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cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Grief, Murder, Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Body shaming, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
mr_cain's review
- 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
4.75
This book genuinely kept me guessing. I did suspect the real culprit several times, but I waffled often. Hawkins does a great job supplying motive and details for each of the suspects without it feeling like a painfully deliberate red herring.
Hawkins also makes the characters each their own and her style is distinct for each chapter in a different POV (i.e. Helen, Jules, + Sean's chapters all feel genuine vs. the same style with different names as many POV switching books seem to do). She provides a cast of characters who are complex and feel so real. Not every character is deeply complicated but they all have their own established psyches which I loved.
I can easily call myself a Paula Hawkins fan after this.
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Bullying, Body shaming, Infidelity, Rape, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Blood
Minor: Vomit, Eating disorder, and Chronic illness
kkalicky94's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder
blackferrum's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Baca ini setelah 2 tahun dan kesannya beda banget waktu pertama kali baca. Well, aku lupa dulu kenapa bisa betah sama narasi khas dari penulis yang emang panjang dan mampir-mampir dulu, tapi sebenernya beberapa aspek bagus.
Pertama, aku suka voice karakternya bisa dibedakan. Memang, karakternya banyak banget, sampai beberapa waktu setelah mulai mesti mengingat dia siapa, relasinya dengan si ini apa. Tapi ya itu tadi, setiap karakter punya ciri khas. Kalau dilihat secara umum, Julia sekilas sama kayak Louise, sama-sama punya gangguan mental dan kelihatan nggak bisa dealing with the past, tapi selain keterangan ini pov siapa di awal bab, mereka bisa dibedakan.
Kedua, alur yang menapak satu demi satu tangga hingga sampai konfliknya bagus. Yep, memang sih, kesannya kayak belok ke kanan dulu padahal bisa langsung belok kiri aja. Kayaknya ini ciri khas PH naikin tension di ceritanya agar bisa makin naik (?) plus dia nggak segan-segan membeberkan banyak rahasia dari setiap karakternya biar pembaca makin bingung mau ngarahin telujuk ke mana.
Ketiga, proyek Nel Abott soal Kolam Penenggelaman itu bagus. Maksudku, aku paham kenapa dia jadi terobsesi dengan sungai itu dan emang ceritanya kelam-kelam semua. Oh, salah satu kebenaran mengenai kematian salah satu korban Kolam Penenggelaman itu duh, ngeri, sih. Bikin sadar kalau ternyata batas antara mimpi dan ingatan itu beda tipis.
Terakhir, aku suka ilustrasi sampulnya, sih. Kerasa kesan air dan misterinya.
Bagian yang mungkin bikin kurang sreg sih, ya narasi yang mesti ke mana-mana dulu atau rahasia karakter lain ditebar biar orang nggak bisa langsung nebak. Yah, ini memang jadi keuntungan sekaligus kelemahan. Salah satu kelemahannya, rawan bikin bosen dan karena rahasia masing-masing orang terasa pribadi banget, rasanya malah kayak kita lagi ngintip gitu.
Bagian yang juga jadi perhatian itu dinamika hubungan antara Nel dan Julia. Kasihan sih, mereka banyak salah paham di masa lalu.
Oh, di buku ini ada isu sensitif soal pedofilia, medium sih, tapi hati-hati aja.
***
Jules (Julia) Abbott harus kembali ke Rumah Penggilingan─rumah masa kecilnya─karena kakak sekaligus saudara satu-satunya, Nel Abbott, ditemukan terapung di atas Kolam Penenggelaman.
Kisah-kisah mistik sekaligus mitos yang berkembang di masyarakat sekitar Beckford sepertinya sudah cukup kental, sehingga penemuan mayat Nel dianggap memiliki kaitan dengan kematian 4 wanita lain (yang berbeda generasi); Libby, Anna, Lauren, dan Katie yang juga meninggal dalam sungai tenang namun menghanyutkan itu.
Unsur thriller yang dipadukan dengan sedikit unsur paranormal ini membuat pembaca ngeri sekaligus penasaran. Bagaimana kisah orang-orang di sekitar Nel yang mencari motif dan alasan "kenapa" dan "bagaimana" dirinya meninggal hingga ditemukan di air yang baginya sudah menjadi "teman hidup" itu.
Sudut pandangnya berubah-ubah pada setiap chapter. Bisa sudut pandang pertama maupun ketiga, tergantung pada siapa yang bertutur dalam chapter tersebut. Agaknya memang membingungkan di awal. Nama-nama tokoh yang terlibat tidak sedikit, walaupun memang kebanyakan masih memiliki relasi, tapi tetap saja aku sempat berhenti sejenak untuk mengingat-ingat siapa yang dimaksud Jeannie, Mark, Josh, Helen, Alec, dan masih banyak lagi.
Ini buku kedua Paula Hawkins yang aku baca, setelah sebelumnya berkenalan dengan karya pertama sekaligus fenomenalnya, Girl On The Train. Tipikal "drama" yang ditulis Paula tampaknya masih belum berubah, masih sama-sama mengandung unsur sederhana-namun-rumit. Jika kalian sudah membaca dua bukunya pasti akan paham maksudku, karena ini khas banget!
Karena itu spekulasiku dari awal benar meskipun kadang terbantah di beberapa bagian, tapi spekulasi lain muncul. Yah, bukunya tebal, jadi kalian juga pasti akan sangat penasaran bagaimana dan kenapa Nel Abbott ini malah memilih mati di sungai yang notabene adalah "hidup"nya.
Perfect 5 stars for this book! Terjemahannya oke banget (bakal jadi langganan terjemahan dari Naoura Books, nih, hehe), mudah dipahami, dan nggak bikin bingung. Plot twist di akhir memang nggak "wah" tapi bakal bikin pembaca langsung mencak-mencak nggak jelas karena "Seriously?"
Pencinta thriller dan karya Paula Hawkins, wajib baca ini!
Moderate: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Mental illness, and Alcohol
angelafeng's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Murder, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Rape, Cursing, Bullying, Body shaming, and Pedophilia
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Eating disorder, Cancer, and Suicide attempt
cindas_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Blood, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Blood
Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism
lordofdisorder's review
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Dementia, Excrement, and Vomit