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curlyjessreads's review
4.0
I read this book as part of my book club.
This was a fascinating book about mental illness, a topic so infrequently discussed. The characters were believable and interesting. It held my attention the whole way through. Our book club enjoyed discussing this book.
This was a fascinating book about mental illness, a topic so infrequently discussed. The characters were believable and interesting. It held my attention the whole way through. Our book club enjoyed discussing this book.
snapdea's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lyatslibrary's review
2.0
The book was predictable and the actions of the main characters were a bit convenient to the plot.
cxmslut2000's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dg_reads's review
4.0
I am participating in a year long #RoryGilmoreBookClub challenge. With February being Black History Month, I wanted to pick a book from the list by a Black author. I knew Rachel Howzell Hall from some of her thriller books so when I saw her debut book on the list, I immediately tracked down a copy of A QUIET STORM.
A QUIET STORM is described as a suspense read, but I don’t necessarily agree with it. The synopsis is also pretty misleading in my mind. The synopsis talks about Rikki who is the star of the family. She is a popular teacher, married to a doctor and living an ideal life until things go wrong and Rikki’s husband disappears.
Really at the core of this book is the relationship between Rikki and her sister Stacy. Stacy is the POV character and we are hearing from her what it was like to grow up in Rikki’s shadow. This book deals with the pain of mental illness and the impact on the whole family. We meet the mother who idealizes her gorgeous shining star of a daughter and is in complete denial about the storms within.
This book was entirely different from what I expected, but I wound up truly loving it! I picked this up during a weekend readathon and it was great to keep me hooked and wanting answers. There is a bit of mystery/suspense involved, but really I thought that the highlight was the depiction of mental illness. There were moments in the story that really rang true with stories I have heard from the families of the clients with mental illness that my company works with and the struggles our clients go through on a regular basis.
This probably is not a book I would have picked up had it not been for this reading challenge and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it!
A QUIET STORM is described as a suspense read, but I don’t necessarily agree with it. The synopsis is also pretty misleading in my mind. The synopsis talks about Rikki who is the star of the family. She is a popular teacher, married to a doctor and living an ideal life until things go wrong and Rikki’s husband disappears.
Really at the core of this book is the relationship between Rikki and her sister Stacy. Stacy is the POV character and we are hearing from her what it was like to grow up in Rikki’s shadow. This book deals with the pain of mental illness and the impact on the whole family. We meet the mother who idealizes her gorgeous shining star of a daughter and is in complete denial about the storms within.
This book was entirely different from what I expected, but I wound up truly loving it! I picked this up during a weekend readathon and it was great to keep me hooked and wanting answers. There is a bit of mystery/suspense involved, but really I thought that the highlight was the depiction of mental illness. There were moments in the story that really rang true with stories I have heard from the families of the clients with mental illness that my company works with and the struggles our clients go through on a regular basis.
This probably is not a book I would have picked up had it not been for this reading challenge and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it!
hannahbarton23's review
4.0
This book gives the reader a glimpse into the life of an individual who suffers from manic depression. It is rare that a novel can so accurately depict this illness but Hall does just that in A Quiet Storm. You know the big shock from the beginning but Hall does an excellent job of helping the reader see the end before it unravels. It is so interesting to see how these characters interact together as Rikki's life plays out. This is a super quick read and one that really can open your eyes.
archergal's review
3.0
I read this for the mystery book club.
It's not a mystery. It's the sad story of a dysfunctional family with one VERY dysfunctional member, who's enabled by the people who a) refuse to see the mental illness at play and b) enable and support the person until tragedy finally strikes. But I guess you really can't help everyone, even with the best intentions. Some of these folks could have done a little better though.
It's probably better than my rating seems, because it made me unhappy to read it, and I took off probably half a star for that. Not the author's fault really. I'm not not loving books that make me unhappy these days.
The pandemic has a lot to answer for, man.
It's not a mystery. It's the sad story of a dysfunctional family with one VERY dysfunctional member, who's enabled by the people who a) refuse to see the mental illness at play and b) enable and support the person until tragedy finally strikes. But I guess you really can't help everyone, even with the best intentions. Some of these folks could have done a little better though.
It's probably better than my rating seems, because it made me unhappy to read it, and I took off probably half a star for that. Not the author's fault really. I'm not not loving books that make me unhappy these days.
The pandemic has a lot to answer for, man.
lyatslibrary's review against another edition
2.0
The book was predictable and the actions of the main characters were a bit convenient to the plot.
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