Reviews

The Girls by Emma Cline

essdubs's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

4.0

labunnywtf's review against another edition

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3.0

Suzanne got the redemption that followed a conviction, the prison Bible groups and prime-time interviews and a mail-in college degree. I got the snuffed out story of the bystander, a fugitive without a crime, half hoping and half terrified that no one was ever coming for me.

Two facts about me. One, I read [b: Helter Skelter|3596725|Helter Skelter|Kyōko Okazaki|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327525482s/3596725.jpg|3639408] when I was about 13 years old, when I was supposed to be reading YA. Two, I was fascinated by Charles Manson, of course, just like so many teenage miscreants before and after me. But the followers were even more fascinating. Why? Why did they follow him, why were they so obsessed with him? How could they do this for this man who clearly wasn't all the way there?

When I got the notification that this was waiting for me at the library, it was the day after Charles Manson died. I found that terribly appropriate.

This is, more than anything else, a coming of age story. Those aren't my jam in the least. If I'm going to read and enjoy a story about a teenager finding themselves, it has to be couched in something a hell of a lot more interesting.

In other words, well played, Emma Cline. Well played.

Evie is by far the least interesting character in this book, and that kind of works. Because her life is so boring, so stereotypical sheltered teenager. And then she spots The Girls, these wild bohemians living this crazy lifestyle. And she wants desperately to be a part of it.

And it's not that she falls under the thrall of Russell. It's that she falls under the thrall of Suzanne, a beautiful, free spirited Girl. And more than anything else, she wants to be with her, wants to be part of her life and to always be near her. And by doing so, she joins up with this group of people who are spiraling towards disaster.

I don't know that I would readily recommend this book to someone, it is exceptionally slow, and not the page turner you would think from the description. But it feels like it really could've been the story told by someone on the periphery of the Manson family, a story told by a girl growing up in the 60's, during a time of great upheaval, trying to figure out her way in a world that wasn't very kind to young girls.

There's a lot to enjoy here.

haf666ia's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Damn. Girlhood, childhood, friendship can be complicated and confusing but throw in a Manson-esque cult with a captivating female second in command and it really multiplies that by a hundred. Loved this, and the writing was really great. Followed this up with Cultish by Amanda Montell, highly recommend both books.

paauulzz's review against another edition

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4.0

Ufffff a ver... creo que me ha gustado, me ha enganchado y se me ha hecho súper ameno y cortísimo... peeeeero he estado todo el libro esperando el punto álgido y no ha llegado (para mí) es como que me han faltado ciertas cosas; me he quedado con ganas de saber más de Suzanne de donde viene qué le pasa realmente... pero en conclusión: he disfrutado de la lectura que es lo importante. Evie me cae genial y me gusta mucho como escribe la autora :P!

hayley_mariep's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

marsbookreviews's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this one! definitely more than i thought i would, for some reason i’ve been enjoyjng more of the subtle character driven books—baby teeth for example—and i’m surprised by that because i’m normally more interested in plot driven books! needless to say although there’s not a lot of action or explosive things happening in this novel, it was really well written and somehow very enjoyable considering. i especially liked the book towards the end!

jessehersh's review against another edition

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4.0

Beautiful prose but the story fell flat.

kycerae's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

cjconway2's review against another edition

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3.0

This felt like a lot of fluff and not a lot of substance. There was an opportunity to flesh out all of these characters, but instead there were paragraphs of flowery prose. A lot of the writing was intriguing, but it seemed to sacrifice substance for style.

bella1810's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75