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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
I have incredibly mixed thoughts on this book and felt so sad to end up giving it a 3 star review. I really couldn’t bring myself to give it 4 stars though based on the other books that have got that status.
Starting the book I had incredibly high hopes! A gripping story line that allowed me to relate to the characters and feel for them and the awful new neighbours, and yet also a good dose of intrigue wondering if Darren is really as bad as he seems or if rather it was a case of snobbish pride from the settled neighbours enjoying their village.
As the book continued, for a large proportion of it I did love it and continue along the same thoughts as above, with lots of red herrings thrown in to keep me wondering who the culprits were.
Honestly the ending was what did it for me. What. The. Heck. It frustrated the life out of me. It felt like a rushed conclusion and that the author had run out of time and just needed to end the story somehow. Reading this on the kindle, I hadn’t realised the kindle edition ended with an excerpt from another book at the back, so when the book suddenly ended at 93% I felt sure I was missing something. Turning the page expecting another chapter and seeing it said “acknowledgements” was not the surprise ending I would have appreciated. It just didn’t feel like it concluded at all.
I was also sad that there wasn’t really a single character I liked by the end. I guess the book gave us an element of sympathy for Darren and Jodie, but even they were far from likeable.
Overall I think this book deserves a 3.5. It was an enjoyable read for the majority of the book, but the above factors taken into account meant I couldn’t justify giving it a higher rating.
Starting the book I had incredibly high hopes! A gripping story line that allowed me to relate to the characters and feel for them and the awful new neighbours, and yet also a good dose of intrigue wondering if Darren is really as bad as he seems or if rather it was a case of snobbish pride from the settled neighbours enjoying their village.
As the book continued, for a large proportion of it I did love it and continue along the same thoughts as above, with lots of red herrings thrown in to keep me wondering who the culprits were.
Honestly the ending was what did it for me. What. The. Heck. It frustrated the life out of me. It felt like a rushed conclusion and that the author had run out of time and just needed to end the story somehow. Reading this on the kindle, I hadn’t realised the kindle edition ended with an excerpt from another book at the back, so when the book suddenly ended at 93% I felt sure I was missing something. Turning the page expecting another chapter and seeing it said “acknowledgements” was not the surprise ending I would have appreciated. It just didn’t feel like it concluded at all.
I was also sad that there wasn’t really a single character I liked by the end. I guess the book gave us an element of sympathy for Darren and Jodie, but even they were far from likeable.
Overall I think this book deserves a 3.5. It was an enjoyable read for the majority of the book, but the above factors taken into account meant I couldn’t justify giving it a higher rating.
Lowland Way, a suburban London enclave, has earned itself a reputation. With ever-rising house prices and the invention of ‘play-out Sunday’, a no-cars rule designed to transform the urban street into a 1950’s child’s utopia, it’s a reputation they’ll go far to protect. But just how far?
When Darren Booth moves into house number one, inherited from his Aunt, and immediately begins construction work, there’s a ripple of distaste down the street. Distaste which has an undeniable class tilt; in his workman’s gear, with his foul-mouth and cigarette habit, Booth is at odds with the carefully cultivated reputation of the middle-class community. His being there, with his girlfriend Jodie, begins to threaten the harmony of the residents.
Booth is, by all accounts, the neighbour from hell. He runs a used-car business from his front drive; his construction is an eyesore and he gets outrageously drunk with his girlfriend and plays heavy metal music at all hours of the day and night. Still, what starts as a case of nimbyism quite quickly becomes a lot darker: the residents of Lowland way become convinced that he is a scourge on the community who must be stopped at all costs.
There is a nod to Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express – one of the characters even refers to the famous plot – and there is a sense of this here, where it seems that every single neighbour has a reason to despise Darren and Jodie. There isn’t any of Christie’s finesse here – there’s a large cast of characters, and yet we don’t really get under the skin of any of them, nor are they given any real distinguishable features. The twists and turns, whilst well-plotted in the context of the novel, aren’t as shocking or revelatory as they might be. Lacking in true mystery and suspense we’ve come to expect from a domestic noir, it was nevertheless an enjoyable, pacy read, with an interesting comment on mob mentality and fearing those who you set apart as different.
‘Today, Lowland Way would be back to its community-spirited, rising-house-prices best.’
When Darren Booth moves into house number one, inherited from his Aunt, and immediately begins construction work, there’s a ripple of distaste down the street. Distaste which has an undeniable class tilt; in his workman’s gear, with his foul-mouth and cigarette habit, Booth is at odds with the carefully cultivated reputation of the middle-class community. His being there, with his girlfriend Jodie, begins to threaten the harmony of the residents.
Booth is, by all accounts, the neighbour from hell. He runs a used-car business from his front drive; his construction is an eyesore and he gets outrageously drunk with his girlfriend and plays heavy metal music at all hours of the day and night. Still, what starts as a case of nimbyism quite quickly becomes a lot darker: the residents of Lowland way become convinced that he is a scourge on the community who must be stopped at all costs.
