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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
nossa, bem ruinzinho.
a pior parte foi o tanto de personagem, honestamente não sabia quem era quem, só entendia depois de começar a ler o capítulo.
e a própria história é bem fraquinha, chata demais.
dormi umas 100x, demorei 1 mês pra ler, me empacou toda. affff não leiam.
a pior parte foi o tanto de personagem, honestamente não sabia quem era quem, só entendia depois de começar a ler o capítulo.
e a própria história é bem fraquinha, chata demais.
dormi umas 100x, demorei 1 mês pra ler, me empacou toda. affff não leiam.
Nel Abbott is found dead at the bottom of a body of water known as ‘The Drowning Pool’, a place where ‘troublesome women’ have died in the past. Jules Abbott, her estranged sister, returns to Beckford, a place she grew up and then fled, to take charge of her fifteen-year-old niece, Lena. But Erin, a young detective, has lingering doubts about the assumption that Nel killed herself and the tangled history of the Drowning Pool…
Into The Water is a decent book. Entertaining, addictive, the characters just complex enough to make them compelling and realistic, and with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Being a huge history nerd, I enjoyed how Paula Hawkins used an invented history and entwined it with the ongoing mystery of Nel’s death.
However, the plot is slow to gather speed and Hawkins made the mistake of introducing too many characters too early. At the start of the novel, I found that instead of sinking into the mystery, I was busy trying to work out who each point-of-view character was, how they related were to each other, and just what information they were offering up. I also found that the mystery just seemed to shy away from being a truly compelling, legitimate page-turner – this is more of a slow-burn mystery than a thriller.
Which was fine with me, though I really hoped for a mystery to get swept away by. Alas.
Into The Water is a decent book. Entertaining, addictive, the characters just complex enough to make them compelling and realistic, and with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Being a huge history nerd, I enjoyed how Paula Hawkins used an invented history and entwined it with the ongoing mystery of Nel’s death.
However, the plot is slow to gather speed and Hawkins made the mistake of introducing too many characters too early. At the start of the novel, I found that instead of sinking into the mystery, I was busy trying to work out who each point-of-view character was, how they related were to each other, and just what information they were offering up. I also found that the mystery just seemed to shy away from being a truly compelling, legitimate page-turner – this is more of a slow-burn mystery than a thriller.
Which was fine with me, though I really hoped for a mystery to get swept away by. Alas.
3.5 ⭐️ . the ending half was good but the first half was slow and I feel like a lot of it was unnecessary. also felt like there were too many povs I kept forgetting who people were….. some could’ve been left out
mysterious
tense
slow-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
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
The author did a great job at artfully building suspense in this book, however, I found the ending to be predictable and slightly disappointing. I felt there was room to elaborate more on the final reveal that would have left the reader more satisfied. Instead it felt a bit rushed and open-ended, but not in a thoughtful way.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up Into the Water for a book club. This book is a moody, tangled web of memories, secrets, and long-buried trauma told through a chorus of distinct voices that come together like pieces of a jagged mosaic. The town of Beckford is haunted by its history of women drowning in its infamous Drowning Pool, and in this novel, the water is as much a character as any of the townsfolk.
At first, I felt overwhelmed by the number of POVs, but thankfully the book includes a cast list, which became my lifeline during the first half. Once I got a feel for each voice, it was easier to follow the shifting narratives, and I began to appreciate how masterfully Paula Hawkins gave each character their own pain, flaws, and motives.
This story centers on Nel Abbott’s suspicious death and the many ripples it creates: her estranged sister Jules returns to Beckford, grappling with childhood trauma and unresolved resentment; her teenage daughter Lena lashes out in grief and confusion; and Detective Sean Townsend, whose family is deeply entangled in Beckford’s dark legacy, begins to unravel under the weight of secrets he’s kept buried since childhood.
Hawkins does a great job building tension through unreliable memories and the collective denial of a community used to looking the other way. I appreciated how the theme of generational trauma was woven into the mystery, especially through Sean’s fragmented recollection of his mother’s death and Jules’ reckoning with the assault that drove a wedge between her and Nel. I found myself heartbroken by how many women in this story were silenced, written off, or outright forgotten.
The mystery wrapped up neatly, but not with a satisfying bow. There is no justice for Nel, no published book to bring light to the women lost to the Drowning Pool. Instead, there’s a haunting sense that while the truth has come to the surface, Beckford will always be a place where the water keeps its secrets close. That said, the character arcs, especially Jules’ slow thaw toward Lena, offered enough emotional resolution to keep this from feeling hopeless.
This is a broody, atmospheric mystery best read with patience and a pen for notes. Not a happy ending kind of book, but a satisfying one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing, Blood, Abandonment