Reviews - Bitter Orange | The StoryGraph

978 reviews for:

Bitter Orange

Claire Fuller

3.54 AVERAGE

campaigee's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ella_noonan's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Lots of uncomfortable bits. Mainly random nudity and constant reminders that the main character is wearing her dead mother's underwear (like everyday). She also refers to her mother as 'Mother' and that became really annoying. Overall, it was pretty good. I never would have guessed the ending.

nypeapod's review against another edition

4.0

Great writing, just I did not enjoy the story as much as many others. I consider that a reader issue not a writer or publisher issue.

orlaithma's review against another edition

3.0

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller is absolutely beautifully written. As I was reading it I could imagine myself relaxing in the warm, humid, citrus-scented breezes of the summer of 1969. The descriptions of the manor house in which the story is set allowed me to see it vividly in my mind's eye, both in its pre-war splendour and in its later state of disrepair.

Sadly, beautiful writing alone wasn't enough for me to fall in love with this book.

I felt the story to be quite predictable and lacking in that something that would hook me in, that 'je ne sais quoi' if you will.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but for me, it just didn't live up to its potential.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a beautiful, free ARC.

marie_89's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious

gormenghost's review against another edition

3.0

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

If you enjoy unreliable narrators and torturously slow build-ups, this might be a book for you. The culmination isn't really worth the wait though, nor is it in any way comprehensible.