You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.08 AVERAGE
3.08 AVERAGE
I guess I am getting better at giving up on books. I was struggling to get past the 150-page mark on the day before the book was due back, which isn't a great sign. This book sounded intriguing (and I have read and liked other books by Isabel Allende), but the characters were so cliched and one-dimensional that I didn't care enough about them to keep reading. I'm sure the ending is gripping, but I'm not sure I could make it there. This book also suffers from excessive character description, rather than allowing the characters' actions to show you more about them. The main character, Amanda, is a geeky kid who doesn't understand her classmates (and their obsessions with Tom Cruise's latest divorce or whatever other vapid concern) and only gets along with the other geeky kids she hangs out with online. Have I mentioned how hot and magical her mother Indiana is? Seriously, she's so hot and blonde and mystical she had to get knocked up in high school by the captain of the football team with whom she has nothing in common. And of course his immigrant mother had to make him do the right thing and marry her and of course they divorced and of course he's now deputy chief of homicide, etc. etc. etc. etc. Oh and Amanda loathes the idea that her (super hot, blonde, super hot, sensual, super hot) mom's older millionaire playboy boyfriend (who suffers from erectile dysfunction, natch) could one day become her stepfather. I am reducing things a bit because I am grumpy that these characters are so lame, but absolutely nothing about the characters' personalities or actions surprised me. The serial murderer plot seemed so secondary to Allende describing these flat characters over and over again. Time to take it back to the library and let someone else try and get to the end.
Fun, especially sharp on San Francisco details. Who knew Isabel Allende wrote mysteries? Most enjoyable.
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I adore Isabel Allende but this book was terrible and when dealing with gender identities and sexual orientations downright offensive. I think the phrase “write what you know” is applicable here. The only reason I don’t rate it lower is that she is an unparalleled writer, and there are stretches of great writing.
This isn't really 2 stars--maybe 2 1/2 or even 3--but this book and Isabel Allende have me annoyed so I'm giving it only 2. First of all, this is billed as a thriller and it's not a thriller or even much of a mystery until near the end, and then just a mediocre one. The twist is kind of interesting, but she gives it away by having the bad guy monologue at the end in a really obvious, annoying way. After reading this and Maya's Notebook, I just have to wonder: why did I ever think I liked Isabel Allende? What did she write that was so good? Because these latest two are really mediocre.
This is mostly a sporadically interesting character study about a bunch of kooky North Beach residents, but the plot meanders along for a long time, and I didn't really care about any of these people. And the precocious daughter who's supposed to be solving the mystery is really annoying and not likable at all. I don't want to write anymore except to say that I'm not reading Allende anymore.
This is mostly a sporadically interesting character study about a bunch of kooky North Beach residents, but the plot meanders along for a long time, and I didn't really care about any of these people. And the precocious daughter who's supposed to be solving the mystery is really annoying and not likable at all. I don't want to write anymore except to say that I'm not reading Allende anymore.
On the surface this looks like a book I would love. It's a murder mystery with an interesting and eccentric ensemble cast including elements of the Internet and a RPG. I felt like it was trying too hard.0 I'm not sure why I finished it
I don't know, friends.
A complicated plot with a complicated story with a teen who acts like she's forty...what's the point of having her as a teen? Nancy Drew for the wrong target audience - and it's got a lot of ...I don't know how else to say it but complications. And not interesting ones.
I don't know. I guess I feel like some editor along the way should have said, "If you're going to write about teens that act like adults...why not just make them adults?" ugh. frustrating.
A complicated plot with a complicated story with a teen who acts like she's forty...what's the point of having her as a teen? Nancy Drew for the wrong target audience - and it's got a lot of ...I don't know how else to say it but complications. And not interesting ones.
I don't know. I guess I feel like some editor along the way should have said, "If you're going to write about teens that act like adults...why not just make them adults?" ugh. frustrating.
Not as amazing as I expected...
REVIEW:
For years I heard of Allende's writing, how amazing and unique it was. While I was never drawn to read her books, I always thought I'd give her a chance one day, when I was in the mood for her work.
Eventually the chance presented itself in the form of Ripper.
Ripper had an interesting premise and it did grab my attention from the beginning, however, what I expected to be a book that would keep me on my toes, became a hiccuped book. Amidst the interesting developments of the story, Allende would throw in rather long background stories on the characters that were relevant to the story. Don't get me wrong, I like good world building and good background stories on the characters we're reading about, it's what makes us cheer for or hate them. But these descriptions became so long and so recurrent that they broke the rhythm of the book.
Some characters were interesting, others felt a bit cardboard-ish. The villain reveal was interesting and it did come as a surprise.
In short: Allende's writing is great, but this book in particular isnt. I still intend on reading her historical fiction, I heard it's better.
REVIEW:
For years I heard of Allende's writing, how amazing and unique it was. While I was never drawn to read her books, I always thought I'd give her a chance one day, when I was in the mood for her work.
Eventually the chance presented itself in the form of Ripper.
Ripper had an interesting premise and it did grab my attention from the beginning, however, what I expected to be a book that would keep me on my toes, became a hiccuped book. Amidst the interesting developments of the story, Allende would throw in rather long background stories on the characters that were relevant to the story. Don't get me wrong, I like good world building and good background stories on the characters we're reading about, it's what makes us cheer for or hate them. But these descriptions became so long and so recurrent that they broke the rhythm of the book.
Some characters were interesting, others felt a bit cardboard-ish. The villain reveal was interesting and it did come as a surprise.
In short: Allende's writing is great, but this book in particular isnt. I still intend on reading her historical fiction, I heard it's better.
This is a mystery for those who love literary fiction. Allende is a master at stunning prose & this is much more a character-driven story than plot-driven, allowing you to just sink it to each complex and nuanced character you meet. The city of San Francisco is another kind of character, and Allende takes every opportunity to dive into the seedier elements of humanity scattered across the city. At the same time there is a wealth of compassion and acute observation that make it a thought-provoking story.
It’s definitely a slow build, but if you can hold out until the end, there’s a satisfying & exciting ending that will satisfy that need for a thrill.
It’s definitely a slow build, but if you can hold out until the end, there’s a satisfying & exciting ending that will satisfy that need for a thrill.
Un libro fácil de leer, atrapante y entretenido, con personajes típicos de Allende (algo caricaturescos en sus características exacerbadas, pero sin un héroe o heroína definido). El final es bastante pobre y decepcionante, ya que va aumentando la expectativa respecto al misterio para que finalmente el desenlace sea en parte predecible, rápido y con resoluciones de conflicto parciales y pobres.
Vale la pena leerlo por la exploración de la novela negra por parte de Allende, con una presentación de los personajes fluida, que va cambiando el punto focal del lector para lograr despistarlo a la vez que encariñarse con los personajes. Es una versión mas naif de Fitzek, punto interesante para la autora en un cambio de género que le sienta muy bien.
Vale la pena leerlo por la exploración de la novela negra por parte de Allende, con una presentación de los personajes fluida, que va cambiando el punto focal del lector para lograr despistarlo a la vez que encariñarse con los personajes. Es una versión mas naif de Fitzek, punto interesante para la autora en un cambio de género que le sienta muy bien.
It might be that I've not read any of Allende's work before this, but I find myself not nearly as disappointed in this as some reviews led me to believe I might be. Allende writes a really interesting crime novel, especially since I'm not a huge crime novel fan.