Reviews

A Good Winter by Gigi Fenster

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hoesforprose's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A Good Winter is an unsettling read, albeit not quite as thrillery as the blurb would like you to believe. Told solely from the perspective of Olga, the novel follows her relationship with Lara, a woman who's recently moved into Olga's apartment building. Together, the women support Lara's newly widowed daughter in caring for her young son Michael.

Olga is obsessive and becomes increasingly unhinged. Her perceptions of the world and her relationship seem off, yet as a reader you're kept at a distance from reality because we're never privy to other perspectives. This makes for an unsettling reading experience, but to me it leans more towards dark-Eleanor-Oliphant than horrifying-psychological-thriller? It's cleverly crafted and well-written, I just wonder if it may fall flat with readers who are expecting something more... frightening.

charlierobinson307's review

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3.0

This book was kind of irritating to read for most of it. But it was also one of the most scary and uncomfortable reads ever.

neex's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-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

4.0

Being in the head of Olga has been one of the worst experiences of my life.

garlic's review against another edition

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3.0

The narrator of this book was very unique and challenging and well written. There was some good tension being built in the final third of the book. However the first two thirds of the book were quite uneventful. I think it was just too long and could have been just as effective at half the length.

wtfreads's review

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5.0

Unnerving. This story is uncomfortable, but in the best way. The last twenty pages have to be read slowly, because holy smokes. Olga is so wildly unlikeable, but you just can’t stop reading. Well done, Gigi Fenster.

jouljet's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

katiiekhaos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I feel like the blurb calling it a psychological thriller may lead people to think this book is something very different then what it actually is. It’s a lot slower than your typical thriller and written differently as the whole story is told as an internal monologue. I do think this style choice works really well for the story, you feel so close to Olga and can see how her mind is working but that is also what makes you feel uncomfortable and weary of her.
I really struggled getting through the first 1/3 of the book, however the ending definitely makes it worth it and I do think it’s worthwhile persevering. However if the book had of been shorter (a novella maybe), and the tension grew at a faster pace I probably would have enjoyed it more. Those setups and reveals were genius though and at the end I kept going back and thinking about all the things I didn’t pick up in the moment. The audiobook narrator also does a great job depicting the characters declining mental state.

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