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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton was a slow burn. A very slow burn. The first half of the book I thought the MC was out of her mind and there really was no way her husband was still alive, coupled with the fact that she was driving into a horrendous Alaska storm (even by Native standards) with her deaf 10yo daughter; made me wince the whole time.
Regardless of whether I thought it was a dumb decision on the MCs part, it was still pretty suspenseful in the beginning. Would they make it through the storm? Is her husband really still alive?
After a while though, it kind of felt like it was dragging on. There wasn’t really anything happening for quite a while. About half way through we finally get some action in a stalker and some graphic pictures to the MCs email. The whole time your left clueless as to what is happening, and where it is going to go.
I love mystery’s that can still really surprise me, and The Quality of Silence did an excellent job! I will definitely be picking up Ms. Luptons next book.
I received this novel in a Goodreads Giveaway from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Regardless of whether I thought it was a dumb decision on the MCs part, it was still pretty suspenseful in the beginning. Would they make it through the storm? Is her husband really still alive?
After a while though, it kind of felt like it was dragging on. There wasn’t really anything happening for quite a while. About half way through we finally get some action in a stalker and some graphic pictures to the MCs email. The whole time your left clueless as to what is happening, and where it is going to go.
I love mystery’s that can still really surprise me, and The Quality of Silence did an excellent job! I will definitely be picking up Ms. Luptons next book.
I received this novel in a Goodreads Giveaway from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked Ruby. The actual plot just felt entirely totally unbelievable from about 20% on.
Straight away I loved our main character Ruby, she is a deaf little girl but she is so smart! I loved how the author described her and I think it was such an interesting idea to have a thriller with a deaf character (I think there's a film like this - maybe called Hush?) especially with having a deaf child character.
At the start I did question how the story was going to go, Ruby's mum gets a call to say that Ruby's dad (Matt) has been killed in an explosion. Yasmin (mum) doesn't believe it and decides since the police are convinced he is dead she decides that she is going to travel across the country to Alaska to find him herself. Although I was surprised that Yasmin decided to take Ruby it did make for an interesting story and I do think that it was a big stupid (which does seem to be a bit of a recurring theme throughout the book but we will overlook it because she was stressed and under pressure)
She then takes the ridiculously long journey in a truck (with daughter) through the snow and it is a race against time because there's a massive storm coming in. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse they realise there's someone following them. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, on isolated roads which are getting icier by the minute and trying to drive a truck (she's not usually a truck driver) you can really picture how scary this can be.
I loved reading about the isolated world, it became spookier by the second. I could really feel how scary and isolating it could be, not knowing where you are, who is following you and whether you're going to go skidding off a cliff at any moment. It was so well written and you felt like you were right there with Yasmin and Ruby.
I think if I had known the true plot surrounding the explosion then this is something I never would've picked up on my own however I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed this read. I felt so on edge throughout and I needed to know what was going on because I felt so attached to Ruby. I needed her to be ok and get through everything safely so I had to get to the end to find out what happened.
The only reason I'm not giving this a 5* is because I thought the ending was far too rushed and ended too abruptly. I wanted like another chapter or two just to wrap everything up in a more less rushed way. It left me feeling a bit meh about the whole book because it was such an atmospheric read only to just...end.
Overall I would recommend this book, it is an amazing atmospheric read that keeps you on edge throughout. It also has the different view of having a deaf character (who in my opinion is written so well) which added a new dimension of creepiness to the story (the thought of being deaf absolutely terrifies me). However the ending was a bit of a let down for me so I'm just going to give it 4*.
At the start I did question how the story was going to go, Ruby's mum gets a call to say that Ruby's dad (Matt) has been killed in an explosion. Yasmin (mum) doesn't believe it and decides since the police are convinced he is dead she decides that she is going to travel across the country to Alaska to find him herself. Although I was surprised that Yasmin decided to take Ruby it did make for an interesting story and I do think that it was a big stupid (which does seem to be a bit of a recurring theme throughout the book but we will overlook it because she was stressed and under pressure)
She then takes the ridiculously long journey in a truck (with daughter) through the snow and it is a race against time because there's a massive storm coming in. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse they realise there's someone following them. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, on isolated roads which are getting icier by the minute and trying to drive a truck (she's not usually a truck driver) you can really picture how scary this can be.
I loved reading about the isolated world, it became spookier by the second. I could really feel how scary and isolating it could be, not knowing where you are, who is following you and whether you're going to go skidding off a cliff at any moment. It was so well written and you felt like you were right there with Yasmin and Ruby.
