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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Palimpsest, pg 13
"Does God feature on our recently played list, or do we sometimes have to press shuffle?", pg 14
"Does God feature on our recently played list, or do we sometimes have to press shuffle?", pg 14
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book - I’d been wanting to read it for a while so glad I finally got round to it. I will say, this book is very of its time; the protagonist constantly referring to herself as fat/frumpy/large (when being 80kg….) is rather tired and boring, and might I say disappointing, seeing as it adds nothing to the plot or character. And a few of the comments (“They are gay, which is fine” “She doesn’t dress like a lesbian”) were laughably yikes. All that aside, I liked the pacing and enjoyed it enough to pick up the next one (with the hope that, as the series progresses, the author learns how to write better characters)
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Den danske oplæser på lydbogen har nogle steder en speciel udtalelse af danske ord, som er forstyrrende.
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed The Crossing Places. It was a quick read and entertaining! I enjoyed getting to know Ruth and DCI Nelson. Surprisingly there was no cursing or descriptive smut which is few and far between lately.
I did have one major issue. The author continually has Ruth refer to or think of herself as fat. I know a lot of women, myself included, can be hard on themselves about their weight. However the character weighs 12.5 stone which is about 175 lbs. Thats not obese. It’s actually barely over the average weight of a UK woman at 11 stone. I felt like there were plenty of times the reference to her weight was unnecessary to the story.
Example from page 19 - “She has a morbid dread of the seatbelt not fitting around her or of some invisible weight sensor setting off a shrill alarm. ‘Twelve and a half stone! Twelve and a half stone in car! Emergency! Press ejector button.’”
I did have one major issue. The author continually has Ruth refer to or think of herself as fat. I know a lot of women, myself included, can be hard on themselves about their weight. However the character weighs 12.5 stone which is about 175 lbs. Thats not obese. It’s actually barely over the average weight of a UK woman at 11 stone. I felt like there were plenty of times the reference to her weight was unnecessary to the story.
Example from page 19 - “She has a morbid dread of the seatbelt not fitting around her or of some invisible weight sensor setting off a shrill alarm. ‘Twelve and a half stone! Twelve and a half stone in car! Emergency! Press ejector button.’”
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When trying a new author, it's a bold - some may say stupid - move to grab several books at once.
But hey, a '3 for £10' sale is what it is so I grabbed three of Elly Griffiths' first four books one day while visiting a nature reserve somewhere in Norfolk. The fact book three was out of stock still niggles.
Finally, The Crossing Places, rose to the top of The List - which was both exciting and slightly scary, because if it was terrible there was going to suddenly be a big gap on the ol' book shelf.
Thankfully, the gap has not appeared.
Setting her story in the wilds of north Norfolk, Elly creates a world that is at once both familiar and slightly alien. Much like the Broads themselves.
The writing is stark and sparse, almost barren, but in a way that totally works as it mirrors perfectly the landscape she creates for us.
Her characters are warm, friendly, almost cosy, and again that's not meant as a negative as it offsets beautifully the harrowing crime that is being investigated.
The story itself - missing children - is a well-worn trope in crime fiction, but Elly adds a lovely twist by bring history to the party with archeological digs and ancient burials.
Possibly the thing I loved most is how I guessed who the killer was. Several times. Because the clues come along, quietly telegraphed, and you feel smug because this debut novelist is obviously still learning the ropes in how to lay down the breadcrumbs for us expert armchair detectives.... and then you're wrong. And wrong again. As with a deft hand the narrative is gently pulled in a new direction.
As debuts go, this is an excellent piece of work.
One down, another 14 to go I believe.
But hey, a '3 for £10' sale is what it is so I grabbed three of Elly Griffiths' first four books one day while visiting a nature reserve somewhere in Norfolk. The fact book three was out of stock still niggles.
Finally, The Crossing Places, rose to the top of The List - which was both exciting and slightly scary, because if it was terrible there was going to suddenly be a big gap on the ol' book shelf.
Thankfully, the gap has not appeared.
Setting her story in the wilds of north Norfolk, Elly creates a world that is at once both familiar and slightly alien. Much like the Broads themselves.
The writing is stark and sparse, almost barren, but in a way that totally works as it mirrors perfectly the landscape she creates for us.
Her characters are warm, friendly, almost cosy, and again that's not meant as a negative as it offsets beautifully the harrowing crime that is being investigated.
The story itself - missing children - is a well-worn trope in crime fiction, but Elly adds a lovely twist by bring history to the party with archeological digs and ancient burials.
Possibly the thing I loved most is how I guessed who the killer was. Several times. Because the clues come along, quietly telegraphed, and you feel smug because this debut novelist is obviously still learning the ropes in how to lay down the breadcrumbs for us expert armchair detectives.... and then you're wrong. And wrong again. As with a deft hand the narrative is gently pulled in a new direction.
As debuts go, this is an excellent piece of work.
One down, another 14 to go I believe.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder
Moderate: Police brutality, Abortion