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bookbound2019's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kingarooski's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. Jane Harris takes us on a journey back to the Glasgow Exhibition in the late 19th century, where we meet Miss Harriet Baxter and the Gillespie family. The pages kept on flying by and I found myself fascinated by the story. Harriet cleaves herself to the Gillespies and has an especially soft spot for the husband, Ned Gillespie, who is also a painter. Through a horrible event, which destroys the friendship and probably the Gillespie family, I began to wonder if things were as they first seemed. I kept on backtracking and re-reading passages to see if my memory was correct. It was one of those books that I could have read all day long, if life hadn't intervened.
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve never felt more manipulated by an unreliable narrator in my life!
4.5
While slow to start, (it took me five days to read the first 50 pages), it hooks you and doesn’t let you go (I finished the remaining 455 pages in one day)!
The story is excellent. The characters are good. There is an undercurrent of spooky/chilling that really leaves you questioning everything by the end!
4.5
While slow to start, (it took me five days to read the first 50 pages), it hooks you and doesn’t let you go (I finished the remaining 455 pages in one day)!
The story is excellent. The characters are good. There is an undercurrent of spooky/chilling that really leaves you questioning everything by the end!
ridgewaygirl's review
5.0
I missed my stop on the U-Bahn because of Gillespie and ] and almost missed it a second time a few hours later. It's that kind of book; a meaty Victorian novel - Victorian in both setting and style - with an involving plot that runs the gamut from gently bred English spinsters and comfortable domestic life to kidnapping and sensational court cases. Set against the background of Glasgow in 1888, Jane Harris's second novel is about Harriet Baxter and how she became involved with the family of an up-and-coming Glaswegian artist Ned Gillespie. Decades later, she sits down to write about her friendship with the Gillespies and the scandal that shocked all of Scotland.
Harris is good with the historical detail, and really good at creating characters who breathe. But where she really excels is in telling a story from the point of view of a seemingly secondary character, someone who might not see the same things that the other characters do, or it might be that she is altering the tale to suit herself. If you dislike ambiguity in a novel, this one is not for you, but if you like the twist that looks like it's from out of nowhere, but that also fits the story in an organic way if you set the story upside down, then you'll enjoy this one.
Harris is good with the historical detail, and really good at creating characters who breathe. But where she really excels is in telling a story from the point of view of a seemingly secondary character, someone who might not see the same things that the other characters do, or it might be that she is altering the tale to suit herself. If you dislike ambiguity in a novel, this one is not for you, but if you like the twist that looks like it's from out of nowhere, but that also fits the story in an organic way if you set the story upside down, then you'll enjoy this one.
littletaiko's review
3.0
This was an enjoyable page turner - sort of literary melodrama I suppose. Harriet is a nice, pleasant single lady in the late 1800's who befriends the artist Ned Gillespie and his family. The story is told as Harriet is writing her memoirs to explain the truth behind the big scandal that she and the Gillespie family became involved with. I do recommend rereading the opening chapter after finishing the book as it really emphasizes some key points. Can't say much without giving anything away. The author did a nice job of planting enough doubt regarding all characters that you're not really sure what the truth is.
ja3m3's review
4.0
This book is very difficult to review without spoiling it for others. Gillespie and I begins in the 1930s as Harriet, an elderly woman, decides to write her memoir. She wants to put to page her truth surrounding a tragic event that occurred 50 years earlier. As her memoir unfolds it becomes clear that Harriet is not who "she" perceives herself to be. But who is she? I thought I was going to read a nice historical fiction novel, but became entangled in a psychological mystery that had me riveted. This was a fascinating look into one person’s reality - a very good read.
cimorene1558's review
5.0
I adored the first half. The second half slightly less, but it is an amazing book.
meghan111's review
5.0
I love an unreliable narrator - in 1933, an elderly woman named Harriet Baxter is writing down her memories of 40 years ago when she met an artist named Ned Gillespie. New to Glasgow at the time, she insinuated her way into Ned's circle and his family life. I found Harriet and her loneliness and fixation utterly compelling. As tragedy strikes the Gillespies, Harriet becomes both an evil and tragic character.
carolpk's review
I invested a bit of time into this one. Was it worth it? Yes and no. Jane Harris is an excellent story-teller and the story is interesting. Like many here, I can’t tell much without a spoiler slipping by. I’m thinking his is a book that will gnaw at me, asking “what’s it all about?”, for some time. Did it need to be over 500 pages? I’m not certain. I liked some of the characters and wanted to throttle others. I liked the exploration of relationships, familial and otherwise; friendships, both male and female. Did I have all the answers at tale’s end? I don’t think so.
This is a book that will keep me thinking; one which I’ll have to go back and read reviews, perhaps listen to the author talk about her thoughts and motivation in writing the story. I’ll have to find a friend who’s read it to share the experience more fully. And I’ll also need to go back and listen Episode 16 of The Reader’s
Podcast and send out my thanks to Simon Savidge who brought the book to my attention in the first place.
You may have noticed I have not given Gillespie & I any stars. I really can’t decide. I need to think about it more and stars in this case are just not cutting it. Suffice it to say, I liked it.
This is a book that will keep me thinking; one which I’ll have to go back and read reviews, perhaps listen to the author talk about her thoughts and motivation in writing the story. I’ll have to find a friend who’s read it to share the experience more fully. And I’ll also need to go back and listen Episode 16 of The Reader’s
Podcast and send out my thanks to Simon Savidge who brought the book to my attention in the first place.
You may have noticed I have not given Gillespie & I any stars. I really can’t decide. I need to think about it more and stars in this case are just not cutting it. Suffice it to say, I liked it.
lavoiture's review
3.0
I've wanted to read this book for a long time and then I could barely finish it. The writing is excellent and Harriet Baxter is vividly annoying and awful, but I thought it was about 200 pages too long.