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amatterofplot's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a really pleasant surprise!
Have to admit my reading it started out a tad half-heartedly -the possible complexity of the subject matter looming, threateningly, ahead. Once I got my teeth in, however, I just couldn't stop.
The book is not "heavy" at all & -if you can find it in your heart to ignore the, slightly disturbing, images Freud's Oedipal complex brings to mind- I believe you'll find it to be a cleverly crafted & gloriously twisted whodunit...
Have to admit my reading it started out a tad half-heartedly -the possible complexity of the subject matter looming, threateningly, ahead. Once I got my teeth in, however, I just couldn't stop.
The book is not "heavy" at all & -if you can find it in your heart to ignore the, slightly disturbing, images Freud's Oedipal complex brings to mind- I believe you'll find it to be a cleverly crafted & gloriously twisted whodunit...
decembermum's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very interesting book but I felt it tried to be too many things, a thesis on Freud, a whodunit and a history of New York at the turn of the 20th Century. However, it held my attention and had a good conclusion.
saba_ts's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up because the blurb mentioned Sigmund Freud and the cover said "10th Anniversary Edition - Million Copy Bestseller". I wasn't going to pass up a book like that, and I'm glad I didn't. A very interesting, fast-paced read without even a single dull moment. Loved every buy of it.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
This was an okay book didn't really believe it deserved all the hype. A lot of ends to tie up which i thought the author did quite well.
appalonia's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. On one hand it was thoroughly researched and anyone who is really interested in Freud and Jung and their beliefs would probably enjoy it more than I did. Unfortunately I was never very fascinated with either of them, so some of this book was a bit of a slog for me. But the author really brought to life the time period, and the two primary characters (Stratham Younger and Detective Littlemore) are interestingly written and worthy of respect. Rubenfeld did lose me a little at the end in his resolution of the crime. It seemed overly complicated and very difficult to follow. While this particular story didn't bowl me over, I am looking forward to reading the follow-up book.
hisdarkmaterials's review against another edition
5.0
Just bloody amazing read. Extremely well written, I found all aspects of this novel engaging. Would recommend to all.
sbaunsgard's review against another edition
1.0
Murder mystery thriller set in early 1900s NYC including Freud and friends. Pacing is good. Historical research is good. Plot is convoluted, and if you think about it too hard at the end, you will find plot holes, and you will think it is dumb. One character randomly has 1st person narration, while the rest have 3rd, for no good reason. Everyone is not quite what they seem, except not so much. For example, the main detective is less dumb than he seems, which should be obvious if you read his dialogue. This tends to work better if you write the characters with a bit more depth, but of course that doesn't generally work with thriller stype pacing. B&D/S&M/prostitution, Freud's theories are central to the plot, though not making up the majority of the text. The explanation of Freud's theories is more nuanced than the sexuality of the characters. Also, the author wrote Jung as a big jerk. Would not recommend. Trying to be the Alienist, but not as good. First choice read should be that book, but would also rec. 'The Fig Eater' by Jody Shields or 'Maisie Dobbs' (the first book in the series) by Jacqueline Winspear instead.
sawyerbell's review against another edition
3.0
A decent read, though the murder scenes were way too graphic for my taste.