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katiedodshon's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
caroline_hutchison's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
philolulu's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
reaganblake's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Didn’t really like this one… just not my favorite
maryame16's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nikkigribuste's review against another edition
4.0
what an eerie story. it gets u hooked from the first 3 pages and instantly you need to know wtf is going on! the ending has me mega confused tho so i’ll be reading reviews from others who seem to have a better clue than me lol. but all i can say is WTF. what a crazy buildup, louise’s story was so insane and chaotic that she could only find purpose in creating an obsession for paul and myriam to have another baby and killing their other two
seymone's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
What lies beneath the fallacy of perfection?
Review to be continued...
What lies beneath the fallacy of perfection?
Review to be continued...
bearpolar's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rereader33's review against another edition
3.0
While this was not the most engrossing novel, it was a blisteringly fast read and kept me engaged the entire time. The depictions of lower class life, nannies forced to cater to their privileged clients, and how the upper class attempt to be "generous" and "politically correct" with their nannies. It was handled well (in my opinion) and I did like that, for once, a lower class worker longed to live like their wealthy employers but only because they could support themselves, not because they wanted to be part of high-society life. A simple change that made Louise's struggles more realistic and relatable.
The only gripes I have are with the execution of the thriller/crime aspect of the story. This novel was marketed as a thriller, but frankly it was a discussion about class poorly disguised as a thriller. It became clear to me at about the halfway point that Slimani was more invested in talking about class rather than the actual crime because there was so little talk about the crime in the story. Readers are shown the crime scene at the beginning, get snippets of the trial and the case a couple of times, then the last TEN PAGES actually show how the crime occurred. Sorry, but there's no excuse for that, especially because the ending is unsatisfactory and I wholeheartedly blame it on the lack of effort and time put towards the crime. Maybe this won't bother other people, but it was pretty disappointing to me because it felt like false advertising.
Despite my complaints, I will say I enjoyed this novel for the most part. I'd say if you don't go into this novel expecting a thriller a more a discussion on class, you'll be fine. However, if you're looking for a strong thriller, this will probably disappoint you.
The only gripes I have are with the execution of the thriller/crime aspect of the story. This novel was marketed as a thriller, but frankly it was a discussion about class poorly disguised as a thriller. It became clear to me at about the halfway point that Slimani was more invested in talking about class rather than the actual crime because there was so little talk about the crime in the story. Readers are shown the crime scene at the beginning, get snippets of the trial and the case a couple of times, then the last TEN PAGES actually show how the crime occurred. Sorry, but there's no excuse for that, especially because the ending is unsatisfactory and I wholeheartedly blame it on the lack of effort and time put towards the crime. Maybe this won't bother other people, but it was pretty disappointing to me because it felt like false advertising.
Despite my complaints, I will say I enjoyed this novel for the most part. I'd say if you don't go into this novel expecting a thriller a more a discussion on class, you'll be fine. However, if you're looking for a strong thriller, this will probably disappoint you.