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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While the time jumps were a bit confusing at times, the view into the Taylor marriage was and how it deals with the crisis presented was interesting. The ending though left a few more questions that I would have liked answered. I find the title character a little less than reliable as a narrator and a little unlikeable.
This book had me turning the pages until the very end, even thought the subject matter was very disturbing.
Meh. More psychological than thriller, The Widow involves the abduction and disappearance of three year old Bella from her front garden. The police and press have very few clues to work with, a blue van and the corner of a skittles wrapper.
Several hundred pages later, in a book that bounces back and forth from after the main suspect's death in 2010 to the abduction in 2006, there are still only circumstantial bits of evidence. We do see the power of the press to cajole, hound and harass the possible suspects and fabricate news when necessary. We also get the old tired Beware of What You Post on Facebook Because Sickos are Taking Notes warning.
Don't be fooled by the publishers "In the tradition of The Girl on the Train" promises. This book does not deliver.
Several hundred pages later, in a book that bounces back and forth from after the main suspect's death in 2010 to the abduction in 2006, there are still only circumstantial bits of evidence. We do see the power of the press to cajole, hound and harass the possible suspects and fabricate news when necessary. We also get the old tired Beware of What You Post on Facebook Because Sickos are Taking Notes warning.
Don't be fooled by the publishers "In the tradition of The Girl on the Train" promises. This book does not deliver.
fast-paced
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“Addicts are brilliant liars, Inspector. They lie to themselves and then to everyone else. They’re in denial about their problem, and they are experts at finding excuses and other people to blame,”⠀
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The Widow is a psychological suspense/crime novel. Jean Taylor ‘The Widow’ Stood by her husband Glen the second he was accused of kidnapping a 2 years old Bella Elliott. ⠀
She kept protecting him and stood by his side in the trial and all. Was he guilty? was it a false accusation? Could she bear the facts that were put in front of her about her husband?⠀
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This case has brought them closer as a married couple; Jean realizes how little she knew her husband. ⠀
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After few years from the kidnapping case Glen is dead! Can she go on with her secret or is she going to tell us what she knows?⠀
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The story is told in different Point of views; The Widow The Detective The Reporter⠀
I loved reading the different POV’s on a situation. ⠀
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I honestly did not know that this novel revolved around child pornography and Pedophelia. And to be honest the topic itself grossed me out. Other than that the novel was slow paced yet such a page turned kind of book If you’re looking for a good plot twist this book is not for you. It does unfold slowly but there is no major shock to it *The writing was good I give it 5 ⭐ ⠀
but the story 3.5 ⭐ ⠀
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A solid story line with creep worthy characters. Glen was despicable and Jean was unreliable and shady. I was kept in the dark as far as what had happened to Bella Elliott until close to the end when I began to have real suspicions.
This was an extremely good book that kept me on the edge of my seat. It's the story of Bella Elliott who is kidnapped. Police Detective Sparkes investigates and focuses on Glen Taylor. The story is told by The Widow, The Husband, The Detective, The Mother and the Reporter. The Reporter is trying to get the story of the year....an interview with the widow. The Detective is haunted by the missing girl. The widow wants to believe her husband is not the monster everyone says he is. It was riveting. I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.
This book has been an interesting read at an interesting time for me, I'm reading it alongside watching the drama series The Fall starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan and it really has made me stop and question whether it is possible to be married to someone who is carrying out vicious sexual crimes yet have no knowledge of their true nature or actions.
Fiona Barton raises just this question in her book 'The Widow' where Jean Taylor is mourning the death of her husband Glen in a tragic accident. We learn that Jean was a devoted wife to Glen but that their marriage had been troubled after her husband was accused of the abduction and killing of a 2 year old girl, Bella, from her front garden.
This story is told from several viewpoints, some chapters tell Jean's story whilst others are viewed through the eyes of the investigating detective in the case of Bella's disappearance and others through the eyes of a journalist who has followed the case for years.
The book doesn't leave us any allusions about the true nature of Glen Taylor, he is a man addicted to child pornography, he is difficult to live with and gently controlling his wife through subtle use of language and ongoing reassurances that he is the wronged party and he is being hounded by police.
Jean is a frustrating character to read about, she lacks any real grit, she is the quintessential subjugated wife, she is over eager to please, trusting to a fault and also struggling with a life where she cannot have the one thing she truly craves, a baby of her own. She has no social circle and is isolated in her marriage, she had no one to talk to and this allows her husband to manipulate her to his way of thinking, even persuading her to lie to detectives about his whereabouts when Bella disappeared. I'm afraid Jean isn't a nice character to spend time with, at first her innocence is endearing but by the end of the book I just wanted her to at least be held a little culpable for her husband's actions. Her lies to police allowed him to remain a free man, to not be made to face consequences and ultimately to continue to control her. She is hard work as a reader because you want to sympathise bit her character traits are not admirable and she herself comes across as unstable and with a warped sense of right and wrong.
For all the frustration Jean put me through I feel it testament to the author that she did so, I would hope this was exactly the results she was hoping for, moral conflict alongside human compassion. It isn't the next Gone Girl or Girl on the Train although I imagine it will be a popular read this year.
Fiona Barton raises just this question in her book 'The Widow' where Jean Taylor is mourning the death of her husband Glen in a tragic accident. We learn that Jean was a devoted wife to Glen but that their marriage had been troubled after her husband was accused of the abduction and killing of a 2 year old girl, Bella, from her front garden.
This story is told from several viewpoints, some chapters tell Jean's story whilst others are viewed through the eyes of the investigating detective in the case of Bella's disappearance and others through the eyes of a journalist who has followed the case for years.
The book doesn't leave us any allusions about the true nature of Glen Taylor, he is a man addicted to child pornography, he is difficult to live with and gently controlling his wife through subtle use of language and ongoing reassurances that he is the wronged party and he is being hounded by police.
Jean is a frustrating character to read about, she lacks any real grit, she is the quintessential subjugated wife, she is over eager to please, trusting to a fault and also struggling with a life where she cannot have the one thing she truly craves, a baby of her own. She has no social circle and is isolated in her marriage, she had no one to talk to and this allows her husband to manipulate her to his way of thinking, even persuading her to lie to detectives about his whereabouts when Bella disappeared. I'm afraid Jean isn't a nice character to spend time with, at first her innocence is endearing but by the end of the book I just wanted her to at least be held a little culpable for her husband's actions. Her lies to police allowed him to remain a free man, to not be made to face consequences and ultimately to continue to control her. She is hard work as a reader because you want to sympathise bit her character traits are not admirable and she herself comes across as unstable and with a warped sense of right and wrong.
For all the frustration Jean put me through I feel it testament to the author that she did so, I would hope this was exactly the results she was hoping for, moral conflict alongside human compassion. It isn't the next Gone Girl or Girl on the Train although I imagine it will be a popular read this year.
dark
slow-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