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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Stephen King recommended this book and I'm questioning his taste! This is supposed to be a suspenseful mystery novel but it has neither suspense nor mystery. Every major character gets their own chapter(s), the story laid out in detail with no thrill or outrage (despite the subject matter) and it felt like I was just plodding along to the conclusion. There's no twist, no emotional journey. When it ends it's like, "That's it?"
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
No
This was...fine. Not bad! I considered giving it 4 stars, because it's written well, but the book as a whole is forgettable and I doubt it will ever come to mind as something to recommend to anyone.
Spoiler
I did find it interesting that the big twist seems to be that...there is no twist. Everyone ends the book in the same personality they started with. I was SURE Jeanie was an psychopathic unreliable narrator.
Another exciting dark, psychological thriller - my most favorite genre.
The widow, Jean has survived the death of her husband, who was accused of abduction and child molesting, but later was released due to 'inadequacy' of clues against him.
She herself is longing for a child to enliven her drab marriage.
She seems fragile, but is it a mask?
Kate is a tenacious reporter who hankers after the truth of the disappeared child Bella, aged 3 when abducted, and tries to loosen up the widow's tight lips.
Ben Spark is an honest police officer, who cannot forgive himself for not solving the Bella disappearance case.
The story takes us to and fro for half a dozen years, giving the point of view of the widow, Kate, Spark, as well as others occasionally.
Totally and thoroughly enjoyed. Would look out for more from this author.
The widow, Jean has survived the death of her husband, who was accused of abduction and child molesting, but later was released due to 'inadequacy' of clues against him.
She herself is longing for a child to enliven her drab marriage.
She seems fragile, but is it a mask?
Kate is a tenacious reporter who hankers after the truth of the disappeared child Bella, aged 3 when abducted, and tries to loosen up the widow's tight lips.
Ben Spark is an honest police officer, who cannot forgive himself for not solving the Bella disappearance case.
The story takes us to and fro for half a dozen years, giving the point of view of the widow, Kate, Spark, as well as others occasionally.
Totally and thoroughly enjoyed. Would look out for more from this author.
sad
slow-paced
The Widow is a book that focuses on Jean, the wife of a man who is accused of being a pedophile, and murdering a little girl as well as giving us the viewpoint of other people involved including her husband Glen, the detective trying to solve the case, and the reporter who first interviews Bella's mum. Jean wants nothing more than to believe in Glen's innocence, but has to deal with the unpleasant truth that even if he is being honest and did not kidnap little Bella, he is a porn addict who has been cheating on her with women online - women who he fantasizes are little girls. But it's just fantasy, he insists - no one is getting hurt. Is that the truth? Or did his addiction go too far and step into reality? A little girl is missing, but are the police fixated on the right person or not?
We often hear the phrase in the news from people "He seemed like such a normal person", and I've often wondered how do the family of that person feel? Did they always know or are they just as shocked? How does it feel to know someone you loved and spent your life with, is hiding such depraved thoughts and actions? Definitely an interesting question, and Jean tells her story of why she married Glen and who she thought he was - and how finding out the truth changed her.
I thought that the main character Jean was hard to empathise with, as she is portrayed as being quite a weak person. There is no real mystery or thrill since all the information is presented, and despite waiting anxiously for some crazy twist or horrible revelation, it never really came so I felt a little bit disappointed by the time I finished it. The police work was lackluster and I would hope that the British police would make less mistakes in a real child kidnapping, but I felt the character of Kate, the journalist, added an interesting depth to the story and of the characters she was definitely the strongest voice for me. She alternated between being the reporter who actually forged relationships and cared about people, and the woman who would do nothing to stop at getting a story. I ended up caring more about who the real Kate was, than Jean and Glen.
I saw it being compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, and as an "electrifying thriller", but unfortunately, although an interesting and well written psychological piece, I did not find it particularly gripping or thrilling. Overall three stars from me - I think it was a debut novel with potential, but in my thrillers I like to be kept guessing and wondering what will happen next and I like to find something I can relate to, something I connect to that makes me think "This could be real - that could be my friend, my mum, my sister, it could be me." I just couldn't relate to Jean, so I found it hard to care what she was feeling.
We often hear the phrase in the news from people "He seemed like such a normal person", and I've often wondered how do the family of that person feel? Did they always know or are they just as shocked? How does it feel to know someone you loved and spent your life with, is hiding such depraved thoughts and actions? Definitely an interesting question, and Jean tells her story of why she married Glen and who she thought he was - and how finding out the truth changed her.
I thought that the main character Jean was hard to empathise with, as she is portrayed as being quite a weak person. There is no real mystery or thrill since all the information is presented, and despite waiting anxiously for some crazy twist or horrible revelation, it never really came so I felt a little bit disappointed by the time I finished it. The police work was lackluster and I would hope that the British police would make less mistakes in a real child kidnapping, but I felt the character of Kate, the journalist, added an interesting depth to the story and of the characters she was definitely the strongest voice for me. She alternated between being the reporter who actually forged relationships and cared about people, and the woman who would do nothing to stop at getting a story. I ended up caring more about who the real Kate was, than Jean and Glen.
