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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
An interesting read. The language and a little of the content (friends boozing and 'fucking' around a fire in a garden in front of the narrator) probably makes it unsuitable for the under 16s, but Stolen is a good, original read which gives you food for thought.
A kidnapper who just wants company and treats his victim well - to the point of actually turning himself in in order to save her life - an interesting theme, and well told, especially for a debut novel.
Some of the descriptions of the Australian desert and landscape are hauntingly beautiful, and the psychological action is well and truly interesting enough to make the plot sing a long with quite a bit of momentum.
A kidnapper who just wants company and treats his victim well - to the point of actually turning himself in in order to save her life - an interesting theme, and well told, especially for a debut novel.
Some of the descriptions of the Australian desert and landscape are hauntingly beautiful, and the psychological action is well and truly interesting enough to make the plot sing a long with quite a bit of momentum.
3½ out of 5 stars
This book had been on my to-read list for a very long time, and over the years I’d heard mixed opinions about it. So I was prepared for the possibility of an “Oh no I’m kidnapped but my kidnapper is so hot so actually I’m in love with him let’s go on adventures together forever” kind of story that might make me angry.
That’s not at all what I got from the book.
(Potential spoilers ahead, sort of?)
I’m obviously no expert on Stockholm syndrome, but I thought the book did a very, very good job of portraying it. Gemma (the kidnappee)’s attitude change was an extremely slow progression: she pretty much remains in a state of abject terror throughout most of the book, with trying-to-get-away being her #1 goal the whole time. Honestly I think that a lot of readers end up sympathizing with Ty (the kidnapper) more than Gemma is shown to in the book. And it’s only near the very end that I’d really use the word “sympathetic” to even describe it.
If you’ve ever been bothered by stories with extremely unhealthy “I’ve fallen in love with my captor” plots, then I think you’d really appreciate this book. It does a wonderful job of not doing that, in my opinion (again, being no expert on the subject).
The only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is that the middle of the book is actually fairly boring. I loved getting into Gemma’s head and learning more about Ty’s past (which, yeah, his childhood sucked, but mostly it’s creepy hearing him talk about Gemma from years past, it gave me shivers), but the actual things they go out and do I found to be extremely boring. Don’t get me wrong, though, this is a 3½ that leans toward a 4, not a 3. As you can see, I rounded up to a 4 for my Goodreads rating.
If you haven’t read the book yet, I recommend it!
(Review cross-posted on Youth Book Review)
This book had been on my to-read list for a very long time, and over the years I’d heard mixed opinions about it. So I was prepared for the possibility of an “Oh no I’m kidnapped but my kidnapper is so hot so actually I’m in love with him let’s go on adventures together forever” kind of story that might make me angry.
That’s not at all what I got from the book.
(Potential spoilers ahead, sort of?)
I’m obviously no expert on Stockholm syndrome, but I thought the book did a very, very good job of portraying it. Gemma (the kidnappee)’s attitude change was an extremely slow progression: she pretty much remains in a state of abject terror throughout most of the book, with trying-to-get-away being her #1 goal the whole time. Honestly I think that a lot of readers end up sympathizing with Ty (the kidnapper) more than Gemma is shown to in the book. And it’s only near the very end that I’d really use the word “sympathetic” to even describe it.
If you’ve ever been bothered by stories with extremely unhealthy “I’ve fallen in love with my captor” plots, then I think you’d really appreciate this book. It does a wonderful job of not doing that, in my opinion (again, being no expert on the subject).
The only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is that the middle of the book is actually fairly boring. I loved getting into Gemma’s head and learning more about Ty’s past (which, yeah, his childhood sucked, but mostly it’s creepy hearing him talk about Gemma from years past, it gave me shivers), but the actual things they go out and do I found to be extremely boring. Don’t get me wrong, though, this is a 3½ that leans toward a 4, not a 3. As you can see, I rounded up to a 4 for my Goodreads rating.
If you haven’t read the book yet, I recommend it!
(Review cross-posted on Youth Book Review)
dark
emotional
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I keep going back to this one I can't really explain how much I love it
Maybe 2.5 stars...
I know everyone loved this book but I just didn't. Not at all. Sure I finished it b/c I had to know what happened as well as Ty's story.
Short of Ty getting caught to save her life, he didn't have anything redeeming in my eyes.
I just didn't care for Ty, so I couldn't pull for him. At. All.
I know everyone loved this book but I just didn't. Not at all. Sure I finished it b/c I had to know what happened as well as Ty's story.
Short of Ty getting caught to save her life, he didn't have anything redeeming in my eyes.
I just didn't care for Ty, so I couldn't pull for him. At. All.
4.5/5
Beautiful, emotional, and deeply moving! I absolutely loved it!
I still want more!
Beautiful, emotional, and deeply moving! I absolutely loved it!
I still want more!
3 stars plus because I’m kind of appalled at how much I sympathized with Ty by the end of the book. Well done, author.
But so much was unexplained (e.g. passport) and left unknown (deliberately? Maybe). I dunno.
But so much was unexplained (e.g. passport) and left unknown (deliberately? Maybe). I dunno.
I will fight anyone who says Gemma and Ty shouldn't be together
Update: now that I’m much older and have reread this book I retract the statement above.
Do I no longer think they should be together? Yes. But do I still wish they could have lived out in the desert happy for a bit longer? Also yes. And do I still think that I would develop Stockholm syndrome at a very fast pace? Very much so yes
Update: now that I’m much older and have reread this book I retract the statement above.
Do I no longer think they should be together? Yes. But do I still wish they could have lived out in the desert happy for a bit longer? Also yes. And do I still think that I would develop Stockholm syndrome at a very fast pace? Very much so yes