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pollyroth's review
1.0
1.5 Stars
This dragssss. Long story short, The Beguiled has like 6 uninteresting narrators and zero twists in its plot. From page one you know that something goes wrong with McBurney due to "clever" foreshadowing, so I was nonplussed when it did. Also, none of the characters have anything more to them than what you get on the first page. It seemed like the author was setting up some big reveals in regards to some, and then nothing ever happened. I felt bait-and-switched. Basically, there is zero mystery in The Beguiled after you read the first chapter.
This dragssss. Long story short, The Beguiled has like 6 uninteresting narrators and zero twists in its plot. From page one you know that something goes wrong with McBurney due to "clever" foreshadowing, so I was nonplussed when it did. Also, none of the characters have anything more to them than what you get on the first page. It seemed like the author was setting up some big reveals in regards to some, and then nothing ever happened. I felt bait-and-switched. Basically, there is zero mystery in The Beguiled after you read the first chapter.
annabelms's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tizianabooks's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thebooktrail88's review
3.0
Visit the locations in the novel
An interesting book this one. It was good but not great and the pacing although should have been slow building was a bit too slow in the beginning. It’s quite a disturbing read in many ways – a solider arriving injured at a house in Virginia only to be tendered to by women who have no idea of the world outside. They at first feel threatened but it soon becomes clear that it might be him who should be afraid.
There are several girls who give their viewpoint of the events which unfold and I admit to getting a little confused over who was speaking although each chapter is signaled clearly. Sometimes it felt a little repetitive as one girl told the story of another in a different way. But on the whole, the tension, ghostly sequences ,sense of foreboding and danger runs throughout with only a few dips. There are some uncomfortable moments as some of these girls are under age and they are exposed to so much. I wasn't too keen on these moments.
The setting is what makes this book – a small plantation house with a mixed race woman, the house slave and white students in the middle of the Civil War and all that entails. The heat, the oppression, the sexuality and the sense of how on earth this is going to end kept me reading. And those frissons of excitement and the unknown, the mouse in a cage of cats, the mouse which fits back and then oh that ending. I think fewer characters and narrators would have been much more effective in the long run and a shorter novel.
phoebebrooke's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
At the beginning I gobbled this book up! I was so excited to read the next chapters I’d stay up late into the night. But then towards the middle, I felt it dragged on a bit. I began to get frustrated with the gullibility off all the girls. Even the characters I had originally liked. And when I can’t find a character to attach, I lose a little interest. But the ending made it all worth it. It left me not sure what sort of emotion I was feeling!
At the beginning I gobbled this book up! I was so excited to read the next chapters I’d stay up late into the night. But then towards the middle, I felt it dragged on a bit. I began to get frustrated with the gullibility off all the girls. Even the characters I had originally liked. And when I can’t find a character to attach, I lose a little interest. But the ending made it all worth it. It left me not sure what sort of emotion I was feeling!
dunningsk's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
I started this review rating the book a 3.75, but I really think it's better than that.
I watched the Coppola movie when it realized around five years ago, and although I knew it was based on a novel, I didn't get around to reading it until now. I must be in the (relative) minority, because I thought the book was great and Coppola's film excellent. (Normally, I'd want to read a book before watching the movie, but it was unavoidable in this case.)
Typically, books that alternative points-of-view don't really click with me. It's challenging enough to write one compelling, complicated, fully-realized narrator; this book has six or seven. But it works so well for this story, and I don't think it could have been written any other way. So much of the plot is not just trying to figure out if Corporal McBurney is being honest, but whether the women and girls of the Farnsworth School are. Because these women are so distrustful, suspicious, and frankly mean to each other, seeing the same moment from multiple points-of-view was very revealing.
I also appreciated that the narrators were speaking in the present, and retelling the events as though they took place a long time ago. There were a few moments of very thoughtful reflection from each of the narrators. It was fascinating reading as he, slowly at times and at times all at once, was able to reach all of the women and completely enrapture them, and especially seeing how their presumably adult selves now thought of him.
By the end of the book, I was pretty sure everything he had said, except maybe his name and being Irish, was a lie. I certainly don't think he had any actual interest in any of these women, beyond sleeping with Alice and maybe Edwina if she'd let him. But the letter from his mom at the end was such a great inclusion. It was a very powerful reminder that, just like the women, McBurney was a very complicated character. I don't think he was lying in the letter he wrote to his mother. And seeing how happy he was to be there when he first arrived really made the end that much more bittersweet.
