248 reviews for:

Gilded Needles

Michael McDowell

3.95 AVERAGE

dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous dark tense
dark sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A
dark informative mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

4.5 stars

Edith Fair moved at the side of the wheeled chair, searching for perfect shells which, when found she dropped into a basket Lena Shanks held in her lap

Wow, where to begin, the vivid descriptions, the setting, the beautifully orchestrated revenge plot, a feast for the eyes of any reader who enjoys thrillers.

Although McDowell is known for his more fantastical horror writtings this was a very realistic portrayal of New York during the Gilded Age, I often found myself having clear pictures of a Victorian Big Apple in my mind while reading, and I'm not someone who has an easy time imagining things in my mind's eye.

It was the first book of his I've read and I think I made a good choice, McDowell doesn't shy away from letting you know just how superficial that golden foil is, there are very vivid descriptions of death, poverty and debauchery of every kind, contrasted with the picture of elegance and class portrayed by the Stallworths.

This is a shocking yet enjoyable read but it does have it's flaws which I found to be the multiple unfortunate additions of racially insensitive passages, so do keep that in mind.
adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
dark funny tense