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2.89 AVERAGE
2.89 AVERAGE
Interesting premise. I agree that the writing wasn't perfect, but the book kept my interest with the way it mingled the tale of the wife's parallel investigation with the strain it placed on her marriage.
Decadence, the rise of forensic science, and exotic cultural clash in fin-de-siecle Vienna. The narrative voice is intriguing and the cauldron of Vienna at the turn of the century is excellently invoked. Yes, the typical mystery arc is skewed, but the author beautifully wove together the exotic elements and created a strange and eerie psychological tenor.
It is an ok book, but not really worth the time to read, unfortunately. Essentially it is a short story, stretched out to the length of a novel. I would suggest spending your time on something more rewarding.
2.5 rounded up. I understand why the ratings are low, but I’m also not quite sure why they’re so low, considering the popularity of other books I found to be very similar. Overall it hard for me to keep track of what was actually happening, since the chapters felt filled with random characters and a multitude of short scenes that jumped around and fled my brain more quickly than I could comprehend. The plot picked up in the latter half, definitely, though by the time I finished I just felt let down overall. The ending was abrupt, but I also didn’t really want it to continue further.
slow-paced
Nonsense. Pretty much a DNF. Skimmed through most of it trying to find something worthwhile. Ending was bizarre.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No