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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I quite enjoyed The Silkworm and it was hard to put down. The storyline and characters were engaging and the writing was great! I was however, disappointed with the ending. Compared to the Cuckoos Calling, there was significantly less wow factor in who the criminal was. I recommend this highly but I did enjoy the Cuckoos Calling more.
I LOVE THIS SERIES.
Brilliant. I had to Slow myself down (which I never do) to savor it slowly. (some chapters I read multiple times!!!)
Everything about this book—the story, the plot, the details (!!) is so artfully and carefully crafted—it’s everything and spoiling. We are so privileged to live in the time of JKR.
Summary—I’m not going to try lol.
There is one rather graphic description of a corpse but otherwise there aren’t any trigger warnings here and while I heard it was “grotesque” and “violent” it’s not imho.
Brilliant. I had to Slow myself down (which I never do) to savor it slowly. (some chapters I read multiple times!!!)
Everything about this book—the story, the plot, the details (!!) is so artfully and carefully crafted—it’s everything and spoiling. We are so privileged to live in the time of JKR.
Summary—I’m not going to try lol.
There is one rather graphic description of a corpse but otherwise there aren’t any trigger warnings here and while I heard it was “grotesque” and “violent” it’s not imho.
This is J.K. Rowling's second book using the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but wow, this second installment is amazing. It kept me guessing until the end, something that rarely happens. Without getting into spoilers, this story was masterfully done all the way around. It will be a crime worthy of Cormoran and Robin's attention if there aren't at least several more installments in this series.
Rowling's second novel in the Cormoran Strike series is paced quicker than its predecessor and again features two lovable characters, Strike and Robin. Strike's search for Owen Quine's murderer, like the search for Lula Landry's murderer, is filled with unpredictable twists and turns as well as numerous characters, all of who have well developed personalities, quite like most characters in Rowling's previous works. I liked that this book revolved around authors and the world of literary publishing and per usual, I was unable to guess who the murderer actually was, though throughout the novel I was confident that I knew. Good thing Strike and Robin were investigating this crime because the architect of Quine's mysterious death and the true author of Bombyx Mori would never have been revealed.
I liked the main characters and their storylines but the plot and secondary characters left me cold.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I haven't read many mystery books. I remember reading a few Agatha Christie books in high school, and I went through a short-lived Raymond Carver phase last summer (Is detective fiction the same as mystery fiction? Is the former a subgenre of the latter?). That said, the genre makes for good summer reading. The characters are all boiled down to one or two defining traits, and the plots are quick, spooky, and build really well. Reading mystery books, for me, feels like a pure, fully engrossing reading experience (I felt almost completely incapable of distraction while reading The Silkworm).
I really enjoyed The Silkworm. I thought it was a better—and, more importantly for me, more plausible—mystery than Galbraith/Rowling's first foray into the genre, The Cuckoo's Calling. Whereas in that first book, I felt like there was no way for the reader to guess the murderer and his/her motive, in The Silkworm, I felt like Galbraith/Rowling left enough clues to make a correct guess possible. Perhaps that's what makes a good mystery—enough facts for the reader to maybe figure it all out, but not enough facts to spoil it. [small qualm: there's no way that a scuba diver, enlisted by Strike, would be able to find the typewriter off the cliffs]
Maybe Rowling's other books are like this, but the writing in The Silkworm is also very self-aware and clever. Galbraith/Rowling litters the novel with witty asides about the mystery genre ("Motive's a bitch, Robin. Nine times out of ten you only find out why when you've found out who. It's means and opportunity we want.") and clever taunts of the book-publishing industry (The Silkworm is a book about a book (also called The Silkworm) that criticizes those in that industry; and, as a result, Galbraith/Rowling's The Silkworm is, in itself, kind of a joking, macabre critique of that industry).
Unlike The Cuckoo's Calling, I thought the same characters in The Silkworm (e.g., Strike, Robin) were better developed and more interesting. Perhaps it's that, with a second book featuring them, we know them better. Regardless, I feel like, with this second book, Galbraith/Rowling has really laid the groundwork well for a continuing series, featuring the crime-solving duo.
I really enjoyed The Silkworm. I thought it was a better—and, more importantly for me, more plausible—mystery than Galbraith/Rowling's first foray into the genre, The Cuckoo's Calling. Whereas in that first book, I felt like there was no way for the reader to guess the murderer and his/her motive, in The Silkworm, I felt like Galbraith/Rowling left enough clues to make a correct guess possible. Perhaps that's what makes a good mystery—enough facts for the reader to maybe figure it all out, but not enough facts to spoil it. [small qualm: there's no way that a scuba diver, enlisted by Strike, would be able to find the typewriter off the cliffs]
Maybe Rowling's other books are like this, but the writing in The Silkworm is also very self-aware and clever. Galbraith/Rowling litters the novel with witty asides about the mystery genre ("Motive's a bitch, Robin. Nine times out of ten you only find out why when you've found out who. It's means and opportunity we want.") and clever taunts of the book-publishing industry (The Silkworm is a book about a book (also called The Silkworm) that criticizes those in that industry; and, as a result, Galbraith/Rowling's The Silkworm is, in itself, kind of a joking, macabre critique of that industry).
Unlike The Cuckoo's Calling, I thought the same characters in The Silkworm (e.g., Strike, Robin) were better developed and more interesting. Perhaps it's that, with a second book featuring them, we know them better. Regardless, I feel like, with this second book, Galbraith/Rowling has really laid the groundwork well for a continuing series, featuring the crime-solving duo.
Rowling is just a master of her craft, end of story.
'Bombyx Mori' made such a sensational debut that I just want to read it even though it was fictional. The approach was good but the story was too stretched. The only regret is that we never got a chance to read
Rowling has done some out of the box work other than her genre. I'm hoping that her next works in this series will be good enough and without a stretched storyline.
Spoiler
the original Bombyx Mori.Rowling has done some out of the box work other than her genre. I'm hoping that her next works in this series will be good enough and without a stretched storyline.