which, I suppose, was the point. But I dislike reveals when you're like "who? WHO?" and have to search the book to find them mentioned once in passing at the very start of the book and are never referenced again.
In all, The Lost Swimmer was a book I wanted to like, but couldn't, finding it frustrating and slow as a thriller with the characters, writing and relationships too shallow for this to be a character-driven exploration of loss and secrets.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for review.
wtb_michael's review against another edition
1.0
This did nothing for me - poorly developed characters, implausible relationships and a pretty ludicrous plot that is mostly just red herrings and stressing out. The weirdly aggressive minor characters scattered throughout Italy were super weird as well - anyway, can't win them all I guess.
amooti's review
2.0
Promised to be the "definition of a page-turner" (Marie Claire). It was, but for the wrong reasons. The book was poorly written, slow, a super annoying main character and a weak plot. It made me turn the pages quickly in order to finish it and get it over with. Not at all recommended.
carolyn6f63c's review
2.0
Didn’t get much out of this. Couldn’t believe someone who is so successful in her career could be so financially ignorant and so emotionally insecure and needy.