Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis

8 reviews

dev921's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Medical content, Outing, and Grief

beckyremillard's review

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Cancer

Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, and Rape

arthur_pendrgn's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Trauma as character development.  Way too much going on that clutters up the plot: cancer (2 characters), infidelity (2 of these), break ups, domestic abuse, multigenerational rape, Holocaust trauma, lesbianism (1 hidden), unhappy marriages (at least 4), a missing masterpiece, infertility issues, jealousy, sociopathy, betrayal, murders (2), assault, a custody fight, a potential romance, 2 side mysteries that don't matter, 2 children-as-plot-props, gun & knife violence, and an improbable rescue. That doesn't include the 4 narrators who, sadly, have indistinguishable voices.

Underneath all of that are the bones of a tried-but-true plot. If only the plot had been trimmed down so we could actually focus on a murdered grandmother with a lot of money at stake. Goldis left no time for the reader to connect with anyone. (Honestly, the murderous couple in the last chapter would have been enough rationale.)  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Infidelity

Moderate: Death, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Pedophilia, Incest, Cancer, Antisemitism, Blood, Terminal illness, Classism, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Rape

katefrost's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Reading this book about a group of what I can only think to describe as grown up frenemies with trust issues, in this, the year of the Barbie movie, felt bananas. Though it absolutely passes the Bechdel test, the relationships between these women are full of judgement and. back biting, when they’re bothering to communicate at all. Each of the four main characters seem to harbor the belief that each is an island unto herself and no one could possibly understand her (so why bother using words to talk to your oldest and dearest friends). 

I feel so frustrated with the predictably pat ending to this frustrating set of interactions. I will say it made me deeply grateful for my own group of friends, because murder mysteries aside, I cannot imagine any of us being so consistently shitty toward one another. 

The unnecessarily mind boggling secrecy around even the most banal topics throughout this book was a deeply frustrating experience. I wanted to shake each of these women for their theatrics and make them use their words. I finished reading it through sheer stubbornness on my part. 

It’s done now and I’m relieved that I can stop thinking about these self absorbed jerks. Two stars for its vibes and pacing, but no thank you please to any more of these characters. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Violence and Murder

Minor: Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Genocide

tlbignerd's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I started this book and the first 100 pages had me disliking every characters. Thankfully everything began to pick up, and as stories began to unravel I connected more with them and was really interested in how things ended.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault

kecresser's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The setting for this book was super intriguing to me, and it was the second thriller I've read recently set in a palatial estate. I can honestly say that I didn't see the major twists coming and I didn't know who the killers was, all the way until the last chapter. It takes a bit to get the four women straight in the beginning of the book, and I wish we had a bit more time for each character to develop, but I do love a multi-perspective story that keeps you guessing on who the unreliable narrator actually is. It was a page turner that I read in a day, but nothing too spectacular. I enjoyed the reading experience, but nothing really stands out to me that I think will stick with me in the long run. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Violence, Infidelity, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Stalking, Infertility, Child death, Rape, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Car accident

ohyayitsapril's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

HOLY SHIT. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Classism, Grief, Cancer, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, and Murder

reading_under_covers's review against another edition

3.5

Out of the blue, Darcy and three of her friends receive an invite from her grandmother Seraphine to join her at her lavish chateau in Provence, France. When the women arrive, Seraphine informs them that she has brought them all there to tell them something very important. However, overnight Seraphine is brutally murdered, and the women must figure out whose secrets are the reason she’s dead.

THE CHATEAU by Jaclyn Goldis is a lavish drama full of secrets, survivors, and picturesque views.

This one alternates among 5+ POVs, each of which felt unique from one another, and was an immediate love for me! However, I feel like we could have learned more about each of the characters and their stories if there wasn’t such a large cast front and center.

My favorite part of this book was the Jewish representation (and the author’s tie-in at the end in her acknowledgments) and the whole storyline and secrets surrounding that, and the mentions of Van Gogh - I could have read an entire book focused on this aspect alone.

Aside from my loves in this one, I found the mystery to be occasionally muddled and the moving parts, while clever, to be confusing at times.

I’d be intrigued to see Jaclyn dive into this genre again!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: May 23, 2023

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Infertility, Infidelity, Cancer, Death of parent, Rape, and Antisemitism