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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
HOLY S**T. I am not a thriller reader and just don't generally like thrillers however i had to read this because it was a book club book. This book is honestly so messed up. It's entertaining yes, but damn it if I wasn't surprised at the end and spend time thinking about what I just read.
still thinking about the cool girl monologue at 1:00am yeah the book deserves five stars just for that
Predictable. No amazing reveal halfway through as everyone promised, because it was pretty obvious what was going on. It wasn't spectacularly bad though. If it was a movie I'd call it a rental. Or even a "watch on cable when nothing else is on" movie. Definitely not pay full price. Also, overload on the "b***h". It loses all shock value or meaning when it's on constant repeat the way it was in this book. Vulgar.
I liked it but to be honest i kind of saw it coming so it didn't really surprised me
Wow. GONE GIRL was riveting. Loved it. Total escape book.
Listened to the audiobook
It's not always that an adaptation proves better than the original, but having read Gone Girl shortly after, I enjoyed the movie more. Maybe it was something with the balance of Nick and Amy's neuroticism or the benefit of seeing visuals without Amy's constant narration.
What rubbed me the wrong way was just how misogynistic the book felt. It's not so much about likability as much as not painting every woman in the most derogatory light possible. Amy hates every woman who isn't Amy. Which is fine, but I get particularly prickly when one type of woman—the "Cool Girl"—as simply a male construct. And I guess my annoyance over it is just a testament to how well-written and well-executed the narrative and characterizations were.
In addition, Amy's entire existence revolved around the men in her life. What would have been a nice counterpoint is if there was a woman she wanted to impress as much as Desi or Nick, but that felt absent, giving her little agency outside of reacting to the people around. Again, maybe that was the point.
I guess the other thing is that this book does not hold up as a narrative where the accusation of Amy's murder is a false one . Nick had way more points of redemption where, though he did do some unhusband-ly things, he's still portrayed in a much better light.
Overall, while an enthralling read, there were parts of it that bothered me too much to warrant a higher rating.
It's not always that an adaptation proves better than the original, but having read Gone Girl shortly after, I enjoyed the movie more. Maybe it was something with the balance of Nick and Amy's neuroticism or the benefit of seeing visuals without Amy's constant narration.
What rubbed me the wrong way was just how misogynistic the book felt. It's not so much about likability as much as not painting every woman in the most derogatory light possible. Amy hates every woman who isn't Amy. Which is fine, but I get particularly prickly when one type of woman—the "Cool Girl"—as simply a male construct. And I guess my annoyance over it is just a testament to how well-written and well-executed the narrative and characterizations were.
In addition, Amy's entire existence revolved around the men in her life. What would have been a nice counterpoint is if there was a woman she wanted to impress as much as Desi or Nick, but that felt absent, giving her little agency outside of reacting to the people around. Again, maybe that was the point.
I guess the other thing is that this book does not hold up
Overall, while an enthralling read, there were parts of it that bothered me too much to warrant a higher rating.
Not quite as good as Gone Girl, but much better than Sharp Objects.
I felt everything while reading this: from disgust to intrigue, from boredom to curiosity, from amazement to confusion.
The first part of the book was heavy on me, a continuing what-the-hell, but Amy's planning in part II kept me glued to the the book only to plummet into this is beyond sick territory when she went back/tied her life to the man she claimed to hate, despise, be sick of... yada, yada, yada.
In short : I liked Amy's planning and the description of how love can disintegrate and fade, buuut, I found the ending disappointing.
The first part of the book was heavy on me, a continuing what-the-hell, but Amy's planning in part II kept me glued to the the book only to plummet into this is beyond sick territory when she went back/tied her life to the man she claimed to hate, despise, be sick of... yada, yada, yada.
In short : I liked Amy's planning and the description of how love can disintegrate and fade, buuut, I found the ending disappointing.
Actual Rating 4.5
This was a fantastically written story for sure! This, oddly enough, gave me Twin Peaks vibes which I obviously loved. And though the characters and writing were so fabulous I found the plot to be mildly predictable. Obviously not all of it but I guess half of the final plot-twist which was a bit disappointing. All of this aside however I think this is such a well-done thriller and I am so glad that I chose this as my second Gillian Flynn novel.
This was a fantastically written story for sure! This, oddly enough, gave me Twin Peaks vibes which I obviously loved. And though the characters and writing were so fabulous I found the plot to be mildly predictable. Obviously not all of it but I guess half of the final plot-twist which was a bit disappointing. All of this aside however I think this is such a well-done thriller and I am so glad that I chose this as my second Gillian Flynn novel.