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brandnewkindof's review against another edition
4.0
MYSTERY AND TIME TRAVEL AND SCIENCE THAT WAS TOO COMPLICATED FOR ME AND I LOOOOVED IT.
leelee_draws_pictures's review against another edition
4.0
This book is DEFINITELY not what you think it is when you first start reading it. You're like "ah, a nice straightforward mystery novel about a guy who wears mittens and gets killed."
But shit starts getting super-weird pretty fast. Inexplicable events start happening that make you think either the author isn't good at his job or something is up.
Turns out something is up.
And if you're reading carefully, you can figure out what that something is at least 50 pages before the twist is revealed.
Unfortunately, I can't talk too much about what happens in this book, but I can say it's very plot-driven and page-turner-y. The characterization is lacking, probably because the author was trying to nail down this twisty plot, but other than that, I really recommend this book.
But shit starts getting super-weird pretty fast. Inexplicable events start happening that make you think either the author isn't good at his job or something is up.
Turns out something is up.
And if you're reading carefully, you can figure out what that something is at least 50 pages before the twist is revealed.
Unfortunately, I can't talk too much about what happens in this book, but I can say it's very plot-driven and page-turner-y. The characterization is lacking, probably because the author was trying to nail down this twisty plot, but other than that, I really recommend this book.
jennifrencham's review against another edition
5.0
David is a crime writer, but he hasn't written in years. His publisher encourages him to look into the disappearance of a young girl, and he gets the writing bug, which sends him on investigations, which leads to him learning more about the mysterious man from Primrose Lane, the man who always wore mittens, even in the summer.
That synopsis doesn't nearly do this book justice. It's a crime book; it's a book about writing; it's a book about loss; it's a book about time travel. There's a little bit of everything in here, and it's an engrossing read. This book has been sitting on my "to read" shelf for far too long, and I am so glad I finally picked it up. I got so interested in the story that I nearly pulled an all-nighter just to finish it. If your library doesn't have a copy, figure out how to request one, or just buy it yourself. This book is excellent!
Recommended for: adults; fans of science fiction, fans of crime fiction. (If you'd enjoy seeing a mashup between Michael Connelly and Orson Scott Card, this book is PERFECT for you.)
Red Flags: language, talk of kidnapping, rape, and molestation. This is a book for adults, not for children.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
That synopsis doesn't nearly do this book justice. It's a crime book; it's a book about writing; it's a book about loss; it's a book about time travel. There's a little bit of everything in here, and it's an engrossing read. This book has been sitting on my "to read" shelf for far too long, and I am so glad I finally picked it up. I got so interested in the story that I nearly pulled an all-nighter just to finish it. If your library doesn't have a copy, figure out how to request one, or just buy it yourself. This book is excellent!
Recommended for: adults; fans of science fiction, fans of crime fiction. (If you'd enjoy seeing a mashup between Michael Connelly and Orson Scott Card, this book is PERFECT for you.)
Red Flags: language, talk of kidnapping, rape, and molestation. This is a book for adults, not for children.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
ee_em_em_aye's review against another edition
4.0
The Text Publishing cover of The Man from Primrose Lane runs the line “PROMISE: You will have never read anything like this before.”
“That’s the case for every book you’ve never read,” points out my husband; and he’s right – but don’t let the marketing put you off this part crime novel, part sci-fi work that’s an incredibly enjoyable read… as long as you’re aware that it’s going to get wacko at about page 250.
The Man from Primrose Lane will hook you from the first sentence – it’s well written; descriptive without being flowery, imaginative while taking the reader along for the ride, and the kind of book that will make you regret having a job because you’ll want to sit reading all day.
I found the twists and turns of the plot truly surprising (even before it got wacko) and the characters both believable and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
The Man from Primrose Lane came across as a good old-fashioned thriller for the start – a real whodunnit that kept me guessing throughout. The writing was so real as to be nauseating in one scene where the protagonist meets with a practicing child sex offender. What made the novel so good in the early part of it was that it wasn’t sensationalised.
The crime scenes and the events surrounding them were factually descriptive and the detective work sedate enough to be believable rather than exploded into a quick wrap-up of unbelievable coincidences that we’ve come to expect from crime stories (thanks CSI).
This was a four star read for me; what I really needed this book to have was a decent blurb on the cover, because without it I found the schism where a dystopian future becomes woven in with the gumshoe-esque crime thriller more disruptive than the author probably intended.
