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stephh's review
1.0
I was really excited to read this, and if I'm honest it's been one of my most disappointing reads of the year. I think it's probably this particular translation of the book that's largely the issue, bur it just didn't feel particularly thrilling, or well written.
House of Beauty is centred around a beauty parlour in Colombia. When one of the clients winds up dead, a therapist that also goes to House of Beauty for her treatment gets swept up in the story. Full of intrigue, plotting, and with a backdrop of massages and female relationships, the book takes us on a journey of finding out what happens when someone with a lot of power commits a heinous crime.
I took an almost instant dislike to this book. It kick started by listing all the issues with women that have a certain aesthetic (blond hair, implants, bold fashion style), suggesting that these women are ruining things for others because of the way they look. The translation I think I was reading was also not very good, and the characters all seemed a bit muddled. The book was mostly told from the perspective of the therapist, but sometimes slipped into being narrated by a woman working at the beauty parlour, and it wasn't always obvious when this happened.
House of Beauty is centred around a beauty parlour in Colombia. When one of the clients winds up dead, a therapist that also goes to House of Beauty for her treatment gets swept up in the story. Full of intrigue, plotting, and with a backdrop of massages and female relationships, the book takes us on a journey of finding out what happens when someone with a lot of power commits a heinous crime.
I took an almost instant dislike to this book. It kick started by listing all the issues with women that have a certain aesthetic (blond hair, implants, bold fashion style), suggesting that these women are ruining things for others because of the way they look. The translation I think I was reading was also not very good, and the characters all seemed a bit muddled. The book was mostly told from the perspective of the therapist, but sometimes slipped into being narrated by a woman working at the beauty parlour, and it wasn't always obvious when this happened.
mae_mae13's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the cover of the book and how it opens up. This is definitely a very gripping thriller that has an amazing setting. The story itself will keep you going until the very end. I read it in one sitting. It was a very original story which was very refreshing! It's memorable and will stick with you long after you finish the book! I highly recommend this one!
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
michelreynoso19's review against another edition
3.0
Tuvo un muy buen comienzo y no podía dejar de leer las primeras 100 páginas, pero después de eso la historia me empezó a aburrir, de ratos me perdía, no sabía que estaba pasando :(
mcwinningkoff's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
This book sounded like a good plot, but the actual plot didn’t spend much time on the victim, the crime, or finding out who was responsible. It was more about the struggles of female characters experiencing mysogyny, abuse, and poverty. The culture and vibes of the city were well described. Ultimately, I think the writing may have suffered from an overly simplistic translation and lost some nuance and tone in the process. The different narrative voices and points of view change randomly between chapters and in some of them nothing happens at all so it’s confusing AND irritating. It’s difficult to tell whose POV we’re reading from as well since there are no names on the chapters, just numbers. The characters also read very similar to each other for me even when their personalities and situations were described.
There are inconsistencies in behaviour that took me out of the story too often. For example, a character who is overworked and underpaid but cannot lose her job because she is trying to save money to bring her son to live with her (and is on the verge of homelessness) risks it all to sneak away to a funeral she wasn’t invited to for a young client she briefly met once.
There are inconsistencies in behaviour that took me out of the story too often. For example, a character who is overworked and underpaid but cannot lose her job because she is trying to save money to bring her son to live with her (and is on the verge of homelessness) risks it all to sneak away to a funeral she wasn’t invited to for a young client she briefly met once.
gellyreads's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I don’t know if it was the translation or the writing but the constant switching of POVs muddled everything for me. I couldn’t appreciate anything because I kept having to re read I was so confused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Violence
janp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0