Reviews

De meisjes by Emma Cline

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jenhurst's review against another edition

4.0

This was a book that I was also intrigued by because the cover is so memorable but I wasn’t really sure what it was about. Once I found out the plot I had mixed feelings about it I’d enjoy it. I find Charles Manson and that cult to be so fascinating but I find hyped up historical fiction and mainstream popular books to usually be overhyped. But I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. But I think it’s because was so good. The narrator did a great job with evvy! She made her very relatable and I liked how she voiced Suzanne too. I think the writing would’ve irritated me had I read it physically since it was so overly descriptive but it worked well with the audiobook. I liked seeing how naive evvy was as she got brought in because she wanted to belong, as did all the other girls. We knew where it was going and I felt like Suzanne was trying to protect evvy for a lot of the book, even if she couldn’t see this.

llassu01's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

peaknit's review against another edition

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3.0

I need to preface this review by admitting that I was a criminology major in college and ingested every bit of information that I could about the Manson family. Knowing as much about that as I do about that probably soured the story for me. This felt like a fictionalized version of the exact tale of the Manson family right down to the ranch and a sadistic murder on the fancy side of town. I still found the listen entertaining. I did struggle at times with the flowery descriptors that the author used. I generally enjoy rich description and love words but It almost seem to me like she went back and added more flowery five dollar words that she needed to. At one point she described llamas as sultry and heavy lidded like a street siren. It felt a bit much. That said, if you don't know much about the Manson story I do think that this is interesting and a really frightening look into what cult life may have been like specifically in this era of the 60s. Charles Manson was truly in a league of his own when it came to captivating young people. I would recommend Helter Skelter for a true look inside that world.

zatulasma's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5⭐️

bekahklemke's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

2.0

I can see why people would enjoy this book. It had a really interesting premise and the author did a good job at invoking the feelings of being a teenage girl.

I found the writing style to be tedious, though. So all in all, this book wasn't my cup of tea.