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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
It's really a short story from a collection George R.R. Martin put together called Rogues. But it's a fun read with a shifty narrator and some nice twists, as you'd expect from Flynn. Is it a ghost story, a thriller, a story of evil, of karma? Well, maybe all of these, maybe not. She leaves it to you to decide.
Started off great, but gets weaker as the story unfolds.
This is an initially humorous, then very suspenseful short story with Flynn style twisted characters. Our narrator opens with the already well known description of getting carpal tunnel syndrome from giving too many hand jobs as a sex worker, but what also made me laugh out loud was her justification for her "chosen profession":
"I mean, I would rather be a librarian but I worry about the job security. Books may be temporary - dicks are forever."
Her description of depressed middle classe women once she takes on clients as a clairvoyant is scathing but probably not entirely wrong:
"Come on! Big house in the city, husbands who didn't beat them and helped with the kids. Sometimes with careers but always with book club. And still they felt sad. That's what they always ended up saying: "But I'm just sad." Feeling sad means having too much time on your hands, usually."
Finally, I got a good chuckle out of this one (and I'm sure my fabulous friend, Jennifer, won't take exception):
"My boss, Vivica, is a former receptionist and a current bona fide palm reader, although 'Viviva' isn't her bona fide name. Her bona fide name is 'Jennifer' but people don't believe that 'Jennifers' can tell the future. 'Jennifer' can tell you which cute shoes to buy or what farmers market to visit, but they should keep their hands off other people's futures."
Well, after this little nugget the story becomes a lot more serious and sinister but also more compelling. Read it in one sitting; it won't take more than an hour and it will give you the chills.
"I mean, I would rather be a librarian but I worry about the job security. Books may be temporary - dicks are forever."
Her description of depressed middle classe women once she takes on clients as a clairvoyant is scathing but probably not entirely wrong:
"Come on! Big house in the city, husbands who didn't beat them and helped with the kids. Sometimes with careers but always with book club. And still they felt sad. That's what they always ended up saying: "But I'm just sad." Feeling sad means having too much time on your hands, usually."
Finally, I got a good chuckle out of this one (and I'm sure my fabulous friend, Jennifer, won't take exception):
"My boss, Vivica, is a former receptionist and a current bona fide palm reader, although 'Viviva' isn't her bona fide name. Her bona fide name is 'Jennifer' but people don't believe that 'Jennifers' can tell the future. 'Jennifer' can tell you which cute shoes to buy or what farmers market to visit, but they should keep their hands off other people's futures."
Well, after this little nugget the story becomes a lot more serious and sinister but also more compelling. Read it in one sitting; it won't take more than an hour and it will give you the chills.
I didn't realize this was a short story when I picked it quickly from my library's Overdrive audiobooks until I got home and looked at the time stamp and saw I was almost done. Great little short story. Part ghost story and part thriller, definitely intriguing.
A quick thriller. Received the book as a gift from a customer which made reading the short story an extra treat. The book community is a special thing.
Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly stumble across another retelling of The Turning Of The Screw, I realized I thought wrong. However, this might be my favorite version of the story. I didn’t want it to end and I wish it were an actual novel, not just a short story. These characters had so much more in them. Bring them back, Flynn!
This is a short story/novella (?) that I saw on a display at the library. It is kind of a typical haunted house/creepy kid story with the usual twists and weirdness you come to expect from Gillian Flynn. I was creeped out, but it was a fun read.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes