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decarabats's review against another edition
3.0
Well written, love the style and woman centered noir story. I wasn't in love with the ending, but it's enough for me to be willing to check out other, later works by the author. Seems this was her debut novel.
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
1.0
DIE A LITTLE is the first in a series of books frm Megan Abbott flagged somewhat unhelpfully as "modern noir". I'm not at all sure what that should imply in terms of expectation, but whatever caused it, something didn't really work about this book for me.
Leaving aside the fact that the cover is absolutely wonderful and the title is glorious, the style very atmospheric and the build up interesting (woman with a "past" who marries a cop, cop's sister smells a rat, digs), something about the delivery of this story simply flat out didn't hold my interest. I suspect part of this is because the "sister" whose viewpoint is paramount, didn't seem to fit with the noir stylings. For a while I wondered if the "bad girl" telling the story, might have helped, but ultimately I think the problem was partially the complete lack of suspense. Noir can be predictable to my mind, but it shouldn't be flat. It shouldn't drone on leaving a feeling of impatience for the damn thing to get to the point.
I suspect part of the problem really was that the focus on the sister's viewpoint isn't supported by her being a character that you can get involved with. It wasn't too long before I was forced into thinking I'd be on side of the bad girl wife, regardless of the question.
Leaving aside the fact that the cover is absolutely wonderful and the title is glorious, the style very atmospheric and the build up interesting (woman with a "past" who marries a cop, cop's sister smells a rat, digs), something about the delivery of this story simply flat out didn't hold my interest. I suspect part of this is because the "sister" whose viewpoint is paramount, didn't seem to fit with the noir stylings. For a while I wondered if the "bad girl" telling the story, might have helped, but ultimately I think the problem was partially the complete lack of suspense. Noir can be predictable to my mind, but it shouldn't be flat. It shouldn't drone on leaving a feeling of impatience for the damn thing to get to the point.
I suspect part of the problem really was that the focus on the sister's viewpoint isn't supported by her being a character that you can get involved with. It wasn't too long before I was forced into thinking I'd be on side of the bad girl wife, regardless of the question.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When her brother's new wife seems too good to be true, Lora King starts poking around in her sister-in-law, Alice Steele's past, uncovering ugly things lurking beneath Hollywood's glitzy surface. Can she protect her brother before getting ensnared in the same web as Alice?
I've arrived at Die a Little, Megan Abbott's debut novel, after weaving a serpentine course through her other noir books. It sure doesn't read like a first novel. All the things I love about her later novel are there, fully-formed or very nearly so.
Die a Little is the tale of a sister trying to protect the only family she has. Her sister-in-law seemed a little dark around the edges from the start but things started sliding downhill once her friend Lois showed up. Once Lora hooked up with Standish and found the address book, things really started getting grim.
Lora's journeying through the Hollywood underbelly of disposable party girls, pimps, and drugs, was a little stomach-turning. The ending surprised me but I guess it shouldn't have, given that this is a noir book. It almost felt like a Jim Thompson book at times.
If I had to complain about something, it would be that Lora's brother Bill wasn't very developed as a character, but since Lora's investigation of Alice was the focus of the story, it didn't matter all that much.
Megan Abbott was in fine form in her debut novel, which is at least as good as her later ones like [b:The Song is You|52407|The Song is You|Megan Abbott|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170387820s/52407.jpg|1883211]. Four easy stars.
I've arrived at Die a Little, Megan Abbott's debut novel, after weaving a serpentine course through her other noir books. It sure doesn't read like a first novel. All the things I love about her later novel are there, fully-formed or very nearly so.
Die a Little is the tale of a sister trying to protect the only family she has. Her sister-in-law seemed a little dark around the edges from the start but things started sliding downhill once her friend Lois showed up. Once Lora hooked up with Standish and found the address book, things really started getting grim.
Lora's journeying through the Hollywood underbelly of disposable party girls, pimps, and drugs, was a little stomach-turning. The ending surprised me but I guess it shouldn't have, given that this is a noir book. It almost felt like a Jim Thompson book at times.
If I had to complain about something, it would be that Lora's brother Bill wasn't very developed as a character, but since Lora's investigation of Alice was the focus of the story, it didn't matter all that much.
Megan Abbott was in fine form in her debut novel, which is at least as good as her later ones like [b:The Song is You|52407|The Song is You|Megan Abbott|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170387820s/52407.jpg|1883211]. Four easy stars.
croqueta's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the look at the world before computers and cell phones. This is my first "noir" book, so I don't have a lot to go on about what is good noir, but I liked it.
menniemenace's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
This book is the most subtle thing you'll ever read. It barely hints at the bad stuff, making your head imagine such awful things. I have no idea if it's an artistic choice or just a random thing. Either way, it was tiring.
I liked the way it was written, fast and clever. It's like if The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was a thriller.
The mystery itself isn't really gripping since the narration doesn't tell you anything at all, so it feels like the readers have to create their own mystery.
This book is the most subtle thing you'll ever read. It barely hints at the bad stuff, making your head imagine such awful things. I have no idea if it's an artistic choice or just a random thing. Either way, it was tiring.
I liked the way it was written, fast and clever. It's like if The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was a thriller.
The mystery itself isn't really gripping since the narration doesn't tell you anything at all, so it feels like the readers have to create their own mystery.
tideseekermystery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shxlby98's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this because I love Megan Abbott but it just fell flat for me.
laurannie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0