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ms_la's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
5.0
amcurban's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
butlermarla78's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
caitlyn_rehs's review
4.0
I read this book about a year ago and I don't remember too much of it so it's not very memorable. However, I do remember that I did enjoy the writing style and the story. I found the characters pretty interesting.
anj_t's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
billymac1962's review against another edition
5.0
When I finished this book I was unsure whether to rate it 4 or 5 stars. Throughout 98% of the book I had it pegged at five stars and right after finishing it I felt some disappointment at the resolution as a whole and with the nagging feeling that there was a plot inconsistency that left me with ambiguity that was driving me nuts. I went for a walk with a well timed interview with William Landay on one of my favorite podcasts and thought about the book.
When I came home, I re-read one particular page to try to clear things up, and it did. One sentence, actually, that I'd forgotten, and that firmed things up plotwise. I'm satisfied now with the resolution and I think I can safely say that I am firmly decided on five stars. Which is remarkable given another thing about this book:
The book is divided into four parts. Each part is told from a different character's perspective, which is always a fine storytelling device.
Book 1 had me in its grips very well. It was told in the manner of a true-crime narrative which hooked me into the story and introduced me to interesting characters.
In Book 2 the quotation marks disappeared from the writing. I knew this was going to happen from other reviews, but I had enjoyed Defending Jacob so I was definitely going to read this.
Since Book 1 had them, I was hopeful that they would return in the next sections, but they did not.
Those who are familiar with me through my reviews would know that if I am fixated on a particular thing it will completely destroy my reading enjoyment. I hate literary devices such as overly lyrical prose and indeed, the lack of quotation marks. There were one or two times that I had to stop and retrack to figure who was talking, or if it was dialogue at all! Whenever this happened, an analogy occurred to me. You know when you edit photos with software you can use filters to enhance them? I consider the tack of using overly lyrical descriptions (not the case here, just an example) or an absence of punctuation or quotation marks to be a filter over storytelling. When it bugs me it frustrates me and all I want is the story and DITCH THE DAMN ART.
So it is very much worth pointing out that although he employed this no-quotation device, not only did it not kill my enjoyment, I was absolutely enthralled in this novel and could hardly put it down. I am also pleased to say that even though there were indeed one or two missteps, I flew through the dialogue like nobody's business.
For someone like me who usually can't get past style, this is a huge thing.
The more I write this review, the more I loved his writing and his storytelling. The story? It's a family drama about a mother of three children (Alex, Jeff, Miranda) who goes missing one day. The father is a rather infamous defense attorney and he is suspected of murdering her.
I've been thinking about it constantly since finishing it three hours ago and I think it will be a long time before I can shake it. It's brilliantly done.
When I came home, I re-read one particular page to try to clear things up, and it did. One sentence, actually, that I'd forgotten, and that firmed things up plotwise. I'm satisfied now with the resolution and I think I can safely say that I am firmly decided on five stars. Which is remarkable given another thing about this book:
The book is divided into four parts. Each part is told from a different character's perspective, which is always a fine storytelling device.
Book 1 had me in its grips very well. It was told in the manner of a true-crime narrative which hooked me into the story and introduced me to interesting characters.
In Book 2 the quotation marks disappeared from the writing. I knew this was going to happen from other reviews, but I had enjoyed Defending Jacob so I was definitely going to read this.
Since Book 1 had them, I was hopeful that they would return in the next sections, but they did not.
Those who are familiar with me through my reviews would know that if I am fixated on a particular thing it will completely destroy my reading enjoyment. I hate literary devices such as overly lyrical prose and indeed, the lack of quotation marks. There were one or two times that I had to stop and retrack to figure who was talking, or if it was dialogue at all! Whenever this happened, an analogy occurred to me. You know when you edit photos with software you can use filters to enhance them? I consider the tack of using overly lyrical descriptions (not the case here, just an example) or an absence of punctuation or quotation marks to be a filter over storytelling. When it bugs me it frustrates me and all I want is the story and DITCH THE DAMN ART.
So it is very much worth pointing out that although he employed this no-quotation device, not only did it not kill my enjoyment, I was absolutely enthralled in this novel and could hardly put it down. I am also pleased to say that even though there were indeed one or two missteps, I flew through the dialogue like nobody's business.
For someone like me who usually can't get past style, this is a huge thing.
The more I write this review, the more I loved his writing and his storytelling. The story? It's a family drama about a mother of three children (Alex, Jeff, Miranda) who goes missing one day. The father is a rather infamous defense attorney and he is suspected of murdering her.
I've been thinking about it constantly since finishing it three hours ago and I think it will be a long time before I can shake it. It's brilliantly done.
cemoses's review against another edition
4.0
I read the book Defending Jacob by this author which was very good. This book was not as clever and thought provoking.
However, this book is both very readable and engrossing. The parts of the book that deal with the effects of the disappearance of Jane Larkin on her children were well done.
However, what reduced the quality of the book was the disappointing characterization of Don Larkin. He is not at all a likable person. The problem is that in a lot of real-life mysteries, where there is a question of whether than man killed his wife, the husband has his good points. The fact that the husband has some good points is what keeps the mystery going makes the husband harder to prosecute. I felt there would be some pressure to prosecute Don Larkin from the public even though the evidence is not conclusive. The book does not deal with the MeToo movement and changing views about violence against women. There is less toleration about violence against women.
However, on the whole I enjoyed this book it could have been much better book.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
However, this book is both very readable and engrossing. The parts of the book that deal with the effects of the disappearance of Jane Larkin on her children were well done.
However, what reduced the quality of the book was the disappointing characterization of Don Larkin. He is not at all a likable person. The problem is that in a lot of real-life mysteries, where there is a question of whether than man killed his wife, the husband has his good points. The fact that the husband has some good points is what keeps the mystery going makes the husband harder to prosecute. I felt there would be some pressure to prosecute Don Larkin from the public even though the evidence is not conclusive. The book does not deal with the MeToo movement and changing views about violence against women. There is less toleration about violence against women.
However, on the whole I enjoyed this book it could have been much better book.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
kmccowell's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
vkzauel's review against another edition
5.0
didn’t wanna believe the last page was the last page. kept looking for more