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allenfarm's review
3.0
This book was really slow. The author wrote all of the women in the story as naive, simpering, foolish girls. Only so much can be explained by the time period. There was nothing beguiling about Johnny and yet they all believed him with little question. Told in interview style with various points of view, there was a lot of internal musings and not a lot of dialogue. One of the few books that I think would make a better movie.
voya_k's review
3.0
Cullinan was doing psychological suspense with multiple perspectives and flawed female characters before it was cool. I read this after seeing the Clint Eastwood movie, which spoiled the suspense. However, I enjoyed wallowing in the thick Virginia atmosphere and the writing was actually quite nice. I wish Mattie the enslaved housekeeper in the book had been more like Matie the enslaved housekeeper in the movie, but (spoiler) she is not.
Anyway, if you are down for a slow burn, super sick Civil War Facts of Life situation, and can endure a fairly dumb portrayal of an enslaved woman, you might like this one too!
Anyway, if you are down for a slow burn, super sick Civil War Facts of Life situation, and can endure a fairly dumb portrayal of an enslaved woman, you might like this one too!
kaileed's review
4.0
The book has some problems (perpetuating the magical black character trope, and also it took me too long into the book for me to be able to differentiate the characters), but I felt pulled into the story and mystery of the characters, even after having already seen the movie (which was GREAT).
paulinrr'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.
storiesdontcare's review
5.0
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this book, but I wanted to finish reading it before venturing out to see the new film or the older one. (Had I remembered that Nicole Kidman lives in Nashville and realized she was doing a Q&A after a screening I MIGHT HAVE DONE OTHERWISE, but I digress!) The novel is told from multiple perspectives of all the women and girls living at Farnsworth, and I appreciate the different voices, unreliable narrators, and the fact that some secrets are revealed but never fully discussed--it gives the feeling that unlike Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, these characters do have a life beyond what's on the page. Cullinan manages to make all of the characters sympathetic at one time or other, and I just really loved the air of stuffy Southern Gothic secrecy that permeates throughout the book.
oliviabriscoe's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the pace and the setting of the book, but found the ending pretty disappointing. I am eager to watch the movie(s) though, because I think this book would make an excellent film or play. A lot of the suspense and horror that I had heard about was lost on me. I think making this a movie would help heighten the suspense and eeriness that was really lost in the book.
candiecane333's review
3.0
started off very slow & has WAY too much foreshadowing but is starting to pick up. the ending is strange & none of the character's actions make sense