Reviews

Catch and Kill : Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow

cefthy's review against another edition

5.0

do i spend $30 to preorder this vote now

Update— 11/11/19

So glad I did. Stellar, stellar, stellar.

mgmacavoy's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

lukejones's review against another edition

5.0

Wonderful reporting. Terrible accents in the audiobook. They should re-record it, it undermines the stories of the women who came forward.

emilyforrer's review against another edition

2.0

I'm clearly in the vast minority of not liking this book. The research, time, documentation, protection, and overall WORK put into this book and what it represents is incredible. But I just couldn't enjoy the book itself. I felt like it was so repetitive, and I didn't enjoy the audiobook narration at all.

Ronan, thank you for all the work you did to expose a monster in Hollywood. Truly it is appreciated and you do incredibly important work. I'm sorry I didn't enjoy the book more.

ashlynfbarclay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

towanda000's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

sunset8305's review against another edition

5.0

414 pages sailed by this weekend! I could NOT put this book down, it was entirely well worth the wait. It’s a page turner in its truest form, particularly given it reads like a massive spy novel... but it’s all real life happenings! The majority of the book covers the details behind the Harvey Weinstein investigation, then a fair portion of the investigations into Donald Trump. Just when I was thinking I’ve had enough of all that craziness (seriously, all the secrets, lies, coverup schemes, so many shady characters it got hard to keep track...), that’s when Farrow goes into depth about Matt Lauer... which kept me turning those pages at a lightning-quick pace to the very end.

While this book has unfortunately changed my irreverent faith and love for NBC News/NBC Universal, it did serve as a reminder that there are still the good ones (read: Ann Curry, Meredith Vieira), who did their part to support and encourage the more junior women to escalate their stories through the appropriate channels.

Finally, I can’t stop thinking about Ronan Farrow and Rich McHugh (and David Remnick, from the New Yorker) whose ethics and morals and willingness to keep on pushing - in spite of fears of retaliation / violence - set the bar for what is solid, fact-based, high-impact, necessary journalism.

cc_loves_books's review against another edition

4.0

Great book. But please, for your own sanity, do NOT get the audiobook. Farrow narrates. In general, he is a fantastic narrator. However, he made the bizarre decision to perform each character with an accent. They are horrifying. Like, distracting, throw the phone at the wall kind of horrifying. Over-the-top, stereotypical yet inaccurate, offensive, caricatures. You can hear some clips online. I feel like I’m listening to Boris and Natasha, even when it’s supposed to be, like, an Italian woman. Seriously, save yourself and read the print version, because the story should be told. Just not in Farrow’s accents.

fayebean's review against another edition

4.0

great! Details Ronan Farrow's difficulty getting NBC to print news re: Harvey Weinstein abuse of women. it's a really good book about journalism, about how the 1% of the media elite protect one another and cover up each other's crimes, and how NDAs silence women and keep their important stories away from the public

ambernagel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

4.25