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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The novel Pieces of Her, written by Karin Slaughter, is an enticing thriller that generates considerable suspense through the pages which causes the reader to absorb as much as possible with each sitting. The novel takes place through numerous states in the United States of America in the time periods of 2018 and 1986 which allows for the perspectives of each main character for their time frame. Laura Oliver’s background is told from her perspective of events that occurred in 1986 to provide explanations for the truths revealed during Andrea Oliver’s adventure to explore her mother’s past. In 1986, Nicholas Harp, Jane and Andrew Queller, and their group known as the ‘Army of the Changing World,’ strived to force change within America through government action. The activist group attempted to achieve this with several bomb attacks, the assassination of Martin Queller, and were responsible for the kidnapping and death of a university professor. In 2018, Andrea Oliver is a woman who has not determined when to move out of her mother’s house and what she would leave for. She is self-conscious, anxious, doubtful of her abilities and wishes only to care for her mother until a shooting at a restaurant she attended causes her to notice traits she had never seen before in her mother. This accident, combined with an attack on her mother, lead to Andy’s journey across the country in search of answers to her mother’s hidden past. She has several encounters with previous acquaintances of her mother through multiple states before discovering her answers from a conversation with an enemy.
The chosen passage (Pg. 244-245) is an excerpt from when Laura is meeting with Nick in prison to entice a confession out of him for his role in the crimes committed in the novel. He has bartered his original sentence to include a stay in a reformation centre for men where the only problem is boredom and a confession would earn him the sentence he deserves. Nick’s sentence would change to a higher security prison for an extended period of time due to the crimes of hiring a man to torture Laura and hiring a woman to kidnap his daughter, Andy, in a plot against Laura’s brother. This moment is significant because it encompasses Laura’s hesitance toward playing piano after having quit because of Nick’s request and her previous attachment to Nick. Laura had been unable to leave Nick because he had manipulated her to believe that he was lost without her and she followed his every command. This passage displays her emotional range as she listens to him and uses it to force the confession out of him. Her fingers had not graced a piano in years and she is originally frightened of the thought because her daughter was listening to the audio of the meeting. She decides to play a song for Andrea instead of Nick for her daughter to understand the meaningfulness Laura is able to give a song through her touch. Laura allows herself to become lost in herself as she strokes the keys and the music becomes her own rhythm which allows her to savour the moment. Nick becomes entranced in the music and he admits to the crimes that were committed in an attempt to command power over Laura.
The novel is authentic with the motivation, complexity, and growth of the characters and the struggles they overcome. Andrea Oliver shares similar traits to adults who live at home and experiences growth through a drastic event that sends her on a journey to finding courage. This implies that young adults must search for courage to expand the possibilities they can create for their lives. Laura Oliver caged her past and invented a life about herself that she implemented into her life so that her daughter and others around her would never witness or understand the challenges she faced. Countless amounts of people who have experienced traumatic events will hide behind false stories to avoid causing pain to the individuals close to them by allowing them to know what a person has faced. Abuse is prominent in modern society and is often ignored by people who are unable to understand they are victims of it. The novel is truthful in descriptions of domestic abuse with Nick’s ability to deceive Laura and hurt her physically and mentally while she still devotes herself to him. An abuser is often manipulative and able to maintain an individual’s love while causing them pain by placing false blame on another individual for the pain caused. The importance of family is highlighted authentically throughout the novel with the devotion and growth Andrea and Laura experience together. Andrea’s pursuit to discover who her mother was brought them closer together and showed that her mother was willing to kill another woman to protect her. This aligns with the strength mothers display when their child is threatened or hurt even if the situation rarely requires the murder of another for protection of the child.