I watched the Coppola movie when it realized around five years ago, and although I knew it was based on a novel, I didn't get around to reading it until now. I must be in the (relative) minority, because I thought the book was great and Coppola's film excellent. (Normally, I'd want to read a book before watching the movie, but it was unavoidable in this case.)
Typically, books that alternative points-of-view don't really click with me. It's challenging enough to write one compelling, complicated, fully-realized narrator; this book has six or seven. But it works so well for this story, and I don't think it could have been written any other way. So much of the plot is not just trying to figure out if Corporal McBurney is being honest, but whether the women and girls of the Farnsworth School are. Because these women are so distrustful, suspicious, and frankly mean to each other, seeing the same moment from multiple points-of-view was very revealing.
I also appreciated that the narrators were speaking in the present, and retelling the events as though they took place a long time ago. There were a few moments of very thoughtful reflection from each of the narrators. It was fascinating reading as he, slowly at times and at times all at once, was able to reach all of the women and completely enrapture them, and especially seeing how their presumably adult selves now thought of him.
tscott907's review against another edition
4.0
The only book I’ve read that features both a poisoning plot and a group of boarding-school girls chanting the phrase “Ham, ham, wonderful ham,” and for that I have to give it three and a half stars at least.
As delightful and creepy on the page as the Coppola film adaptation was to the screen. We all like to think we’re above acting foolish for the affection of Some Guy, but seeing how McBurney manipulated every character was chilling. It took me a few sections to start understanding which girl was which, but I really enjoyed this book.
As delightful and creepy on the page as the Coppola film adaptation was to the screen. We all like to think we’re above acting foolish for the affection of Some Guy, but seeing how McBurney manipulated every character was chilling. It took me a few sections to start understanding which girl was which, but I really enjoyed this book.
eleanoragraves's review against another edition
3.0
I have been excited to read this book ever since I saw the trailer for the Sofia Coppola movie adaptation. It promises a story of sexual tension, jealousy and vengeance, so I thought the story would be about menacing women. However, I was left a little disappointed.
The book takes place during the American Civil War where the injured soldier, John McBurney, is brought to an all women school to heal his leg. At first the presence of this charismatic soldier is trilling, and he gains the affection of most of the girls, but eventually it upends their lives when jealousy and vengeance takes over.
We read the story through the perspective of all eight female characters. This was a bit confusing at first, but after the first 100 pages or so, I found it simple enough to tell them apart. Even though there are a lot of characters and perspectives I enjoyed most of them despite their flaws. However, as the book goes on, it becomes frustrating how naïve and useless they became. There were multiple times I just waited for some of them to do something, but unfortunately they almost never did.
Where The Beguiled shines is in creating a creepy atmosphere with strong tension, so it’s a shame that the ending didn’t live up to the slow buildup. I usually appreciate a slow buildup and was very intrigued at first, but the book never goes to the disturbing place that it seems to be promising you. Not much happens until the end of the book, and even then it falls short.
I enjoyed the book at first, so it’s a shame that it didn’t live up to the promise. It might still be worth reading if you enjoy slower books with an eerie atmosphere, but keep your expectation down for where it’s leading.
The book takes place during the American Civil War where the injured soldier, John McBurney, is brought to an all women school to heal his leg. At first the presence of this charismatic soldier is trilling, and he gains the affection of most of the girls, but eventually it upends their lives when jealousy and vengeance takes over.
We read the story through the perspective of all eight female characters. This was a bit confusing at first, but after the first 100 pages or so, I found it simple enough to tell them apart. Even though there are a lot of characters and perspectives I enjoyed most of them despite their flaws. However, as the book goes on, it becomes frustrating how naïve and useless they became. There were multiple times I just waited for some of them to do something, but unfortunately they almost never did.
Where The Beguiled shines is in creating a creepy atmosphere with strong tension, so it’s a shame that the ending didn’t live up to the slow buildup. I usually appreciate a slow buildup and was very intrigued at first, but the book never goes to the disturbing place that it seems to be promising you. Not much happens until the end of the book, and even then it falls short.
I enjoyed the book at first, so it’s a shame that it didn’t live up to the promise. It might still be worth reading if you enjoy slower books with an eerie atmosphere, but keep your expectation down for where it’s leading.
kaileyjarvis's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5