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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Okay, so the narrative of this book is a little different from what I was expecting. It jumps around characters and perspectives and while it's not especially difficult to keep track of who's who and where they fit into the puzzle, it can be pretty distracting when it switches from first to third person. If you're going to title each piece with the character's name anyway, have it all be either first person or all third person. It's not even done consistently. Like, I at first thought all the women would get first person, but that wasn't the case.
And I'm going to sound weird for saying this, but I wish there wasn't such a clear ending. I kind of wish the story ended in such a way to allow the reader to figure it out for themselves. I actually figured it out anyway so the ending just felt pointless or one of those "in case you couldn't pick up on it, this is what happened" sort of things. I don't like spoon-fed solutions to mysteries, like the author doesn't trust that their audience is smart enough to pick up on the clues and subtext.
I'm going to have to point this out, because it almost made me quit the book without finishing it: there is a rape of an underage girl that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It serves no purpose in the overall plot and is just there to give some sad drama to one of the characters. There's actually a lot of gross sexual stuff going on in this book, but the rape scene was when I was so very close to being done with the book.
None of the characters were likeable, except maybe Nicki. I get it, they're human and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. I just found them all to be so unpleasant, and so many of them I wanted to shake sense into and scream at them to just tell the truth already. I feel like that's half the "mystery" of these novels: people lying to the police or withholding evidence for one reason or another. I'm aware it happens but as this book clearly shows, you're only hindering investigations and hurting people when you do this.
Is it wrong for me to say that I was way more interested in reading more about Libby, Anne, Lauren and the other "troublesome" women? I'm not sure if I would've liked it more, but admittedly a part of me is wishing the book had been about them.
And I'm going to sound weird for saying this, but I wish there wasn't such a clear ending. I kind of wish the story ended in such a way to allow the reader to figure it out for themselves. I actually figured it out anyway so the ending just felt pointless or one of those "in case you couldn't pick up on it, this is what happened" sort of things. I don't like spoon-fed solutions to mysteries, like the author doesn't trust that their audience is smart enough to pick up on the clues and subtext.
I'm going to have to point this out, because it almost made me quit the book without finishing it: there is a rape of an underage girl that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It serves no purpose in the overall plot and is just there to give some sad drama to one of the characters. There's actually a lot of gross sexual stuff going on in this book, but the rape scene was when I was so very close to being done with the book.
None of the characters were likeable, except maybe Nicki. I get it, they're human and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. I just found them all to be so unpleasant, and so many of them I wanted to shake sense into and scream at them to just tell the truth already. I feel like that's half the "mystery" of these novels: people lying to the police or withholding evidence for one reason or another. I'm aware it happens but as this book clearly shows, you're only hindering investigations and hurting people when you do this.
Is it wrong for me to say that I was way more interested in reading more about Libby, Anne, Lauren and the other "troublesome" women? I'm not sure if I would've liked it more, but admittedly a part of me is wishing the book had been about them.
2 Stars
I got it from the thrift store without knowing much about it. This was in the beginning of last year. I started reading it in January 2020 at the same time I started my first semester of college. And then . . . it was the cause of my slump. I dropped it. I wasn't interested in it—I let it go. But the idea of leaving a beautiful hardcover book in my shelf unfinished tore right through every moving-on instinct I've developed. So I picked it up right as the word went on pause. To say that I was disappointed is completely wrong because I never got my hopes up in the first place. Too many characters, the suspense was not a good time, and I DIDN'T CARE. At all. Into the Water was bland, boring, and completely unsatisfying. But at least the cover’s nice.
I got it from the thrift store without knowing much about it. This was in the beginning of last year. I started reading it in January 2020 at the same time I started my first semester of college. And then . . . it was the cause of my slump. I dropped it. I wasn't interested in it—I let it go. But the idea of leaving a beautiful hardcover book in my shelf unfinished tore right through every moving-on instinct I've developed. So I picked it up right as the word went on pause. To say that I was disappointed is completely wrong because I never got my hopes up in the first place. Too many characters, the suspense was not a good time, and I DIDN'T CARE. At all. Into the Water was bland, boring, and completely unsatisfying. But at least the cover’s nice.
I liked it better than girl in the train bc the characters weren’t so reprehensible.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An oddly satisfying book that I almost gave up on at the beginning. There were so many seemingly disconnected characters that it was difficult to keep track of them. However, as the book continued, connections began to be established.
Initially, the book is about a woman's murder (or suicide) and her family members and friends who add depth and truth to the story. The reader is given tid-bits by each character, (nearly every chapter is about a different character) who gives the "truth" to the best of his or her knowledge. The reader is left with wondering who really is being truthful and how justified they were in what they did.
A solid read, that will keep you wondering even after the book is through.
Initially, the book is about a woman's murder (or suicide) and her family members and friends who add depth and truth to the story. The reader is given tid-bits by each character, (nearly every chapter is about a different character) who gives the "truth" to the best of his or her knowledge. The reader is left with wondering who really is being truthful and how justified they were in what they did.
A solid read, that will keep you wondering even after the book is through.
As if the basic "rules" of contemporary writing have been broken. The story goes well till page of 200, later fast fading away. Too many characters; long, repetitive and irrelevant narrative structure which is simply unnecessary.
This book wants so badly to be suspensful. It wants to be good. It has good bones but the overarching story is confusing and involves so many people that it ruins what chances it had of being a good story.
It also manages to go through all three different types of writing perspectives. Some characters talk through the first person, Jules uses the second person and talks to the reader like she would be talking to her sister, and then you have some who use the third person style. It makes for confusing shifts between sections of the book.
The basic story follows Jules as she returns to her childhood small town after the apparent suicide of her sister Nel. Nel had a fascination with a section of the river called The Drowning Pool where various women have died over the last couple hundred years. She was writing a book about the women and their stories and the town wasn’t too happy about it but that didn’t stop Nel.
Full review (with minor spoilers) can be found at: https://jaystareads.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/into-the-water/
It also manages to go through all three different types of writing perspectives. Some characters talk through the first person, Jules uses the second person and talks to the reader like she would be talking to her sister, and then you have some who use the third person style. It makes for confusing shifts between sections of the book.
The basic story follows Jules as she returns to her childhood small town after the apparent suicide of her sister Nel. Nel had a fascination with a section of the river called The Drowning Pool where various women have died over the last couple hundred years. She was writing a book about the women and their stories and the town wasn’t too happy about it but that didn’t stop Nel.
Full review (with minor spoilers) can be found at: https://jaystareads.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/into-the-water/
I was between a 2 and a 3 for this book. Ended up just settling on a 3, but I wasn't feeling it.
This book was very different from The Girl on the Train and I struggled throughout it. I actually had to restart this book at one point because of all the characters I was getting confused and not following or enjoying the plot.
The story itself was not bad, and there were times that I was anticipating what would happen next, but overall the book was anti-climactic.
This book was very different from The Girl on the Train and I struggled throughout it. I actually had to restart this book at one point because of all the characters I was getting confused and not following or enjoying the plot.
The story itself was not bad, and there were times that I was anticipating what would happen next, but overall the book was anti-climactic.