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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dragged on a little too long imo. Otherwise a great book though.
This book broke my heart. But I'll read it again.
EDIT: Revisiting. Knocked down a star.
Still stand by the opinion that Unger's style and storytelling skills are superb- but I overlooked the misandry too much in my enthusiastic original 5-star rating.
Women do hold accountability for their actions though Unger (if her novel is a reflection of her own mindset, that is) seems to disagree. Also, as much as Unger wants to believe that every man on earth is a misogynist ready to destroy/bring down every woman in his path, that's... um, not true.
EDIT: Revisiting. Knocked down a star.
Still stand by the opinion that Unger's style and storytelling skills are superb- but I overlooked the misandry too much in my enthusiastic original 5-star rating.
Women do hold accountability for their actions though Unger (if her novel is a reflection of her own mindset, that is) seems to disagree. Also, as much as Unger wants to believe that every man on earth is a misogynist ready to destroy/bring down every woman in his path, that's... um, not true.
Listened to this one while running, so my review is based, really, on how good it is in that context.
A good enough story. It had good pacing and decent writing. However, I found it to be super predictable. I guessed the ending less than a quarter of the way in. Honestly I could have stopped and had someone tell me the end. Stereotypical characters and a too tied up "happy" ending. Just Meh all around
Confessions on the 7:45 was an enjoyable read. The reader is introduced to Selena Murphy, a mother of two young boys and wife to Graham, an attractive but mysterious man due to his unfaithful nature and elusive past. She works full time while he lazily searches for a job. Selena finds out Graham is cheating on her with the nanny while he is home and Selena is at work. Selena confides this in a stranger she met on the train while commuting home that evening.
The novel alternates perspectives between a few characters, one being Pearl. Pearl witnesses her mother's death and leaves with her previous boyfriend for her best chance at life. As the reader gets to know Pearl and predict her connection to the main conflict, more information is revealed about Selena and Martha, the woman from the train.
This thriller took some time to get moving, but once I learned more about the supporting characters I sped through the rest of the book. However, the plot became predicable during the last quarter of the novel. I wasn't surprised by the so-called twists and turns at the end. Graham, the unfaithful husband, turns out to be violent and behind almost all the disasters at the climax of the book.
This may not be a favorite of mine, but I still enjoyed the plot's development and story arc that covered over ten years. Pearl was definitely my favorite character, and I love that she had a chance for a new beginning before the book concluded. As Unger writes, "There was no undoing the bad without losing the good. That was the trick of it all. The tangle of life," (211).
Format: ebook
The novel alternates perspectives between a few characters, one being Pearl. Pearl witnesses her mother's death and leaves with her previous boyfriend for her best chance at life. As the reader gets to know Pearl and predict her connection to the main conflict, more information is revealed about Selena and Martha, the woman from the train.
This thriller took some time to get moving, but once I learned more about the supporting characters I sped through the rest of the book. However, the plot became predicable during the last quarter of the novel. I wasn't surprised by the so-called twists and turns at the end. Graham, the unfaithful husband, turns out to be violent and behind almost all the disasters at the climax of the book.
This may not be a favorite of mine, but I still enjoyed the plot's development and story arc that covered over ten years. Pearl was definitely my favorite character, and I love that she had a chance for a new beginning before the book concluded. As Unger writes, "There was no undoing the bad without losing the good. That was the trick of it all. The tangle of life," (211).
Format: ebook
That was a really good read with a lot of "whoa I didn't see that coming" moments.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Multiple POVs/timelines; captivating and suspenseful; a bit of slow burn; very clever writing; an intricate plot with a lot of characters- was a little hard to follow in the beginning but then it just made me even more intrigued as it went on; everything came together so brilliantly at the end; reminded me of a Karin Slaughter book
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3 stars for this not so thrilling thriller from Lisa Unger. This was my first Lisa Unger book and maybe my last. It was ok. The synopsis makes it sound a lot more seductive than it actually was. I had to keep notes in the beginning 1/3rd of the book as the names and characters were getting tossed in left and right with no obvious connection to each other. I don't necessarily mind having to pay attention but this was a bit much. It was confusing. All the stories do intersect eventually and in a way that is enjoyably unforeseen. I do think the twists in this book paid off and made it worth a read but it really is more of a mystery than a thriller. I also found the writing a little bit subpar in the beginning and truthfully was close to DNR'ing after chapter 2. It is worth sticking with it but I personally feel that if the writing is low grade then I shouldn't have to take notes to keep ahead of what's going on in the story. Just my opinion. Looks like this book has already been sold to Netflix and maybe the screen edition will be easier to follow. This author puts out about a book a year and sometimes quality gives way to quantity when it comes to writing, IMO. It still might appeal to some, so give other reviews a read and decide for yourself.