Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Woman in the Library

the novel ending with Leo, whose storyline seemed to be constantly unfinished, waiting for Winifred and Marigold made the whole thing more meta. For Freddie to be seemingly stalked by the Leo that Leo the murderer praises Hannah the author for creating was such an interesting way to fold the layered universes in on themselves! Leo the murderer stalking the author who then wrote a Leo the character stalking Winifred the author character who was friends with Marigold, the stalker of Whit, who had done an unsettlingly large volume of research on Cain to try to exploit his mom's shoddy lawyering into a pullitzer makes for a very interesting web of morally gray people. I did want Leo the character's story to be tied up more. He's still characterized as helpful, which I think ads an interesting tilt to the story being told about Leo the murderer and Hannah the author and the impact of what he gave her on her writing. But I want to know more about the reasoning behind the cupcakes and the groceries. Is it flirting, stalking, or friendship? I wasn't expecting for Leo the murderer to be a racist, but using that racism and vitriol to show his descent into delusion was interesting, especially in how that morphed from what could be perceived as advice on US perceptions of race and how it impacts jnteracrjoms with the police.

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tabookish's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Book within a book? Check.
Metatextual elements? Check.
Surprisingly satisfying romance? Check.
Twist ending? Checkkkkk.
I loved this!!!!!

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wrenl's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.25

A very trippy book. It’s almost a story within a story.

The actual mystery about the women in the library doesn’t feel like a mystery. It’s more a mystery about Cain than anything else. And I just wasn’t a big fan of that story. In a way, the letters distracted from the Cain story. There wasn’t a good balance between the letters and the library mystery.

I finished feeling a bit dissatisfied with the mystery and plot elements. I wanted more from the letters. There were tantalizing details about the Leo from the letters. Who is this person? How did they get Hannah’s information? All very curious.

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keeparas's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Listened to the Audio: Naration was fine, different characters were identifiable.
Review: Too slow and drawn out. Very predictable. I didnt get to enjoy the "twists & turns" of the book because the author set it up to be too obvious. The plot was about an author writing her murder mystery book based on the events that unfold in front of her while she sits at a library. A fan, or beta reader offers suggestions chapter by chapter & we, the audience, are reading them. With each chapter, the beta reader got more and more annoyed with the story and asked the writer to change something or adapt it to a more "American" style (the author character in the book is Australian) and the next chapter does the exact opposite of the suggestion, making it seem like the Aussie author is doing it on purpose.
I didn't love the style, really only listened half heartedly & rolled my eyes half the time when the obvious became reality.

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vj_thompson's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The ending had me questioning what I just read. Overall, the plot kinda of dragged once I reached the halfway point. There were so many plot twists happening that it was hard to keep up. I loved the duel story element. The emails were a nice touch.

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amandalorianxo's review

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

So this is actually a book within a book ish. We meet Hannah, a popular Australian author who is sending a fan named Leo her latest manuscript. We aren’t sure how the two of them initially spoke to each but it appears there is more to this back and forth (which is unfolded in the book.) Hannah is trying to maintain Leo’s interest with Freddie, Whit, Cain and Marigold- four people in their mid 20’s / 30’s who just so happen to be inside a library when someone is killed. I did a mixture of audio and kindle unlimited this one & I thought it was a great mystery / thriller but you really have to pay attention otherwise certain details you can blink and miss.

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