I think if I had known the true plot surrounding the explosion then this is something I never would've picked up on my own however I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed this read. I felt so on edge throughout and I needed to know what was going on because I felt so attached to Ruby. I needed her to be ok and get through everything safely so I had to get to the end to find out what happened.
The only reason I'm not giving this a 5* is because I thought the ending was far too rushed and ended too abruptly. I wanted like another chapter or two just to wrap everything up in a more less rushed way. It left me feeling a bit meh about the whole book because it was such an atmospheric read only to just...end.
Overall I would recommend this book, it is an amazing atmospheric read that keeps you on edge throughout. It also has the different view of having a deaf character (who in my opinion is written so well) which added a new dimension of creepiness to the story (the thought of being deaf absolutely terrifies me). However the ending was a bit of a let down for me so I'm just going to give it 4*.
Super-coolio-awesome-beautiful truly spine chilling, loved it!
Ice Road Truckers! I really, really enjoyed this book, even if it had a bit of a corny ending and a child on the cusp of becoming a teenager. But there was something about the mother-daughter relationship in this story that I found really touching and believeable. Yasmin and Ruby (the mother and daughter) really kept me going, had to know how it all worked out.
The father, Matt, is a wildlife filmaker, out in the depths of Alaska in winter, as you do. Yasmin and Ruby have travelled to Alaska to see him, only to be told he and the entire remote village he was staying in, have been killed in a mass freak fire. But Yasmin is convinced he's still alive and tries to set out to find him - yep, in the massive remote Alaskan wilderness, they're going to try and find a missing man. Either driven by warped grief or a sixth sense, off they go. And it's quite an adventure. They manage to get on a charter flight to Fairbanks, and from there find a trucker - ice road truckers! - who will take them to Deadhorse (doesn't that just fill you with hope as to how easy life is up there!), except a long, long time before they get there, the driver has a stroke. And there's a mega storm coming with temperatures that will kill you. So what's a London family to do? Hop in that truck and drive the rest of the way, that's what! And is it mother's imagination, or are they being followed?
There is something about Alaskan-set novels that I find fascinating, and as most of this story is happening during the truck journey, it does feel very much like an ice road truckers thriller. Also the details of the cold are disturbing. Different take on it all in a way as Lupton isn't a native Alaskan (I'm also addicted to the detective tales of Dana Stabenow who is from Alaska).
In a lot of respects it's predictable.... spoilers now!!!! Yes, they find the father, yes the fire was covering up an environmental disaster, and yes, the family come together to overcome all their problems and the bad dudes, and the child and her tweeting and blogging gets messages sent out for help. The story ends there so we never find out if they do get rescued, but I like to think that they did, and that Matt only had to lose one or two toes from the frostbite.
The father, Matt, is a wildlife filmaker, out in the depths of Alaska in winter, as you do. Yasmin and Ruby have travelled to Alaska to see him, only to be told he and the entire remote village he was staying in, have been killed in a mass freak fire. But Yasmin is convinced he's still alive and tries to set out to find him - yep, in the massive remote Alaskan wilderness, they're going to try and find a missing man. Either driven by warped grief or a sixth sense, off they go. And it's quite an adventure. They manage to get on a charter flight to Fairbanks, and from there find a trucker - ice road truckers! - who will take them to Deadhorse (doesn't that just fill you with hope as to how easy life is up there!), except a long, long time before they get there, the driver has a stroke. And there's a mega storm coming with temperatures that will kill you. So what's a London family to do? Hop in that truck and drive the rest of the way, that's what! And is it mother's imagination, or are they being followed?
There is something about Alaskan-set novels that I find fascinating, and as most of this story is happening during the truck journey, it does feel very much like an ice road truckers thriller. Also the details of the cold are disturbing. Different take on it all in a way as Lupton isn't a native Alaskan (I'm also addicted to the detective tales of Dana Stabenow who is from Alaska).
In a lot of respects it's predictable.... spoilers now!!!! Yes, they find the father, yes the fire was covering up an environmental disaster, and yes, the family come together to overcome all their problems and the bad dudes, and the child and her tweeting and blogging gets messages sent out for help. The story ends there so we never find out if they do get rescued, but I like to think that they did, and that Matt only had to lose one or two toes from the frostbite.
