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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Actually 4.5 stars for this book.
This book made me realise how much danger people are exposing themselves to when posting on social medias. In this book, The widow, Jean is mostly no better than a glorified doormat under her husband's thumb's and, unbeknownst to the reader, is suffering from mental issues. Basically, Jean and Glen were both in a league of their own. Some bits were a bit too long, but it being the first in a series, I will let it pass.
This book made me realise how much danger people are exposing themselves to when posting on social medias. In this book, The widow, Jean is mostly no better than a glorified doormat under her husband's thumb's and, unbeknownst to the reader, is suffering from mental issues. Basically, Jean and Glen were both in a league of their own. Some bits were a bit too long, but it being the first in a series, I will let it pass.
medium-paced
I listened to this as an audiobook. I found it reasonably enjoyable, but there wasn't a real wow moment to it. I wouldn't say I disliked it, but I didn't love it either.
This was a very well done audio book. I felt thoroughly addicted. However, it was also disturbing and upsetting as it dealt with child porn and pedophilia. Nothing graphic, all implied.
But still. Ick.
The non-linear narrative worked well and I enjoyed all of the various voices that chimed in to tell the story. A well done, modern English mystery.
But still. Ick.
The non-linear narrative worked well and I enjoyed all of the various voices that chimed in to tell the story. A well done, modern English mystery.
The book was written from different perspectives switching between the main characters which made the story a bit more exciting. Overall a dramatic summer novel you might read on the beach but trigger warning: one of the main plot points is pedophilia but it doesn't contain any unsavoury content, she manages to stay out of any description and dance around it quite well.
I was really enjoying this story until the last few minutes. I wish the ending had been stronger
I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I thought it was very well written and all the characters had a distinctive voice, I was very surprised, like many, that this was a debut. While the premise hooked me in and I loved the ideas behind The Widow, ultimately it left me feeling a little bored after a while. I enjoyed the ending, however did find it a little abrupt.
Full length review to come on www.whimsicella.com
Full length review to come on www.whimsicella.com
When I picked up The Widow, I was expecting a fast-paced, intriguing examination of the thought processes of a woman who isn't often considered in much depth - the wife of the suspected criminal, standing stoically at his side as he's raked over the coals by the press. It's not quite what I got, although that's not to say I didn't enjoy the ride.
Jean Taylor is an interesting character. Other reviews have called her boring and unlikable, which she certainly was, but to me that made her more, rather than less, intriguing. She's quiet, dull, enjoys the security of routine, seems almost to thrive under the control of her husband Glen - and yet every so often she does something so unpredictable that it causes the reader to reevaluate her as a character. Her relationship with Glen was, at times, a little trope-y - met young, ineffectual flapping parents failed to protect her, swept away by his strong opinions and caring yet overprotective attitude, etcetera - but at the same time, I enjoyed her awakening realisation that she didn't have to be the Jeanie he'd formed her into now that he was dead. The lingering need to protect and love her husband warred internally with her relief at being free from someone who ultimately - whether or not he had actually abducted a child - engaged in some very disturbing behaviours that completely disrupted Jean's formerly stable life.
I also enjoyed the portrayal of a relationship that was not obviously abusive - Glen never hit Jean, never 'punished' her for breaking rules, never attempted to overtly control her movements, never restricted her access to her money - and yet had such unhealthy undertones, both from Glen and from Jean. At no point during the book - not even at the end - did Jean bemoan the way Glen had treated her prior to the main action of the story. She was expected to do all the cooking, was encouraged to dress in a particular way, to leave her friends behind, to give up without complaint her desire for children, but she never seemed to acknowledge the unhealthy aspect of this level of control in her life. Indeed, without it, she seemed totally lost.
Given all of this, I was ultimately disappointed with the way the rest of the story was handled. It was as though the author wanted to tell two different stories: a slow, careful character study of Jean Taylor, the titular widow, and a fast-paced (as I had originally anticipated) thriller depicting the abduction of a child from the perspective of those closest to the crime. Personally, I preferred the character study. I wanted to know more about Jean, about the way her marriage had developed, how she had dealt with the accusations levelled against her husband. The thriller aspect - as much as I liked the characters of Sparke and Kate Waters - just didn't have enough plot to sustain it; as other reviewers have said, it lacked bite because as readers we already knew the outcome. I did have a brief exciting moment when I thought perhaps Doonan had been the guilty one all along - and a wild split second when I suspected Mr Spencer - but there was no real suspense built up for the reader. No, we didn't know exactly what had happened to Bella, but we knew Glen had taken her and that he was dead. Sparke's introspection, in my opinion, fell flat, and distracted from the main plot.
