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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Sometimes you need a book that is so beyond the realms of toxic and unhealthy to make you stop and look around before thinking that your circumstances are not that bad. After reading a few soft, cosy mysteries, I was itching to get back into the gritty thrillers. Sharp Objects delivered on that front. This is a story that is not meant to justify the decisions the characters made. It is horrific, dark, and psychologically disturbing. There is no hiding that fact, nor is it covered in layers. The premise is there from the very beginning. I respect that in storytelling. It’s not always the most pleasant to read, and it confronts you on all levels of complexity and disgust. But it doesn’t shy away from what you are meant to see. Unfortunately, for me at least, the big reveal was unsurprising.Perhaps that says more about how I view women, particularly mother figures. If you pick up this book, go into it knowing you will be affronted on all matters.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Extremely slow paced. I was hoping the slowness would amount to more than it did, but it just didn’t thrill me like I hoped it would. It felt like the book was trying to suffocate me with its tension, but I could just get up and walk away.
The twist at the end felt like an afterthought. I was more surprised whenAdora was accused of the murders rather than Amma . Flynn is really good at writing deeply flawed, messy, unlikeable women. Not for me
The twist at the end felt like an afterthought. I was more surprised when
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Violence, Murder
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, Gillian Flynn.
I liked Gone Girl, despite the incredibly unlikeable characters. Because of this, I got a two more books from Gillian Flynn. Sharp Objects and Dark Places (which was so unbearable, I Schmooped the whole thing 90 pages in and gave up on finishing it).
Starting with the writing, I did not like the style Flynn used at all. Being her debut novel, it's forgivable that Flynn did not have perfectly executed writing. She was trying so hard to use the short-sentence style and it just did not work because a) it was distracting, and b) it didn't fit with the narration of the story. Now I can move past this, but it was noticeable.
Then, the story.
1. The main character is incredibly unlikable with no redeeming qualities, which makes her unrealistic. In fact, every character is pretty unlikeable save for her boss's wife and possibly her boss. I forget the names of these characters and I finished a week ago... so that says a lot. Camille (I had to Google that) is really sexist, which sucks because she's the main narrator. Camille also slept with a potential suspect who is half her age and barely legal? Okay...
2. Richard and Camille's romance was forced, weird, and distracting from what little plot this book had. I didn't root for them as a couple and I didn't like Richard from the beginning.
3. This book was so rushed! It took a long time to get to the actual investigating and once it did get there, Flynn rushed through and added an epilogue for each character. She didn't leave anything to the imagination.
4. I was really confused what the point of the self-harm was for. Why did Camille have this urgency to carve words into her skin, or write words on her arms, or repeat words over and over like the dude from The Shining? I get the self harm aspect was showing how her mother was abusive and it was a coping mechanism, sure, but it was never really explained what that added to the story, especially for how often the author mentions the words carved in Camille's skin.
Basically, I thought the writing was weak but not awful, the characters were flat and static and unlikable and I didn't care about any of them, some descriptions were unnecessary (i.e. the vomiting descriptions? Like, all seven of them?), the romance was forced, and the story itself was super rushed. I just hope the show does a better job of making this story shine a bit. The ending, though, was a surprise for me but I still had so many questions that seemed unexplained, even with the epilogue... probably because they felt unrealistic. The author has good ideas, but executes them badly.
I liked Gone Girl, despite the incredibly unlikeable characters. Because of this, I got a two more books from Gillian Flynn. Sharp Objects and Dark Places (which was so unbearable, I Schmooped the whole thing 90 pages in and gave up on finishing it).
Starting with the writing, I did not like the style Flynn used at all. Being her debut novel, it's forgivable that Flynn did not have perfectly executed writing. She was trying so hard to use the short-sentence style and it just did not work because a) it was distracting, and b) it didn't fit with the narration of the story. Now I can move past this, but it was noticeable.
Then, the story.
1. The main character is incredibly unlikable with no redeeming qualities, which makes her unrealistic. In fact, every character is pretty unlikeable save for her boss's wife and possibly her boss. I forget the names of these characters and I finished a week ago... so that says a lot. Camille (I had to Google that) is really sexist, which sucks because she's the main narrator. Camille also slept with a potential suspect who is half her age and barely legal? Okay...
2. Richard and Camille's romance was forced, weird, and distracting from what little plot this book had. I didn't root for them as a couple and I didn't like Richard from the beginning.
3. This book was so rushed! It took a long time to get to the actual investigating and once it did get there, Flynn rushed through and added an epilogue for each character. She didn't leave anything to the imagination.
4. I was really confused what the point of the self-harm was for. Why did Camille have this urgency to carve words into her skin, or write words on her arms, or repeat words over and over like the dude from The Shining? I get the self harm aspect was showing how her mother was abusive and it was a coping mechanism, sure, but it was never really explained what that added to the story, especially for how often the author mentions the words carved in Camille's skin.
Basically, I thought the writing was weak but not awful, the characters were flat and static and unlikable and I didn't care about any of them, some descriptions were unnecessary (i.e. the vomiting descriptions? Like, all seven of them?), the romance was forced, and the story itself was super rushed. I just hope the show does a better job of making this story shine a bit. The ending, though, was a surprise for me but I still had so many questions that seemed unexplained, even with the epilogue... probably because they felt unrealistic. The author has good ideas, but executes them badly.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Je n’ai d’autres mots que; c’était fucked up. L’intrigue était bonne, quoi que j’avais deviné assez rapidement les revirements de situation/le dénouement. Mais trop de sexualisation d’enfants et d’abus de substances à mon goût. Les personnages étaient tous détestables. J’étais quand même accrochée à l’histoire !
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes