Reviews

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

Only show reviews with written explanations

mariyavd's review against another edition

3.0

Overall following the detective and the killer is very interesting. But! Too many characters introduced. The authors explanations sometimes are too much and gets you our of the story. And the culmination at the end was too fast in comparison with all the unnecessary lyrical deviation, through the whole book. And he had two times to do it right.

monikaev's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

given1soul's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It wouldn’t have been as interesting without first watching an nbc show, though it was interesting nonetheless. The show took the good bits and turned it into fleshed-out characters, where the book had flat, empty husks. Who is Will in Red Dragon? Some asshole and a misogynist. And I mean the book has a lot of problems on its own, for it was written “back then” and by a man who is seemingly also a homophone but there was something that felt more wrong. It felt so weird to read the chapters about the killer’s past, as though the blame for his doings fell on his mother and grandmother treating him badly. It definitely affected him as well as his apparent schizophrenia but it felt more like a redemption arc than a glimpse into his past.

Cringe fest for my boy Will but an enjoyable can’t-put-the-book-down 4 days for me.