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m3l89's review
Every time I finish a Sophie Hannah book I tell myself I'm never picking up another one as I don't get on with them and really struggle. Whoever writes the blurbs are geniuses because whenever I read one I always want to read the book! A Game For All The Family was no different; intriguing blurb but let down of a novel.
Full of irritating characters; Justine, Alex, Ellen, the police officers, the teachers, Olwyn. Every single character really wound me up and I didn't care about any of them.
Initially I really enjoyed the alternative story about the Ingrey family, but after a while even that got on my nerves.
Full of irritating characters; Justine, Alex, Ellen, the police officers, the teachers, Olwyn. Every single character really wound me up and I didn't care about any of them.
Initially I really enjoyed the alternative story about the Ingrey family, but after a while even that got on my nerves.
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
2.0
Justine gives up her job and moves to a new house with her husband Alex and daughter Ellen. Ellen starts writing a quirky story, and Justine becomes immersed in this story. There’s a detachment in the writing that never hooked me in, and there was an odd narration that made me skeptical of the whole book.
I’m sure the author is quite clever, but so much held me back from really engaging that I didn’t care enough to appreciate the cleverness.
I’m sure the author is quite clever, but so much held me back from really engaging that I didn’t care enough to appreciate the cleverness.
csaldivar312's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meloches's review against another edition
4.0
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https://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/
Justine Merrison and her family (a husband and teenage daughter) move from their lives in London and settle down in a small town. Shortly after, her daughter begins to withdraw and strange, threatening phone calls begin. Who can be trusted? What is real?
This novel does not have the best reviews and I have to say that this baffles me. This was my first novel that I read by author, Sophie Hannah. The first thing that I must comment on is the writing style. This book reminded me so much of an old school Agatha Christie novel. It makes complete sense that Hannah would continue the Agatha Christie dynasty by penning the new Hercule Poirot novels.
The plot begins with Justine’s daughter, Ellen, starts writing a strange story about a realistic murder. The character names are old and Victorian; this sets off some alarm bells for Justine. How could her teenage daughter pen something so realistic and complex? Soon after, mysterious phone calls filled with accusations begin and Sophie Hannah begins to take us on quite the roller coaster ride.
Throughout the novel, I had so many questions and so many differing points of view. I thought for sure that Justine was an unreliable narrator. Then I thought for sure that her daughter would have some sort of mental illness. I thought at one point it would turn into some supernatural ghost story.
It is written with a chapter in the present tense story and then a break in between where we are able to read Ellen’s story. This becomes a huge part of the plot and is just as enjoyable as the main storyline.
This book did have a decline around the mid way point and I found myself losing interest. However, trust me, it was very brief. I found myself sucked back into the story quickly and the last 100 pages or so flew by!
I wasn’t impressed with how the story ended, but it was unexpected. That is rare for me; I am usually pretty good at guessing the endings and seeing where the story will go.
For me, the characters did not shock me, nor was I particularly invested in them but the plot was enough to keep the story interesting for me and I ended up really enjoying this novel!
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? YES! Read it.
https://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/
Justine Merrison and her family (a husband and teenage daughter) move from their lives in London and settle down in a small town. Shortly after, her daughter begins to withdraw and strange, threatening phone calls begin. Who can be trusted? What is real?
This novel does not have the best reviews and I have to say that this baffles me. This was my first novel that I read by author, Sophie Hannah. The first thing that I must comment on is the writing style. This book reminded me so much of an old school Agatha Christie novel. It makes complete sense that Hannah would continue the Agatha Christie dynasty by penning the new Hercule Poirot novels.
The plot begins with Justine’s daughter, Ellen, starts writing a strange story about a realistic murder. The character names are old and Victorian; this sets off some alarm bells for Justine. How could her teenage daughter pen something so realistic and complex? Soon after, mysterious phone calls filled with accusations begin and Sophie Hannah begins to take us on quite the roller coaster ride.
Throughout the novel, I had so many questions and so many differing points of view. I thought for sure that Justine was an unreliable narrator. Then I thought for sure that her daughter would have some sort of mental illness. I thought at one point it would turn into some supernatural ghost story.
It is written with a chapter in the present tense story and then a break in between where we are able to read Ellen’s story. This becomes a huge part of the plot and is just as enjoyable as the main storyline.
This book did have a decline around the mid way point and I found myself losing interest. However, trust me, it was very brief. I found myself sucked back into the story quickly and the last 100 pages or so flew by!
I wasn’t impressed with how the story ended, but it was unexpected. That is rare for me; I am usually pretty good at guessing the endings and seeing where the story will go.
For me, the characters did not shock me, nor was I particularly invested in them but the plot was enough to keep the story interesting for me and I ended up really enjoying this novel!
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? YES! Read it.
beccabarpel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hannah's ability to reveal one detail that suddenly throws everything else into sharp relief is enviable.
mercsydaisy's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing concept with fun prose and a gothic-mixed-with-modern feel. I liked the first half, as it set up a lot of curious questions and characters - once it was clear where it was going, and once a few resolutions wound up underwhelming (one character's backstory in particular seemed really irrelevant and unimportant), I was let down. I didn't get the ending, which I think was an attempt to be vague and ambiguous for a reason, but it mostly left me feeling as if I'd missed something, or that there should be another chapter where the bomb would truly drop. There's some implication that "all the clues are there" to figuring out what's going on...after a while, I couldn't figure out what I was even supposed to be solving. I also liked the ending I guessed might happen better than what did, so there was some potential here.
Some people are saying they're finding the story, especially the inner story, unrealistic - to that, I don't see a problem, since it's clearly trying to emulate a very gothic novel, larger-than-life story, and it's very in theme. That was quite fun to me, honestly.
Is it worth reading? Eh, maybe? There's some good parts (and a really cute dog), and there are some people who truly seem to believe the ending tied up well, so if you're looking for something British, prosy and strange it's worth a try If you want a well crafted mystery, you will probably not find it here.
Some people are saying they're finding the story, especially the inner story, unrealistic - to that, I don't see a problem, since it's clearly trying to emulate a very gothic novel, larger-than-life story, and it's very in theme. That was quite fun to me, honestly.
Is it worth reading? Eh, maybe? There's some good parts (and a really cute dog), and there are some people who truly seem to believe the ending tied up well, so if you're looking for something British, prosy and strange it's worth a try If you want a well crafted mystery, you will probably not find it here.
readwithcara's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
sophafie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
readingbooksismyfavouritething's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 90% I just couldn’t drag myself through until the end. It started off really well but it just spiralled into something that defies all reality and belief an ended up being too silly to actually have any intrigue left. Main character was likeable and funny but like the story, got quite rambling & ridiculous as the book went on. This should have been so much shorter than it was, I just had to skip to the end to see what happened and there was no big plot twist or anything. The story just plodded along until the end which doesn’t make for a very thrilling ‘thriller’....