The chosen passage (Pg. 244-245) is an excerpt from when Laura is meeting with Nick in prison to entice a confession out of him for his role in the crimes committed in the novel. He has bartered his original sentence to include a stay in a reformation centre for men where the only problem is boredom and a confession would earn him the sentence he deserves. Nick’s sentence would change to a higher security prison for an extended period of time due to the crimes of hiring a man to torture Laura and hiring a woman to kidnap his daughter, Andy, in a plot against Laura’s brother. This moment is significant because it encompasses Laura’s hesitance toward playing piano after having quit because of Nick’s request and her previous attachment to Nick. Laura had been unable to leave Nick because he had manipulated her to believe that he was lost without her and she followed his every command. This passage displays her emotional range as she listens to him and uses it to force the confession out of him. Her fingers had not graced a piano in years and she is originally frightened of the thought because her daughter was listening to the audio of the meeting. She decides to play a song for Andrea instead of Nick for her daughter to understand the meaningfulness Laura is able to give a song through her touch. Laura allows herself to become lost in herself as she strokes the keys and the music becomes her own rhythm which allows her to savour the moment. Nick becomes entranced in the music and he admits to the crimes that were committed in an attempt to command power over Laura.
The novel is authentic with the motivation, complexity, and growth of the characters and the struggles they overcome. Andrea Oliver shares similar traits to adults who live at home and experiences growth through a drastic event that sends her on a journey to finding courage. This implies that young adults must search for courage to expand the possibilities they can create for their lives. Laura Oliver caged her past and invented a life about herself that she implemented into her life so that her daughter and others around her would never witness or understand the challenges she faced. Countless amounts of people who have experienced traumatic events will hide behind false stories to avoid causing pain to the individuals close to them by allowing them to know what a person has faced. Abuse is prominent in modern society and is often ignored by people who are unable to understand they are victims of it. The novel is truthful in descriptions of domestic abuse with Nick’s ability to deceive Laura and hurt her physically and mentally while she still devotes herself to him. An abuser is often manipulative and able to maintain an individual’s love while causing them pain by placing false blame on another individual for the pain caused. The importance of family is highlighted authentically throughout the novel with the devotion and growth Andrea and Laura experience together. Andrea’s pursuit to discover who her mother was brought them closer together and showed that her mother was willing to kill another woman to protect her. This aligns with the strength mothers display when their child is threatened or hurt even if the situation rarely requires the murder of another for protection of the child.
This book was insane! I loved everything about it! I had put off reading it for as long as possible since this is the last Karin Slaughter book I have!! I have to say though while this was a new relationship she was exploring (mother/daughter instead of father/daughter) I was still pleasantly surprised with how shocked I was at all the twists and turns. Plus the taking you back to the 80’s was a fun spin too!! Read it now if you haven’t started already!
The depths human beings will go to to soothe a trouble soul are remarkable. Pieces of Her is a story of revenge, of dysfunction, of love, and of family. Underneath it all lies rage and a brokenness that seems as though it will never be healed.
✨Book Review✨
Pieces of Her
By Karin Slaughter (@karinslaughterauthor)
Release Date: 8/21/2018
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pieces of Her
By Karin Slaughter (@karinslaughterauthor)
Release Date: 8/21/2018
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had no idea which way it was going to go. Some parts dragged but overall it kept me engaged.
4,5 ⭐️
Que escrita MARAVILHOSA. Feliz por conhecer mais uma incrível autora de thrillers! Vai rolar vídeo sobre 💫
Que escrita MARAVILHOSA. Feliz por conhecer mais uma incrível autora de thrillers! Vai rolar vídeo sobre 💫
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I ended up feeling quite meh about this one. Think Slaughter has definitely had stronger novels.
I enjoyed the Netflix show but felt the novel lacked strong characterisations in order to be fully engrossing.
I enjoyed the Netflix show but felt the novel lacked strong characterisations in order to be fully engrossing.
I like the way that Karin Slaughter writes and this was a well told story, but for some reason I wasn't as engaged as I feel like I should have been. This took a lot of effort to pick up and read. I did enjoy the way that it was a good chunk into the book before the storyline about Laura's past started, and the way that there was a significant amount of misleading before things started to click into place. I'll aim to catch up on the netflix version now.