Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
I have enjoyed all of Swanson’s other books, but this one felt subpar. The plot didn’t interest me. Neither did the characters. It felt repetitive.
The entirety of this book hinges on the idea that George had dorm room sex 20 years ago that was SO MAGICAL that he became an absolute moron.
I again liked this book because it was simply written, didn't drag on, and had somewhat shorter chapters - all things that keep me interested and keep the pages turning. I finished the book in three days, which again is testament to it being well-written enough to keep me interested.
Overall, I liked the story, and I liked the characters enough. I saw a glimpse of reviews from other people as I was about halfway through, which didn't *necessarily* spoil the ending but made me expect a last final turn. I'm indifferent on how it ends, and I guess I picked up on that because of the other reviews. It doesn't make or break the story like Turn of the Key did for me as much, though I do suppose it seems very impractical anyway. I don't have any major thoughts on the rest of it though. Just another thriller to mark down on the list.
Overall, I liked the story, and I liked the characters enough. I saw a glimpse of reviews from other people as I was about halfway through, which didn't *necessarily* spoil the ending but made me expect a last final turn. I'm indifferent on how it ends, and I guess I picked up on that because of the other reviews. It doesn't make or break the story like Turn of the Key did for me as much, though I do suppose it seems very impractical anyway. I don't have any major thoughts on the rest of it though. Just another thriller to mark down on the list.
Unexpectedly twisty, although I did find myself wishing repeatedly that the narrator, George, would grow a pair instead of being somehow incapable of learning from the past.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a highly enjoyable, fast-paced, action-packed story with a lot of twists and turns. Some of them I saw coming or was able to guess at, but quite a few of them came from out of left field and blindsided me. I was impressed to find out that this is Peter Swanson's debut novel. The writing is excellent save for there being a little too much left to the imagination at the end, but some people like that so maybe that's a "me" thing. Even with that, though, I still swallowed this novel up from cover to cover. I'm excited to look into Swanson's later works to see how he's grown as an author.
‘I’ll know what I’m looking for when I find it.’
George Foss is in his late thirties, and it’s been twenty years since he last saw the girl who broke his heart. Plenty of time, you’d think, for George to move on. But, when he sees her again in his local bar in Boston, it’s clear that George is still obsessed with her. When Liana Decter asks George to help her, he agrees. This is despite knowing that Liana has never bought him anything but trouble.
The best way to read this novel is to avoid spoilers, and almost anything will be a spoiler. Who is this woman? Why is George so obsessed by her? What is his history with her? Is George particularly naïve?
While I enjoyed this novel, a few elements didn’t really work for me. I suspect it’s because I’ve never known someone quite like George. I hope I never know someone like Liana.
This was Mr Swanson’s first novel, and while I didn’t like it as much as his second (‘The Kind Worth Killing’), it kept me turning the pages. And wondering about George.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
George Foss is in his late thirties, and it’s been twenty years since he last saw the girl who broke his heart. Plenty of time, you’d think, for George to move on. But, when he sees her again in his local bar in Boston, it’s clear that George is still obsessed with her. When Liana Decter asks George to help her, he agrees. This is despite knowing that Liana has never bought him anything but trouble.
The best way to read this novel is to avoid spoilers, and almost anything will be a spoiler. Who is this woman? Why is George so obsessed by her? What is his history with her? Is George particularly naïve?
While I enjoyed this novel, a few elements didn’t really work for me. I suspect it’s because I’ve never known someone quite like George. I hope I never know someone like Liana.
This was Mr Swanson’s first novel, and while I didn’t like it as much as his second (‘The Kind Worth Killing’), it kept me turning the pages. And wondering about George.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
It has been twenty years since George Foss last saw the first girl who broke his heart. He and Audrey were inseparable for the first semester of college but over the Christmas break he was devastated to discover he never really knew her at all, not even her real name. In the intervening years he has both dreamed of, and dreaded the idea of, seeing her again and now she sits across from him, Liana Dector, begging for his help. George knows he should turn Liana away, she is a con woman, a fugitive, suspected of murder, but he finds he can't resist and is soon ensnared in her web of lies, theft, violence and betrayal.
Swanson justifies George's willingness to become involved with Liana's manipulations in the present by illustrating the fervour of their short-lived college romance. Despite time and truth, George's youthful obsession with the enigmatic Liana has barely faded and given the opportunity to be her hero, to save her, and perhaps win her back, he disregards the danger to himself. In part his involvement is also a manifestation of a mid life crisis, George's life has been ordinary, and he has never recaptured the intensity of his time with Audrey/Liana. I believed in George's motivation to help Liana but I can't say I understand his compulsion, as such I didn't really engage fully with him.
Liana is a classic femme fatale, a manipulative, intelligent, seductress who uses men to get what she wants. As the narrative shifts between George and Liana's past and their reunion, the author slowly exposes her history, though never really confirming what George, or the reader, suspects, and makes it clear that she can't be trusted.
As such the twist to the tale is not entirely unexpected but it does have impact. There is no tidy resolution to The Girl With a Clock For a Heart, leaving Swanson the opportunity to revive the characters at a later date. I don't mind an open ending, and think in this case it is appropriate, but it may irritate some readers.
The Girl with a Clock for a Heart has a noir-ish feel which is evident in his characterisation and Peter Swanson's admiration for Hitchcock shows in his storytelling. It didn't grip me but the novel is an easy read and a solid debut thriller.
I alternated between thinking George was an idiot and thinking George was handling things remarkably well. The story is part heist/con job, part murder mystery, part character study. The way this book handles the nature of how we define ourselves in holding on to our past or running from our past by reinventing ourselves is pretty fascinating.
Unlike some of the darker 'noir' dramas that have cropped up lately, this one left me feeling uncertain in the way good books do (not in the annoying. unresolved way some seem to lately). I don't know the ending and I don't know which ending I want. In other words, the sort of ending that will make this book stay with me for a bit.
Unlike some of the darker 'noir' dramas that have cropped up lately, this one left me feeling uncertain in the way good books do (not in the annoying. unresolved way some seem to lately). I don't know the ending and I don't know which ending I want. In other words, the sort of ending that will make this book stay with me for a bit.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
High praise for Peter swanson again. His writing has me glued to the page