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4nnalouise's review
3.5
I would've rated this book higher if the ending hadn't been handled that way. I still don't understand it if I'm being honest
toofondofbooks's review
3.0
This is such a good novel full of intrigue and suspense! It’s part spy novel, part thriller and part family drama and this made for such a great read. On the surface Anna is successful in her career at a magazine, she’s happily married and adores her three-year old twins but all is not quite as it seems. Her life is on the verge of unravelling and slowly we get to see who she really is but also who the people around her really are. It becomes something of a cat and mouse but you’re not always sure who the good guys are. I found this such a compelling read that was hard to put down. The ending was so brilliant and perfect in my opinion but I also feel it might divide readers! I recommend it!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
emilymaree10's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings towards this book...
The starting really caught my attention and had me intrigued but then the more I read the more it started to go in a complete different way than I was expecting.
I'd love to try and give a summary of the book but I honestly don't even know how.
All I can say is that the main character Anna, is hiding things from her family and gets herself into a big sticky situation.
But like also the way this ended makes me think there might be a second book. Because if there isn't going to be another book, then I am very confused by that ending as it left things very open.
I'm sorry but i'm also over reading about a main female protagonist who starts to lose her mind and goes crazy. Oh and who is also dependent on a guy to give her life any meaning because if she doesn't have him there, then she won't know how to cope.
I think I liked the writing and the pacing of this book, and I also really liked the way the author described the atmosphere, places they visited, ect! But unfortunately, I just think the story line was too bizarre and unbelievable for me to enjoy. The relationships in this story were also a miss as well, as I felt no chemistry between anyone and they were just all over the place!
If you are interested in reading about spys and bringing down a big corporate and all that smart, technical stuff, then this might be for you. However, it was not for me.
The starting really caught my attention and had me intrigued but then the more I read the more it started to go in a complete different way than I was expecting.
I'd love to try and give a summary of the book but I honestly don't even know how.
All I can say is that the main character Anna, is hiding things from her family and gets herself into a big sticky situation.
But like also the way this ended makes me think there might be a second book. Because if there isn't going to be another book, then I am very confused by that ending as it left things very open.
I'm sorry but i'm also over reading about a main female protagonist who starts to lose her mind and goes crazy. Oh and who is also dependent on a guy to give her life any meaning because if she doesn't have him there, then she won't know how to cope.
I think I liked the writing and the pacing of this book, and I also really liked the way the author described the atmosphere, places they visited, ect! But unfortunately, I just think the story line was too bizarre and unbelievable for me to enjoy. The relationships in this story were also a miss as well, as I felt no chemistry between anyone and they were just all over the place!
If you are interested in reading about spys and bringing down a big corporate and all that smart, technical stuff, then this might be for you. However, it was not for me.
cate_ninetails's review
3.0
I think that I wanted to like this book more than I actually do. I was definitely in for the ride all the way to the disappointing end, but for the most part I spent my time wondering what on earth was going on.
Character motivations are all over the place, so much so that even their own explanations for their actions never made much sense. I find it very hard to get on with thrillers that hinge entirely on everyone being stupid and/or not communicating in any believable way. I would have appreciated more detail but everything remains murky throughout, with vague references to government agencies and cagey spies but honestly it just felt under researched. One of the deep cover agents is found out because someone finds his paystubs with CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE written on out with his recycling bins. Honestly.
Character motivations are all over the place, so much so that even their own explanations for their actions never made much sense. I find it very hard to get on with thrillers that hinge entirely on everyone being stupid and/or not communicating in any believable way. I would have appreciated more detail but everything remains murky throughout, with vague references to government agencies and cagey spies but honestly it just felt under researched. One of the deep cover agents is found out because someone finds his paystubs with CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE written on out with his recycling bins. Honestly.
katheastman's review
4.0
Charlotte Philby found the inspiration behind her debut novel in a question that arose from her grandfather’s notorious defection to Russia in 1963: what kind of person walks out on their family?
Charlotte Philby recruits a young woman as her spy in The Most Difficult Thing, exploring the relationships she has, how the lines blur between what is real and what might be role-play, or even manipulative behaviour, on someone else’s part. When that woman becomes a mother, she examines whether maternal instincts automatically kick in, especially where childbirth and the postpartum period aren’t easy. She also considers the decision to break ties and whether it’s any more difficult for a mother to leave her children than it is for a father to walk out on his family.
The actual business interests that form the subject of the espionage were a little sketchy and confusing at times but this didn’t bother me too much because I found them to be of secondary interest to the web of relationships around Anna, who is at the heart of the novel.
This is where The Most Difficult Thing works particularly well and comes into its own. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to untangle all the relationships and work out who was playing it straight, who was not to be trusted or potentially spying on someone else or possibly even playing a double game, who might be paranoid or controlling, or who might simply be concerned for the children of the house and/or someone else’s welfare.
It’s difficult to work out if or how far Anna goes native, to what extent she makes conscious decisions affecting her life, and how much she remembers she has been recruited for a specific purpose. It’s also hard to gauge how much others suspect or know what she’s doing, who for and why. It was satisfying to see how it all unravels by the end. The Most Difficult Thing is an edgy family drama with its tangle of relationships unspooling in a clammy climate of deception and mistrust.
Charlotte Philby recruits a young woman as her spy in The Most Difficult Thing, exploring the relationships she has, how the lines blur between what is real and what might be role-play, or even manipulative behaviour, on someone else’s part. When that woman becomes a mother, she examines whether maternal instincts automatically kick in, especially where childbirth and the postpartum period aren’t easy. She also considers the decision to break ties and whether it’s any more difficult for a mother to leave her children than it is for a father to walk out on his family.
The actual business interests that form the subject of the espionage were a little sketchy and confusing at times but this didn’t bother me too much because I found them to be of secondary interest to the web of relationships around Anna, who is at the heart of the novel.
This is where The Most Difficult Thing works particularly well and comes into its own. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to untangle all the relationships and work out who was playing it straight, who was not to be trusted or potentially spying on someone else or possibly even playing a double game, who might be paranoid or controlling, or who might simply be concerned for the children of the house and/or someone else’s welfare.
It’s difficult to work out if or how far Anna goes native, to what extent she makes conscious decisions affecting her life, and how much she remembers she has been recruited for a specific purpose. It’s also hard to gauge how much others suspect or know what she’s doing, who for and why. It was satisfying to see how it all unravels by the end. The Most Difficult Thing is an edgy family drama with its tangle of relationships unspooling in a clammy climate of deception and mistrust.
whokatereads's review
1.0
Terrible. Don’t waste your time with this one. Awful writing, unnecessarily confusing plot and frustrating ending.
Cannot recommend.
Cannot recommend.
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