The heavy labouring of the scientific detail (the story even says at one point “yeah I know science blah blah blah”) was also off-putting but I guess necessary I imagine to deal with pedant readers who I probably love to point out in certain science-based scenarios what is and isn’t a possibility.
I should have – and I recommend you do this if you’re not used to reading sci-fi – given myself an hour or two to commit to reading my way right through the introduction of the sci-fi elements so I could more easily follow along. I found my reading became laboured and somewhat less enjoyable for about thirty pages as I grappled with some of the mind-benders in this novel.
However, as I came to grips with major plot twists and confirmed once again in my own mind whose story I was reading, The Man from Primrose Lane became enjoyable again. And I’m even pretty confident that I know who killed The Man from Primrose Lane … I think.
The Man from Primrose Lane is at once a thoroughly enjoyable and challenging read, which will keep you thinking and questioning what you know well beyond finishing the book. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read again as soon as you finish.
“That’s the case for every book you’ve never read,” points out my husband; and he’s right – but don’t let the marketing put you off this part crime novel, part sci-fi work that’s an incredibly enjoyable read… as long as you’re aware that it’s going to get wacko at about page 250.
The Man from Primrose Lane will hook you from the first sentence – it’s well written; descriptive without being flowery, imaginative while taking the reader along for the ride, and the kind of book that will make you regret having a job because you’ll want to sit reading all day.
I found the twists and turns of the plot truly surprising (even before it got wacko) and the characters both believable and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
The Man from Primrose Lane came across as a good old-fashioned thriller for the start – a real whodunnit that kept me guessing throughout. The writing was so real as to be nauseating in one scene where the protagonist meets with a practicing child sex offender. What made the novel so good in the early part of it was that it wasn’t sensationalised.
The crime scenes and the events surrounding them were factually descriptive and the detective work sedate enough to be believable rather than exploded into a quick wrap-up of unbelievable coincidences that we’ve come to expect from crime stories (thanks CSI).
This was a four star read for me; what I really needed this book to have was a decent blurb on the cover, because without it I found the schism where a dystopian future becomes woven in with the gumshoe-esque crime thriller more disruptive than the author probably intended.
The heavy labouring of the scientific detail (the story even says at one point “yeah I know science blah blah blah”) was also off-putting but I guess necessary I imagine to deal with pedant readers who I probably love to point out in certain science-based scenarios what is and isn’t a possibility.
I should have – and I recommend you do this if you’re not used to reading sci-fi – given myself an hour or two to commit to reading my way right through the introduction of the sci-fi elements so I could more easily follow along. I found my reading became laboured and somewhat less enjoyable for about thirty pages as I grappled with some of the mind-benders in this novel.
However, as I came to grips with major plot twists and confirmed once again in my own mind whose story I was reading, The Man from Primrose Lane became enjoyable again. And I’m even pretty confident that I know who killed The Man from Primrose Lane … I think.
The Man from Primrose Lane is at once a thoroughly enjoyable and challenging read, which will keep you thinking and questioning what you know well beyond finishing the book. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read again as soon as you finish.
primalmusic's review against another edition
4.0
Most of the time when people say that a book is twisty, it's because they haven't picked up on clues (subtle or not) along the way. This book comes out of left field in a completely baffling way. I don't know if everything hung together in the end as I'm still wrapping my mind around it, but this was definitely something I couldn't put down.
eddiegenerous's review against another edition
5.0
Holy that was something! Absolute must read. Crime, intrigue, wild imagination, science fiction, fantasy, blood, oddity. This thing is start to finish engaging and all the way around well-done. From the characters to the plot to interweaving of not so random connections, this one hit for me in a huge, huge way. Fucking fantastic.
missedhel's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't get into this. It's not the book's fault: it's well written and interesting, but it's a little to true crimey for me.
dogmom321's review against another edition
5.0
OMG I loved this book!! I saw it in the discount section of my local bookstore and bought it after reading a few reviews on Goodreads. I never even read the back cover blurb. What a fantastic story, kept me guessing right to the last page.
booksfromboxes's review against another edition
3.0
A solid, enjoyable read that'll have you scratching your head in several places (especially if you manage to stay spoiler-free).
It gets a bit too twisty at the end, with the different themes and plotlines clashing and almost drowning the story, but Renner manages to tie everything up.
I think.
It gets a bit too twisty at the end, with the different themes and plotlines clashing and almost drowning the story, but Renner manages to tie everything up.
I think.