Reviews

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

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lornafinlay's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jewel99's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

jencunn2024's review against another edition

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4.0

I almost would have given this a 4.5 but not quite. I was really drawn into this story, not because of intense suspense, but more because of the lack of it. There was an art to Jewell’s ability to make it intriguing and yet draw you into a setting full of characters living different but fairly average lives. And I think that’s what I loved about it and for what naysayers seem to have a distaste. It had a feeling of normal with just the right bits of darkness - stuff that could make headlines in real life and did make some headlines in the novel. Even with all of its everdayness, the reader is kept guessing until the end. I just sent disappointed in the end at all. It makes you feel some new feelings when you reach that point and I think some folks find those particular feelings to be uncomfortable and maybe even disheartening. I can’t say much about plot or anything. This is a work of fiction with a realness.