‘He was like a teenager coming home from holiday and hoping to see the girl he wanted to get off with – expect he was in fact a middle-aged man coming home from holiday and hoping to see the neighbour he wanted to kill. How had it got this surreal?’
There is a nod to Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express – one of the characters even refers to the famous plot – and there is a sense of this here, where it seems that every single neighbour has a reason to despise Darren and Jodie. There isn’t any of Christie’s finesse here – there’s a large cast of characters, and yet we don’t really get under the skin of any of them, nor are they given any real distinguishable features. The twists and turns, whilst well-plotted in the context of the novel, aren’t as shocking or revelatory as they might be. Lacking in true mystery and suspense we’ve come to expect from a domestic noir, it was nevertheless an enjoyable, pacy read, with an interesting comment on mob mentality and fearing those who you set apart as different.
Oh dear - those neighbours, and I mean all of them. This novel explores the implosion that occurs when new neighbours move into a very cliquey street. All the characters are highly flawed and unappealing but this is what makes the novel tick. The novel is fast paced and the interest builds as the novel progresses. Despite many twists and turns and the promise of an outstanding conclusion, somehow the ending felt very unsatisfying to me.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lowland Way is a desirable suburban address in the south of London. The homes are well maintained, the gardens manicured, the school district is favoured, the street even closes to traffic on a Sunday to allow the children to play freely. So when Darren Booth, and his girlfriend Jodie, move into Number 1, the residents are shocked by the new neighbours disdain for the status quo. They are loud, uncouth, and crude, and everyone wants them gone, but is someone on Lowland Way willing to kill to accomplish it?
Taking place over a period of a few months, we learn immediately that someone is dead. The story moves back and forth between the events unfolding on the street, and statements taken by the police in the aftermath of the death. Curiosity should keep your attention through the first third of the novel, and though the pace lags a little in the middle, it picks up and wallops you with quite a twist when you least expect it.
What I most enjoyed about Those People was the way in which Candlish’s ‘respectable’ characters fall apart in the presence of this interloper. Their veneer of civility slips, bit by bit, as their frustration and outrage grows. Only a handful of neighbours are directly affected by Darren’s behaviour, and while they try to do the right thing to start with, lodging complaints with the police and council, bureaucracy moves slowly, too slowly for some.
Those People is a provocative psychosocial drama, which offers some interesting twists. I found it a quick and entertaining read.
Taking place over a period of a few months, we learn immediately that someone is dead. The story moves back and forth between the events unfolding on the street, and statements taken by the police in the aftermath of the death. Curiosity should keep your attention through the first third of the novel, and though the pace lags a little in the middle, it picks up and wallops you with quite a twist when you least expect it.
What I most enjoyed about Those People was the way in which Candlish’s ‘respectable’ characters fall apart in the presence of this interloper. Their veneer of civility slips, bit by bit, as their frustration and outrage grows. Only a handful of neighbours are directly affected by Darren’s behaviour, and while they try to do the right thing to start with, lodging complaints with the police and council, bureaucracy moves slowly, too slowly for some.
Those People is a provocative psychosocial drama, which offers some interesting twists. I found it a quick and entertaining read.
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Those people are crazy! Although I enjoyed reading about them, I'm glad I don't know any of them, let alone live in their neighborhood.
This story has a lot of twists and surprises, a good read.
This story has a lot of twists and surprises, a good read.
I read Louise Candlish's last novel "Our House" and this one shows how little it takes to make average everyday people do things that seem out of character. When Darren and Jodie move into the close knit community of Lowland Way they disrupt the lives of their neighbors causing an uproar in the neighborhood. There is scheming, plotting and downright bad behavior from these "nice" suburban families.
I really appreciate how Candlish uses normal everyday activities like a new neighbor to launch these books into the horror show they turn out to be. Darren and Jodi are not good neighbors, they blast music all night, have turned their front yard into a construction zone / used car lot but what about the other people in the neighborhood who are so involved with other peoples business that they are constantly on the lookout for something new to police. These so called good neighbors aren't so good, plotting and scheming about how to get Darren and Jodi to move since they won't toe the line.
You feel the anxiety and crazy as it starts to amplify throughout the book. The mystery unfolds at a fast pace leaving you with so many suspects its almost hard to keep up! Great book with an element of wondering if this could really happen anywhere to it.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really appreciate how Candlish uses normal everyday activities like a new neighbor to launch these books into the horror show they turn out to be. Darren and Jodi are not good neighbors, they blast music all night, have turned their front yard into a construction zone / used car lot but what about the other people in the neighborhood who are so involved with other peoples business that they are constantly on the lookout for something new to police. These so called good neighbors aren't so good, plotting and scheming about how to get Darren and Jodi to move since they won't toe the line.
You feel the anxiety and crazy as it starts to amplify throughout the book. The mystery unfolds at a fast pace leaving you with so many suspects its almost hard to keep up! Great book with an element of wondering if this could really happen anywhere to it.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
mysterious
medium-paced