I saw it being compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, and as an "electrifying thriller", but unfortunately, although an interesting and well written psychological piece, I did not find it particularly gripping or thrilling. Overall three stars from me - I think it was a debut novel with potential, but in my thrillers I like to be kept guessing and wondering what will happen next and I like to find something I can relate to, something I connect to that makes me think "This could be real - that could be my friend, my mum, my sister, it could be me." I just couldn't relate to Jean, so I found it hard to care what she was feeling.
The Girl on the Train is one of my favorite books of all time. So when I saw that Stephen King said this "If you liked Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, you might want to pick up The Widow by Fiona Barton. Engrossing. Suspenseful." I knew in my soul that I would have to read it.
Fiona Barton has my ideal writing style for thrillers: a first perspective that doesn't use 'I' in every sentence. She is also fully knowledgeable in characterizations and I found myself intrigued by all the diverse aspects of her characters. But not only are her characters great but the multiple points of view demonstrate many different aspects of criminology. From the witness to the media, victim, and police you can easily understand the impact of this specific crime on the nation.
But here is when it all goes south for me: the reveal. Now the novel has a great sense of intrigue and suspense but it's quite easy to figure out the outcome. I finished the story and felt disappointed by the last reveal.
Overall, wonderful pov, great suspense but a lackluster ending. Since I really enjoy Barton's writing style, I am planning to pick up more of her works in the future.
Fiona Barton has my ideal writing style for thrillers: a first perspective that doesn't use 'I' in every sentence. She is also fully knowledgeable in characterizations and I found myself intrigued by all the diverse aspects of her characters. But not only are her characters great but the multiple points of view demonstrate many different aspects of criminology. From the witness to the media, victim, and police you can easily understand the impact of this specific crime on the nation.
But here is when it all goes south for me: the reveal. Now the novel has a great sense of intrigue and suspense but it's quite easy to figure out the outcome. I finished the story and felt disappointed by the last reveal.
Overall, wonderful pov, great suspense but a lackluster ending. Since I really enjoy Barton's writing style, I am planning to pick up more of her works in the future.
*I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways*
It's still a little fuzzy at the end exactly what happened and that's not helped by the fact that the title character's sanity may be in question by that point. This felt less like a thriller and more like an actual interview with Jean or someone like Jean, having to get information from her slowly, one fact at a time, almost like pulling teeth. Not that it's bad but because of the constant time jumps back and forth you get the feeling that you already know how Bella's story ended before the book gets anywhere near the end, you are just trying to find out how we got there.
It's still a little fuzzy at the end exactly what happened and that's not helped by the fact that the title character's sanity may be in question by that point. This felt less like a thriller and more like an actual interview with Jean or someone like Jean, having to get information from her slowly, one fact at a time, almost like pulling teeth. Not that it's bad but because of the constant time jumps back and forth you get the feeling that you already know how Bella's story ended before the book gets anywhere near the end, you are just trying to find out how we got there.
For quite a while, Jean suspects that her husband has done some bad things. Despite this, she remains by his side and defends him against his accusers. However, when her husband dies, there’s no reason to be quiet anymore. Jean is a widow, finally free of her husband, and can say whatever she wants…
This book was so straightforward. Like, way too straightforward for a thriller. Let me clarify- I mean way too straightforward for a book that’s been compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I knew right away that Glen, Jean’s husband, was a bad man, and my opinion of him didn’t change throughout the novel. He’s controlling, sexist, and emotionally manipulative.
The book is told from a few different perspectives, including Jean, a reporter named Kate, and the detective working on the case. In Jean’s chapters, I think we’re meant to see a woman rediscovering herself after being freed from her husband, but what I really saw was a woman that remained a puppet, rather than the orchestrator of her own life.
Despite the fact that I continued to turn the pages, I was not emotionally invested in this story. The writing was fine, the characters were fine, and the setting was fine, but there was nothing in this thriller to thrill me. After reading this, I craved a book with some real intrigue!
This book was so straightforward. Like, way too straightforward for a thriller. Let me clarify- I mean way too straightforward for a book that’s been compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I knew right away that Glen, Jean’s husband, was a bad man, and my opinion of him didn’t change throughout the novel. He’s controlling, sexist, and emotionally manipulative.
The book is told from a few different perspectives, including Jean, a reporter named Kate, and the detective working on the case. In Jean’s chapters, I think we’re meant to see a woman rediscovering herself after being freed from her husband, but what I really saw was a woman that remained a puppet, rather than the orchestrator of her own life.
Despite the fact that I continued to turn the pages, I was not emotionally invested in this story. The writing was fine, the characters were fine, and the setting was fine, but there was nothing in this thriller to thrill me. After reading this, I craved a book with some real intrigue!
Really 2.5. Was disappointed, didn't live up to the hype. This was not a particularly surprising thriller, had disturbing child abuse at the center, and featured a plot that centered on a very dated use of chat rooms. I was interested enough to finish, but didn't like enough to recommend to others.