The Quality of Silence is a high-action novel that is filled with suspense and mystery. A mother and daughter set out on a risky journey into unknown land in order to save a loved one that is presumed dead. From the beginning of the novel many questions arise and the readers must figure out who is friend or foe?Even though Yasmin and Ruby's treacherous journey lasts over a number of days, (to the reader) it feels as if it is one, long black night.
The writing is detailed and offers readers a vivid descriptions of the picturesque beauty and the unforgiving cruelty of Alaska's landscape. In one scene we seen a frozen tundra with snowflakes falling gracefully from the sky, and in the next minute the wind forcefully blows trying to wreak havoc on the truck they're driving.
Yasmin feels her marriage is in a downhill slope and this rescue effort for Matt seems somewhat of a last resort. She wants the best for Ruby but ends up putting more pressure on her such as when she tells Ruby to use her real (speaking) voice instead of talking through a computer. While she is courageous and headstrong I was a bit turned off of how she dove headfirst into the situation without thinking of the consequences until things (her & Ruby) became dire. I know she had underlying suspicion of Matt really not being dead nor did she trust the blurred facts of how the village really burned down, but she was very reckless at times.
Ruby, though deaf, speaks the most volume out of any character in this novel. Though she has trouble physically speaking, her use of sign language, twitter account (you'll understand when you read the novel), and voice magic (a computer program) provide an outlet for her to be outspoken on many things. She struggles with a lot of issues such as fitting in at school and speaking out loud, but she sets those things behind her and puts on a brave front.
I enjoyed the scenario presented in this novel and its overall fast reading pace. The characters face the danger of an imminent storm, driving on an icy road in the blackest of nights, and a mysterious creeper who seems to track Yasmin and Ruby's every move. The novel also opened my eyes and helped me to better understand the issues surrounding fracking.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The writing is detailed and offers readers a vivid descriptions of the picturesque beauty and the unforgiving cruelty of Alaska's landscape. In one scene we seen a frozen tundra with snowflakes falling gracefully from the sky, and in the next minute the wind forcefully blows trying to wreak havoc on the truck they're driving.
Yasmin feels her marriage is in a downhill slope and this rescue effort for Matt seems somewhat of a last resort. She wants the best for Ruby but ends up putting more pressure on her such as when she tells Ruby to use her real (speaking) voice instead of talking through a computer. While she is courageous and headstrong I was a bit turned off of how she dove headfirst into the situation without thinking of the consequences until things (her & Ruby) became dire. I know she had underlying suspicion of Matt really not being dead nor did she trust the blurred facts of how the village really burned down, but she was very reckless at times.
Ruby, though deaf, speaks the most volume out of any character in this novel. Though she has trouble physically speaking, her use of sign language, twitter account (you'll understand when you read the novel), and voice magic (a computer program) provide an outlet for her to be outspoken on many things. She struggles with a lot of issues such as fitting in at school and speaking out loud, but she sets those things behind her and puts on a brave front.
I enjoyed the scenario presented in this novel and its overall fast reading pace. The characters face the danger of an imminent storm, driving on an icy road in the blackest of nights, and a mysterious creeper who seems to track Yasmin and Ruby's every move. The novel also opened my eyes and helped me to better understand the issues surrounding fracking.
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This seemed like two different books. The first 1/2 to 2/3rds was fantastic. The atmosphere was lovely--I felt myself shivering a few times as if I could almost feel that bitter, bitter cold. The plot was suspenseful and interesting. But that ending though.....c'mon! I was really, really disappointed. The first 225 pages get 5 stars--the last 75 pages get one star.
Dit boek leest moeilijk. Het is geen verhaallijn voor mij. Op het einde was er wel voldoende spanning aanwezig in het boek.
adventurous
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is a pretty good read packed with some really tense moments and some interesting interplays between Yasmin and Rose as mother-daughter struggle to understand each other, between husband and wife, and between the mother-daughter duo and everyone else. There were also some interesting threads that come together surprisingly well in the end despite a few wobbly moments times, including some interesting environmental and indigenous rights aspects that throw up a question or two. But there are two things that I really struggled to believe, one that a mother would take her 10 year old daughter into the middle of the Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter to find her husband/father, deaf or not this feels rather unbelievable (you may be lacking immediate family to childmind but there are professionals who can do it, sign language included). Two, that someone with no training at all can drive a big rig on the Alaskan ice road without immediately ending up in a ditch. Just driving a truck alone is a task and a half never mind doing it on the ice road (granted I'm guessing this from watching Ice Road Truckers but it looks damn complicated). But somehow the rest of the story manages to be good enough to forgive these things...almost.