Scan barcode
sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition
3.0
I have not read anything by this author before but I have seen quite positives reviews for this book and it was part of the Richard & Judy Book Club Spring reads so I thought I would give it a go.
I started off loving this book, I liked Bea but was less unsure of her husband Dan, who seemed unhappy with aspects of his life. The idea of a few months away travelling Europe is the reason Bea and Dan find themselves driving through France and end up at her brother's hotel to stay for a few days before moving on. The hotel is crumbling before their very eyes. Alex, her brother has been trying to do odd jobs around the place and has pretended that the hotel has had paying guests. He is a poor soul, with a history of addiction he seems very anxious and keen to please. Before they know it Bea's mother and father Ivy and Griff appear and things become really tense. Secrets about this dysfunctional family are revealed to the reader but there appears to be so much more going on that you don't know.
Tragedy hits the family and they all appear to be unable to deal with the situation as a family and things with Bea and her parents become every more difficult. Her dad's control over many situations simply because he has money and her mother's lack of being able to hold a conversation irked me a bit. Money and power are at the heart of this novel and for me it made for quite horrible characters.
I was going for a 4 star read until about 50 pages from the end when the ending of the book for me was very disappointing and I felt that it was rushed. I am sure others who read this will be excited by its horrific conclusion but for me I was left with unanswered questions and a sense that justice had not been served.
I started off loving this book, I liked Bea but was less unsure of her husband Dan, who seemed unhappy with aspects of his life. The idea of a few months away travelling Europe is the reason Bea and Dan find themselves driving through France and end up at her brother's hotel to stay for a few days before moving on. The hotel is crumbling before their very eyes. Alex, her brother has been trying to do odd jobs around the place and has pretended that the hotel has had paying guests. He is a poor soul, with a history of addiction he seems very anxious and keen to please. Before they know it Bea's mother and father Ivy and Griff appear and things become really tense. Secrets about this dysfunctional family are revealed to the reader but there appears to be so much more going on that you don't know.
Tragedy hits the family and they all appear to be unable to deal with the situation as a family and things with Bea and her parents become every more difficult. Her dad's control over many situations simply because he has money and her mother's lack of being able to hold a conversation irked me a bit. Money and power are at the heart of this novel and for me it made for quite horrible characters.
I was going for a 4 star read until about 50 pages from the end when the ending of the book for me was very disappointing and I felt that it was rushed. I am sure others who read this will be excited by its horrific conclusion but for me I was left with unanswered questions and a sense that justice had not been served.
kaeleevincent's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. I truly feel as though I’ve wasted my time with this book, I’m salty.
jennflattery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
evelyn_mosby's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Took awhile to get into. Found Bea a bit boring, but appreciated how she handled her family for the most part. It was hard to put the book down, but at the same time I wanted to because it bummed me out. It was a downer how shitty her dad and the police were.
The description of the kidnapping at the end of the book made the crime feel very real to me and scary. It was like, oh yeah, if this fucking happened in real life it would be terrifying. It read differently than the violence you read in thrillers/mysteries when they are with the killer. This felt "real" and made me appreciate the author's writing style.
The description of the kidnapping at the end of the book made the crime feel very real to me and scary. It was like, oh yeah, if this fucking happened in real life it would be terrifying. It read differently than the violence you read in thrillers/mysteries when they are with the killer. This felt "real" and made me appreciate the author's writing style.
yvonne_aaf's review
There's definitely an audience for this book, but it felt like Sadie Jones knew where she wanted to get to, and then had to backfill with some set up/plot. The first and second half (i skim read to the end) feel like entirely different stories, in a way that just doesn't work for me.
debtat2's review against another edition
4.0
A novel that shed’s it’s skin taking it from 3 star to 4 star read that has readers as divided over its controversial ending as they are over their love of snakes themselves!
With some dark themes, this is an in-depth look into an anything but typical dysfunctional family as they come together for a holiday getaway in the hills of rural France. This is a slow burner that will slither under your skin and nest in your brain as it leaves you with a huge pause for thought.
Beatrice Temple and husband Dan live a fairly run of the mill life in their little flat in London, money is tight but things are good. Dan knew that his wife’s family have money but the topic of her family has always been out of bounds. The only member of her family that she actually likes is her deeply troubled brother, Alex.
After a stint in rehab Alex is now the proud owner of a run down hotel in rural France and after renting out their flat, Bea and Dan each pack a suitcase, jump into their beat up car and decided to make Alex’s hotel their first stop on their extended holiday.
Not knowing what to expect their first sights on the hotel is more than either could have imagined. They are the sole occupants of the building, unless you count the nest of snakes residing in the attic. That is until the unexpected arrival of Bea and Alex’s parents. And so begins the beginning of the end for our troubled family as this holiday getaway ends with one member of the family dead and the other members of the family with more questions than answers, pulling them further apart and more deeply divided than before.
This book delves into some dark and emotional topics and shows that money cannot buy happiness and isn’t the answer to everything. As I said earlier, this is a real slow burner and is a more character exploration as opposed to a murder mystery, interspersed with metaphorical as well as the physical snakes and is an utterly stark take on society and the evils that inhabit peoples lives.
This book has divided its readers so it is definitely one of those books that you have to read and decided for yourself and although it is a slow burner it is 100% worth sticking with it and seeing it through, right up to its bitter end!
The Snakes was published back on March 7 2019 and was published in paperback on 20 Feb 2020 so no matter what your preferred format, all formats are now available for you to grab your own copy and decided for yourself.
With some dark themes, this is an in-depth look into an anything but typical dysfunctional family as they come together for a holiday getaway in the hills of rural France. This is a slow burner that will slither under your skin and nest in your brain as it leaves you with a huge pause for thought.
Beatrice Temple and husband Dan live a fairly run of the mill life in their little flat in London, money is tight but things are good. Dan knew that his wife’s family have money but the topic of her family has always been out of bounds. The only member of her family that she actually likes is her deeply troubled brother, Alex.
After a stint in rehab Alex is now the proud owner of a run down hotel in rural France and after renting out their flat, Bea and Dan each pack a suitcase, jump into their beat up car and decided to make Alex’s hotel their first stop on their extended holiday.
Not knowing what to expect their first sights on the hotel is more than either could have imagined. They are the sole occupants of the building, unless you count the nest of snakes residing in the attic. That is until the unexpected arrival of Bea and Alex’s parents. And so begins the beginning of the end for our troubled family as this holiday getaway ends with one member of the family dead and the other members of the family with more questions than answers, pulling them further apart and more deeply divided than before.
This book delves into some dark and emotional topics and shows that money cannot buy happiness and isn’t the answer to everything. As I said earlier, this is a real slow burner and is a more character exploration as opposed to a murder mystery, interspersed with metaphorical as well as the physical snakes and is an utterly stark take on society and the evils that inhabit peoples lives.
This book has divided its readers so it is definitely one of those books that you have to read and decided for yourself and although it is a slow burner it is 100% worth sticking with it and seeing it through, right up to its bitter end!
The Snakes was published back on March 7 2019 and was published in paperback on 20 Feb 2020 so no matter what your preferred format, all formats are now available for you to grab your own copy and decided for yourself.
lorrietruck's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent slow burn of a novel that was also a quick and compelling read.