Reviews

There are some nice bits of social commentary in The Old Woman with the Knife, with smart observations about ageing and class. It's a refreshing take on the genre, following the story of an older assassin approaching the end of her career and all the issues - both dramatic and mundane - that this presents.

But as a thriller, ultimately it falls a little flat. The plot is underwhelming, and the prose is so understated that even the most dramatic action sequences lack tension. Despite unravelling her backstory, Hornclaw lacks nuance as a character: she is so steely it is difficult to feel any sympathy towards her.

The Old Woman with the Knife is an interesting addition to the thriller genre, but it needs a bit more of a kick to land a real impact.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

thetruthatallhazards's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

5.0

wirt's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

astridcb's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

janevala's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lezreadalot's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Everything eventually succumbs to erosion, including the soul.

I have to admit to being sliiiiiightly underwhelmed. I loved the idea of an elderly female assassin fighting back the inevitability of retirement, so I dove right in. And I wasn't that into the plot to be honest? Or the way the plot was laid out? I don't mind shifting narratives and perspectives, and the way this spanned multiple POVs and went back and forth in time to lay out the main character's life wouldn't normally be a deterrent for me. But for some reason, in this instance, I really didn't vibe with the storytelling. I almost feel like it would have been more enjoyable if we'd gotten Hornclaw's story from childhood to present. That would have meant that the present day plotline would have needed a lot of beefing up, but that would have been all to the good. I did enjoy seeing how things from her past came into conflict with the connections she was currently making, and I feel like there were the makings of an interesting dynamic between her and Dr. Kang, but the development wasn't there? And the whole thing with Bullfight would have been more interesting if we HADN'T gotten the entire story almost from jump. I don't know. There's a lot of directions this could have been taken that would have satisfied me, more. I did like it, but it seems more like fumbled potential than anything else.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Nancy Wu, which I enjoyed, though I didn't love it. The translation seemed pretty good, and I did enjoy some aspects of the writing. I'm still glad I read this, but mostly for the cultural context and history, and the exposure to another type of thriller, that was a bit different from the ones I usually read.

jquellin's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

More...