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zoebusenberg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An attempt to critique the prevalence of serial killer fanaticism in the cultural zeitgeist - sometimes the critique is searing, sometimes it is eclipsed by delving too far deep into Ansel’s mind. Particularly, I found the ending reflections from Ansel’s POV to undermine this end, but I found the following ‘Elsewhere’ chapter super poignant and compelling. Mixed results but I truly enjoyed reading the piece, prose was gorgeous!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
roseteareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I like the utilization of the multiple POV though some dragged more than others. Lavender's story was the most interesting to me. I enjoyed Saffy as a character but at times her story felt more like a standard police procedural wrapped in literary style writing. Hazel's sections were the slowest for me.
What I do like is that it captured the essence of empty narcissim that drives these serial killers. These are sociopaths with a fragile ego and overblown sense of self. They aren't exceptionally intelligent or charming, and neither was the killer at the center of this novel even though from his POV you could tell that he thought he was.
What I do like is that it captured the essence of empty narcissim that drives these serial killers. These are sociopaths with a fragile ego and overblown sense of self. They aren't exceptionally intelligent or charming, and neither was the killer at the center of this novel even though from his POV you could tell that he thought he was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
jenny_d's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Child death
ebreheny25's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
I think this is my first five star book of the year so yay! It is truly a wonderful and reflective novel based off of how women and true crime coincide so much. I want literally anyone and everyone to read this book. This should be a required reading for real for real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
ana_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Incredible prose paired with some interesting and intense philosophical ideas. Loved the intensity brought about by switching from second person to third person limited pov depending on the character/chapter.
I really enjoyed that towards the end, the narrative structure itself kind of fulfills Ansel's theory with multiple people questioning their own lives compared to worlds where other choices were made. Saffy's story line in particular, with her constantly imagining what the lives of the three girls could have been had they never met Ansel was really compelling. The difference between her constantly thinking about them and Ansel constantly thinking about how his life would be different highlighted a certain level of selfishness to me that I think was needed. As sympathetic as he is, in all the ways this book shows he does have good in him and all through his life if other people had made different choices (if Lavender had taken the boys with her, if Mrs. Harrison had adopted both boys instead of just Ellis etc) maybe things could have lead to a different outcome, at the end of the day, in this world, he ended the lives of four people for his own sake. The final chapter focusing on the lost potential of Izzy, Angela, Lila and Jenny's lives was really powerful in reasserting both the idea of the different universes/but also that, ultimately, those universes don't matter when in this one they don't get to live it.
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Overall an incredible read with very thought provoking themes and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
amberjackonski's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
✦ synopsis
Ansel Packer, a serial killer on death row, is scheduled to die in 12 hours. But this is not his story.
Told through the eyes of 3 women in his life - a mother, a sister, & a detective - we discover the choices that culminate in tragedy & the impact on those in his wake.
This is the story of the women who survive.
✦ Read if you like :
-complex, thought provoking reads
-character driven stories
-multiple POVs
-books you’ll want to binge read
-audiobooks with multiple narrators
-true crime/detective stories
✦ my thoughts
I was utterly captivated from start to finish, I could not put it down. I read this book cover to cover in one day.
Given the subject matter, I was surprised how beautifully & emotionally written it was. It was poetic, insightful, & gracefully done. A compelling, unsettling, thought provoking work of literary suspense that challenges the sensationalism of serial killer stories by putting the focus on the women’s voices.
Notes on an Execution would make for a great book club read. The themes in the book beg for a discussion - the death penalty, redemption, sympathy, nature vs nurture, inherent good vs evil, the glorification of serial killers. I could go on & on.
This is one of those books that will stay with you for a very long time. I highly, highly recommend it! And if you do, read the author notes. It added a whole extra layer of insight.
★★★★★ 5/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Murder, Death, Abandonment, and Violence
music_girl84's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Murder, and Violence
vanessa_black_03's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book will make you think and think. It should be read by everybody who has ever thought about the person behind the unmistakable cloud of death by a killer.
Shows us how circumstances lend to our making but justifying anything you do with it and not acknoledging a problem within you is all that makes the difference
Shows us how circumstances lend to our making but justifying anything you do with it and not acknoledging a problem within you is all that makes the difference
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood and Stalking
Minor: Car accident
shostakofish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I have a complicated relationship with True Crime style media. One the one hand: It's deeply interesting and a look into very real issues society sometimes would rather ignore. On the other hand it's rife with exploitation, and often falls into the trap of glorifying male violence and reducing women to objects violence is inflicted on.
This book does a fantastic job avoiding those pitfalls. It takes a nuanced look at a killer and the women in his life including those he kills. Every single one is shown as a full human, with their first person perspectives allowing for depth and introspection. Each character is biased in their own realistic ways but the book as a whole takes a determinately neutral stance on the issues it brings up, allowing the reader to form their own opinions on things like male violence, the prison system and death penalty, mental health support, and media for murder.
This book does a fantastic job avoiding those pitfalls. It takes a nuanced look at a killer and the women in his life including those he kills. Every single one is shown as a full human, with their first person perspectives allowing for depth and introspection. Each character is biased in their own realistic ways but the book as a whole takes a determinately neutral stance on the issues it brings up, allowing the reader to form their own opinions on things like male violence, the prison system and death penalty, mental health support, and media for murder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Death, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Stalking, and Murder