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bookishbrighton's review
2.0
I was unfortunately totally underwhelmed by this book. It felt like it really dragged up until about 75% through when suddenly everything happened all at once. It didn’t even feel like everything came together from throughout the book - there was just suddenly brand new information. The story itself was okay and had potential which is why I finished it and didn’t give it a 1 star, but the tempo just did nothing for it. I didn’t even get attached to any of the characters - all of them were so underdeveloped and one dimensional. Despite everything happening all at once at the end, so many things still felt unresolved so I wasn’t even left feeling satisfied that I’d finished it. Disappointing is the word to describe how I feel about it.
shropgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Set in Brittany, Mila has returned to look after her niece Ani, after her step sister and husband have drowned in a boating accident. Ani is due to go to a Swiss boarding school in the autumn and Mila can then return to Bristol, to her boyfriend and to continue writing her novel. Mila's life is on hold while she takes care of Ani.
Ani falls of her bike and is helped by an old woman who lives in an ancient wooden camper. Mila returns in the morning to thank the woman for her kindness to Ani. However, Mila finds her body, dead from a weak heart it is presumed but Mila is unsure. A large book of cuttings that the woman had been showing Ani the previous day seems to be missing. However, the local police are not interested and so the woman is buried.
Mila has also been helping her stepmother who runs an investigation bureau until a replacement for Mila arrives. Mila is disconcerted to learn that Carter, a Canadian, and an old friend of her step-sister Sophie is to take her place.
Their first case is to investigate whether a Professor Perry, who is working on an archaeological dig, is having an affair. Things go adrift when the agency is implicated in exposing the details to the public. The professor goes missing and it seems that he may have been a victim of blackmail.
Further investigation links two deaths, one looking like natural causes and one a suicide. Finally there may be a case of a war criminal hiding in plain sight.
This was a good well written plot and I wanted to know how it would end. There were a few unanswered questions about some of the relationships which I would have liked explained. Themes on grief, guilt, parental responsibility as well as the main theme of retribution. I would probably read another Louise Douglas's books.
Ani falls of her bike and is helped by an old woman who lives in an ancient wooden camper. Mila returns in the morning to thank the woman for her kindness to Ani. However, Mila finds her body, dead from a weak heart it is presumed but Mila is unsure. A large book of cuttings that the woman had been showing Ani the previous day seems to be missing. However, the local police are not interested and so the woman is buried.
Mila has also been helping her stepmother who runs an investigation bureau until a replacement for Mila arrives. Mila is disconcerted to learn that Carter, a Canadian, and an old friend of her step-sister Sophie is to take her place.
Their first case is to investigate whether a Professor Perry, who is working on an archaeological dig, is having an affair. Things go adrift when the agency is implicated in exposing the details to the public. The professor goes missing and it seems that he may have been a victim of blackmail.
Further investigation links two deaths, one looking like natural causes and one a suicide. Finally there may be a case of a war criminal hiding in plain sight.
This was a good well written plot and I wanted to know how it would end. There were a few unanswered questions about some of the relationships which I would have liked explained. Themes on grief, guilt, parental responsibility as well as the main theme of retribution. I would probably read another Louise Douglas's books.
johncairns's review against another edition
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
2.0
I found the pacing of this book a bit odd, it seemed to all come to a head in the last 30 pages after a lot of nothing. Also something about the writing style wasn’t to my taste (something about the phrase “chuckled with laughter” grinds my gears). That being said, the descriptions of Brittany were beautiful. I just feel like the character were very flat and two dimensional and made frankly bonkers decisions that no normal human would make.
hughsie's review
mysterious
slow-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
2.0
muckl3t83's review
mysterious
slow-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
2.5
becksa's review
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
90% of the book was spent very slowly building the story. With the last 10% focusing on the mystery/conclusion.
Would have been much better to delve into the mystery sooner so it could be explored in more detail.
Would have been much better to delve into the mystery sooner so it could be explored in more detail.
heather626's review against another edition
3.0
The Lost Notebook by Louise Douglas takes us to Morranez and the Brittany Coast. Mila's sister has dies in a tragic accident and she has to now be a mother to her niece. She is planning on enrolling her in a boarding school in Switzerland. While getting her ready, a woman is found dead. Mila just can't stop thinking about it. Even though the authorities think it is natural death, Mila has her suspicions.
I have read other works by Louise Douglas and enjoyed them much more than I did The Lost Notebook. I found this one hard to engage and hard to follow. I actually struggled to finish this one. Special thanks to NetGalley, Louise Douglas, and Boldwood Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3 stars for me.
#TheLostNotebook #NetGalley
I have read other works by Louise Douglas and enjoyed them much more than I did The Lost Notebook. I found this one hard to engage and hard to follow. I actually struggled to finish this one. Special thanks to NetGalley, Louise Douglas, and Boldwood Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3 stars for me.
#TheLostNotebook #NetGalley