The ending, similarly, fizzled - because to me, the story wasn't over. After the slow, often deceptive way in which Jean's character had been built up - one minute poignantly, yet slightly disturbingly, collecting pictures of the babies she would never have in a scrapbook, and the next moment aggressively accusing Bella's mother of effectively abandoning her in public - the climax felt rushed and underwhelming. Glen's big reveal seemed to be met with relative indifference, and the connection with Sparke that Jean suddenly claimed to feel felt contrived. I liked The Widow, but I could have done with less restrospection - the painstaking detail in which Goldilocks' entrapment of BigBear was described was especially disconcerting - and more focus on current events. Overall a 7/10.
Jean Taylor is an interesting character. Other reviews have called her boring and unlikable, which she certainly was, but to me that made her more, rather than less, intriguing. She's quiet, dull, enjoys the security of routine, seems almost to thrive under the control of her husband Glen - and yet every so often she does something so unpredictable that it causes the reader to reevaluate her as a character. Her relationship with Glen was, at times, a little trope-y - met young, ineffectual flapping parents failed to protect her, swept away by his strong opinions and caring yet overprotective attitude, etcetera - but at the same time, I enjoyed her awakening realisation that she didn't have to be the Jeanie he'd formed her into now that he was dead. The lingering need to protect and love her husband warred internally with her relief at being free from someone who ultimately - whether or not he had actually abducted a child - engaged in some very disturbing behaviours that completely disrupted Jean's formerly stable life.
I also enjoyed the portrayal of a relationship that was not obviously abusive - Glen never hit Jean, never 'punished' her for breaking rules, never attempted to overtly control her movements, never restricted her access to her money - and yet had such unhealthy undertones, both from Glen and from Jean. At no point during the book - not even at the end - did Jean bemoan the way Glen had treated her prior to the main action of the story. She was expected to do all the cooking, was encouraged to dress in a particular way, to leave her friends behind, to give up without complaint her desire for children, but she never seemed to acknowledge the unhealthy aspect of this level of control in her life. Indeed, without it, she seemed totally lost.
Given all of this, I was ultimately disappointed with the way the rest of the story was handled. It was as though the author wanted to tell two different stories: a slow, careful character study of Jean Taylor, the titular widow, and a fast-paced (as I had originally anticipated) thriller depicting the abduction of a child from the perspective of those closest to the crime. Personally, I preferred the character study. I wanted to know more about Jean, about the way her marriage had developed, how she had dealt with the accusations levelled against her husband. The thriller aspect - as much as I liked the characters of Sparke and Kate Waters - just didn't have enough plot to sustain it; as other reviewers have said, it lacked bite because as readers we already knew the outcome. I did have a brief exciting moment when I thought perhaps Doonan had been the guilty one all along - and a wild split second when I suspected Mr Spencer - but there was no real suspense built up for the reader. No, we didn't know exactly what had happened to Bella, but we knew Glen had taken her and that he was dead. Sparke's introspection, in my opinion, fell flat, and distracted from the main plot.
The ending, similarly, fizzled - because to me, the story wasn't over. After the slow, often deceptive way in which Jean's character had been built up - one minute poignantly, yet slightly disturbingly, collecting pictures of the babies she would never have in a scrapbook, and the next moment aggressively accusing Bella's mother of effectively abandoning her in public - the climax felt rushed and underwhelming. Glen's big reveal seemed to be met with relative indifference, and the connection with Sparke that Jean suddenly claimed to feel felt contrived. I liked The Widow, but I could have done with less restrospection - the painstaking detail in which Goldilocks' entrapment of BigBear was described was especially disconcerting - and more focus on current events. Overall a 7/10.
Book Club Rating: 3.2
The Widow, despite being gripping during the read through, kept readers wanting more. The short chapter lengths made it easy to speed through this novel, encouraging readers to alway crave knowledge of what happens next. Though very much enjoyable in the moment, stepping back it felt as if Barton wanted to write a thriller but was maybe too squeamish or rushed to do so. Ultimately The Widow was not worthy of the Gone Girl comparisons. Perhaps with more time taken to fully develop the characters and add some depth this novel could be something great.
The Widow, despite being gripping during the read through, kept readers wanting more. The short chapter lengths made it easy to speed through this novel, encouraging readers to alway crave knowledge of what happens next. Though very much enjoyable in the moment, stepping back it felt as if Barton wanted to write a thriller but was maybe too squeamish or rushed to do so. Ultimately The Widow was not worthy of the Gone Girl comparisons. Perhaps with more time taken to fully develop the characters and add some depth this novel could be something great.