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nicovreeland's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 60%. The writing is kind of like pleasant small. It’s not bad exactly, but it’s not terribly compelling. It’s not really a mystery or even a suspense novel. It’s a coincidence novel, following the different people brought together by a car accident. I’m not much of one for coincidence in mysteries, it’s just too easy for an author to create them.
The pacing is also quite slow. We get a lot of people’s perspectives, and we don’t need all of them. For instance, there’s a murder, which we see, and then there’s a 13-minute chapter from the POV of the maid as she discovers the body. But of course she doesn’t just discover the body, she expounds about her life and her daily routine and her clients and on and on. It’s pleasant writing, but not good enough to make up for the fact that the whole chapter is a stall, drawing out the inevitable.
I tried to push through because other reviews said it picked up when the pieces started coming together, but holy hell, I made it 60% of the way through and very few pieces had come together. The ones that had were outweighed by all the dry British pontificating on aubergines and who brought what dish to last Christmas.
The pacing is also quite slow. We get a lot of people’s perspectives, and we don’t need all of them. For instance, there’s a murder, which we see, and then there’s a 13-minute chapter from the POV of the maid as she discovers the body. But of course she doesn’t just discover the body, she expounds about her life and her daily routine and her clients and on and on. It’s pleasant writing, but not good enough to make up for the fact that the whole chapter is a stall, drawing out the inevitable.
I tried to push through because other reviews said it picked up when the pieces started coming together, but holy hell, I made it 60% of the way through and very few pieces had come together. The ones that had were outweighed by all the dry British pontificating on aubergines and who brought what dish to last Christmas.
jessie_fleur's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
therealkathryn's review against another edition
3.0
Atkinson comes up with great characters, histories and interwoven storylines again in this sequel to Case Histories. For the most part enjoyable though went on a bit long.
kingsamong's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
frannydo's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
4.0
This book takes place a couple of years after the end of Atkinson's Case Histories, though only a few characters are carried over. I did not realize this when I picked this book to read from my stash. In fact, I didn't even know I owned Case Histories until my sons coincidentally selected it as my book to read right after this one.
No matter, I am no worse for the wear for not having read them in the order they were written. I did like Case Histories more, though.
What makes a book for me is the quality of the character development. Atkinson shines here. Her writing is exemplary, and One Good Turn is filled with deep, rich character studies. I strongly liked Atkinson's writing style. The chapters rotate among the characters, weaving in and out of their lives. Many story lines and characters become entangled, though I only had a small bit of trouble remembering who was who and what relationship they had with what person. At the back of the book Atkinson responded to a question about "how much planning goes into your interlocking story lines?" She replied "I never plot or diagram anything and I never lose track." Amazing!
Of all the characters, Martin seems to get the most attention here. My favorite was Jackson, and that is one of the reasons I did not rate the title higher. Another is the subject matter. I used to say that mysteries were not my thing, but there are your standard, Agatha Christie style whodunits, and then there are mysteries like One Good Turn, where the reader ponders how characters and plots are interconnected, along with who did what and why. And that's the other reason it didn't score higher--I wasn't as pulled into the main mystery here as I wanted to be.
Still, I am now a fan. I highly look forward to reading more of Atkinson's work!
No matter, I am no worse for the wear for not having read them in the order they were written. I did like Case Histories more, though.
What makes a book for me is the quality of the character development. Atkinson shines here. Her writing is exemplary, and One Good Turn is filled with deep, rich character studies. I strongly liked Atkinson's writing style. The chapters rotate among the characters, weaving in and out of their lives. Many story lines and characters become entangled, though I only had a small bit of trouble remembering who was who and what relationship they had with what person. At the back of the book Atkinson responded to a question about "how much planning goes into your interlocking story lines?" She replied "I never plot or diagram anything and I never lose track." Amazing!
Of all the characters, Martin seems to get the most attention here. My favorite was Jackson, and that is one of the reasons I did not rate the title higher. Another is the subject matter. I used to say that mysteries were not my thing, but there are your standard, Agatha Christie style whodunits, and then there are mysteries like One Good Turn, where the reader ponders how characters and plots are interconnected, along with who did what and why. And that's the other reason it didn't score higher--I wasn't as pulled into the main mystery here as I wanted to be.
Still, I am now a fan. I highly look forward to reading more of Atkinson's work!
heathermb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
4.0
Source: Audible
I like her and had gotten this on sale at some point. Slowed down the books through Libby to read this one. Overall, liked the book. At some point, was listening at too high of a speed. That was a problem, so I slowed it down and didn’t get as lost. A LOT of characters to track, and brilliant in how it all comes together.
I didn’t realize that it was part of a series…and certainly that it wasn’t the first… so – now I need to figure out if I’m going to go back and read #1 and then keep reading? More things first, probably. Though, with as much as I like her, I might dump some other things on the list for her…
lynx_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Jackson Brodie continues to marvel us with his detective stories, in this book, we discover an intrinsecaly woven tale, of a group of people, all connected to one another, all extraordinary in their own way.
bristolreads's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder