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pam2375's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, what a book! Is it romance, is it a mystery, is it a thriller or is it it all three? Yes YES and YES
I really enjoyed this book and I encourage everyone who wants to be entertained to pick this bad boy up.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for this advanced readers copy.
I really enjoyed this book and I encourage everyone who wants to be entertained to pick this bad boy up.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for this advanced readers copy.
oddsbodikins7's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time getting sucked into this, but it was a good story. I definitely don't want to be stuck on a cruise ship!
superfizz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
toniclark's review against another edition
5.0
OMG, I loved this novel so much. Loved the characters, especially the three main characters (there are also a couple of real baddies). The story moves. The writing is brilliant. I think it's best to go into this without knowing a whole lot. This has become one of my all-time favorite contemporary novels.
SPOILER ALERT: Don't read the Q&A on Goodreads. Maybe just avoid reading much about it.
SPOILER ALERT: Don't read the Q&A on Goodreads. Maybe just avoid reading much about it.
amycrea's review against another edition
2.0
This started well--and it's hard to beat Christensen's food writing--but boy howdy did it spiral out of control. And that ending...I don't need things tied up into neat little packages, but this ending was as if she abruptly got tired of writing and said, "There. It's done."
machadofam8's review against another edition
2.0
I haven't read the other reviews yet but I can guess many people were unhappy with the ending. Good plot and good characters though.
emjay2021's review against another edition
1.0
Am I getting soft in my old age? I just finished reading this all the way through even though I probably should have abandoned it. I just thought something would happen, or that it would surely pick up. It had a great setting and a great premise. It’s told from the point of view of three characters, reluctant participants on an old luxury steamer’s last cruise: Christine, an American farmer who has joined her journalist friend who is working on an article about the cruise ship industry; Mick, the Hungarian ship’s chef; Miriam, an elderly Israeli musician playing in the ship’s string quartet. Of the three, I was most fond of Miriam and liked her story the best.
The first 50% of the book is spent on background and buildup to the inevitable disaster you know is going to happen onboard. This is WAY too much background and it moves WAY too slowly. Then, when the Event happens, it’s still too slow! Everything crawls at a snail’s pace. The author squandered the setting and the potential for interesting conflict. I just ended up not caring about anyone at the end. And the ending! I’m fine with an unconventional ending, but I literally turned the last page thinking there would be more.
The writing seemed oddly stilted and awkward at times, as though in need of a good edit. I’m surprised this isn’t the author’s first book.
This is the second book I’ve read that was set on a cruise ship, and the other one, [b:Do Not Become Alarmed|33155774|Do Not Become Alarmed|Maile Meloy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482644401l/33155774._SY75_.jpg|53849349], was much better. Neither made me want to go on a cruise anytime soon though.
The first 50% of the book is spent on background and buildup to the inevitable disaster you know is going to happen onboard. This is WAY too much background and it moves WAY too slowly. Then, when the Event happens, it’s still too slow! Everything crawls at a snail’s pace. The author squandered the setting and the potential for interesting conflict. I just ended up not caring about anyone at the end. And the ending! I’m fine with an unconventional ending, but I literally turned the last page thinking there would be more.
The writing seemed oddly stilted and awkward at times, as though in need of a good edit. I’m surprised this isn’t the author’s first book.
This is the second book I’ve read that was set on a cruise ship, and the other one, [b:Do Not Become Alarmed|33155774|Do Not Become Alarmed|Maile Meloy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482644401l/33155774._SY75_.jpg|53849349], was much better. Neither made me want to go on a cruise anytime soon though.
kathleenww's review against another edition
5.0
This was a surprisingly good novel. I felt very engaged with the characters, and while I kept waiting for some crazy twist to happen, it never really did. There are many characters in this adventurous novel, and not one felt more or less important or necessary than another.
It's the last cruise for the elegant Queen Isabella and the crew and guests assembled are a fascinating and diverse group, from a quartet of elderly Israeli string players, to a Hungarian chef desperate to feel some success and control in his life. All sorts of people that would normally never encounter one another in "real life" are hurled together by the events of the ship's last trip from California to Hawaii. A really fun book! The ending was stunning.
It's the last cruise for the elegant Queen Isabella and the crew and guests assembled are a fascinating and diverse group, from a quartet of elderly Israeli string players, to a Hungarian chef desperate to feel some success and control in his life. All sorts of people that would normally never encounter one another in "real life" are hurled together by the events of the ship's last trip from California to Hawaii. A really fun book! The ending was stunning.
nixieknox's review against another edition
3.0
Because I have no desire to ever go on a cruise, I was fine with reading this. I liked all the characters, but I got WAY too much backstory on Rivka. Also it was a little unclear to me why the crew did what they did. Maybe it was unclear to me because it was unclear to them. That they all got along by the end was a little surprising. I guess what I'm saying is that everything happened a little too neatly with all the crazy events one after the other - people would have spiraled more out of control.