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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Good.
I enjoyed this. I would just describe it as brittle, not sure why. Avoid if you prefer action driven storylines or external conflict.
I enjoyed this. I would just describe it as brittle, not sure why. Avoid if you prefer action driven storylines or external conflict.
The Talented Miss Farwell is not a great book, but I’m glad I read it. For me, it started very well, showing how a talented mathematician who genuinely cared about her small town could justify embezzling from it.
Miss Farwell had an unexceptional life, having given up her chance at college to save her father's business, when she stumbled on something that was exceptional to her - art. At first she borrowed and returned, borrowed and returned, but once the art world gave her a chance to live a completely different life on the side, she got in deeper and deeper, with no chance of making up the difference. She was not likable but she was interesting. I liked how the author depicted her adapting her criminal method to the times, such as when email was introduced and she had to figure out how to continue to cover her tracks once computers became mainstream.
I'm not particularly interested in art, so those parts didn't fascinate me. This is a character study; we don't get to know anyone but Miss Farwell.
Toward the end the narrative got repetitive and a little dull, and I was glad when the book finally ended. This book sheds a little light on obsession, self-justification, and the need for an outlet for passion. I enjoyed the Illinois setting.
Book club discussions coming up this week.
Miss Farwell had an unexceptional life, having given up her chance at college to save her father's business, when she stumbled on something that was exceptional to her - art. At first she borrowed and returned, borrowed and returned, but once the art world gave her a chance to live a completely different life on the side, she got in deeper and deeper, with no chance of making up the difference. She was not likable but she was interesting. I liked how the author depicted her adapting her criminal method to the times, such as when email was introduced and she had to figure out how to continue to cover her tracks once computers became mainstream.
I'm not particularly interested in art, so those parts didn't fascinate me. This is a character study; we don't get to know anyone but Miss Farwell.
Toward the end the narrative got repetitive and a little dull, and I was glad when the book finally ended. This book sheds a little light on obsession, self-justification, and the need for an outlet for passion. I enjoyed the Illinois setting.
Book club discussions coming up this week.
Definition of Becky Farwell: small town girl, takes advanced classes in high school, brains behind her father's agricultural business, has a keen eye for noticing everything.
At 17, she goes to work for the town of Pierson, Illinois. There she notices mistakes in accounting, mis-spent funds, lack of checks and balances. Around the same time her desire for art awakens and begins to take advantage of the town's funds.
The book spans 30+ years and all Becky does to satisfy her addiction, and cover up that addition.
My only compliant is some parts of the book dragged on too much.
Overall, very enjoyable.
At 17, she goes to work for the town of Pierson, Illinois. There she notices mistakes in accounting, mis-spent funds, lack of checks and balances. Around the same time her desire for art awakens and begins to take advantage of the town's funds.
The book spans 30+ years and all Becky does to satisfy her addiction, and cover up that addition.
My only compliant is some parts of the book dragged on too much.
Overall, very enjoyable.
2.5-3. I’m not quite sure what to do with this one. It started out good but then got increasingly less interesting and I never really felt I got inside the mind of the main character. It was just sort of...there.
The whole time I kept wondering when and how she would get caught and how the heck she managed everything on a daily basis?? And…how she managed to get away with it all?!
ARC from William Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So, I really did not enjoy this book. It didn't hold my attention and was very hard to get through. I didn't feel like I ever connected with any of the characters. And to be honest, I didn't realize that Becky was a check forger, I thought she was obsessed with art. I hate not finishing books, so I did. But this may have been on a DNF list.
So, I really did not enjoy this book. It didn't hold my attention and was very hard to get through. I didn't feel like I ever connected with any of the characters. And to be honest, I didn't realize that Becky was a check forger, I thought she was obsessed with art. I hate not finishing books, so I did. But this may have been on a DNF list.
I picked this up since it was on the NYtimes' best books of 2020 list -- and for me, it sits somewhere between disappointing and just ok. My main complaint about this book is that it takes a fascinating premise (a small town comptroller concocts a scheme to funnel city revenue into a personal account for buying and selling art) and unfortunately executes it with characters who are very thinly drawn, making it difficult for the reader to really connect with the actions that they take. None of the characters really seem to develop, so while things happen to them, everyone seems to stay in a state of stasis.
Some examples:
Becky/Reba (the main character), never seems to develop a relationship with anyone besides her best friend, and a kind of mentor who teaches her about the art world, despite the book spanning a period of nearly 40 years.
As a quasi-thriller, you'd think that Becky would have close calls that show how tenuous her scheme could be, but this hardly ever happens -- and the end of the scheme just seems to be some sort of happy accident.
The book uses cues from the real world in order to drive some of the plot (recessions in the 80's and 90's, 9/11 terrorist attack, ect...), but they, like other plot points, sort of just happen, and then move on.
I would have never thought that a thriller with so much potential could have turned out to be so BORING.
Some examples:
Becky/Reba (the main character), never seems to develop a relationship with anyone besides her best friend, and a kind of mentor who teaches her about the art world, despite the book spanning a period of nearly 40 years.
As a quasi-thriller, you'd think that Becky would have close calls that show how tenuous her scheme could be, but this hardly ever happens -- and the end of the scheme just seems to be some sort of happy accident.
The book uses cues from the real world in order to drive some of the plot (recessions in the 80's and 90's, 9/11 terrorist attack, ect...), but they, like other plot points, sort of just happen, and then move on.
I would have never thought that a thriller with so much potential could have turned out to be so BORING.
DNF. This is just constant accounting details. Totally uninteresting.
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes