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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
The first 400 pages of this novel I enjoyed, even though it gave me 'The Secret History' vibes. I was intrigued by the concept and was hoping that Tana French wasn't going to take it down the obvious path.
Unfortunately that's exactly what she did. A disappointing ending and I was left disliking Cassie Maddox just as much as I did in the first novel.
Unfortunately that's exactly what she did. A disappointing ending and I was left disliking Cassie Maddox just as much as I did in the first novel.
The premise of this book is wildly implausible, but intriguing nonetheless. Once you buy into it, it’s pretty exciting. The middle part is kind of slow, but the last 50 pages or so have you rushing to the end like a freight train.
I couldn’t help being reminded of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”, which to my mind is a better book, and one of my favorites. Both books revolve around a group of friends studying classics, and the groups’ “leaders”, Henry and Daniel, are very similar.
Still, French’s book, with it’s doppelganger gimmick, is a very different read.
I couldn’t help being reminded of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”, which to my mind is a better book, and one of my favorites. Both books revolve around a group of friends studying classics, and the groups’ “leaders”, Henry and Daniel, are very similar.
Still, French’s book, with it’s doppelganger gimmick, is a very different read.
A bit of a self-involved aside prior to writing the review: because of my small time literary pretensions, and as the daughter of a man who devours detective novels like nobody's business, I have historically not fancied myself someone who goes for the crime novel/detective novel/thriller. I mean, perhaps I devoured The da Vinci Code and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--but that doesn't mean anything, does it?
I was the literary equivalent of someone actively pursuing their first homosexual affair while still telling their partner, "But I AM straight." That is, until I met Tana French. And Tana French, she turned me out.
Tana French is SUCH a good writer that even when there's implausibility in her plot--and this novel is a perfect example, as were both In the Woods and The Secret Place, both of which feature slight illogicalities (I think I invented a word?) that you notice but don't really hold against her--that you have to momentarily put the book down and ask yourself, "Could this ever happen?" No. It could not. But I was so anxious to find out what had happened--in a terrible way, where I wanted to finish the novel to get the terrifying final reveal out of the way--that I think French must be doing something right.
I was the literary equivalent of someone actively pursuing their first homosexual affair while still telling their partner, "But I AM straight." That is, until I met Tana French. And Tana French, she turned me out.
Tana French is SUCH a good writer that even when there's implausibility in her plot--and this novel is a perfect example, as were both In the Woods and The Secret Place, both of which feature slight illogicalities (I think I invented a word?) that you notice but don't really hold against her--that you have to momentarily put the book down and ask yourself, "Could this ever happen?" No. It could not. But I was so anxious to find out what had happened--in a terrible way, where I wanted to finish the novel to get the terrifying final reveal out of the way--that I think French must be doing something right.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This solidified for me my love of Tana French's writing. It was better then Into the Woods which was great to begin with. Part of what made it better was the character she chose to focus on. Cassie is just more likeable and the ending was a lot better. It was also really interesting to see the shift of Cassie as supporting to main from book to book and to see some of the events from the previous book in a new light in this one. Liked it a lot. Would recommend for anyone interested in a good mystery.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
The circumstances of this book are utterly ridiculous. The idea of a police officer who has a remarkable physical resemblance to a murdered woman going undercover as that women in order to discover her killer is utterly ludicrous, but Tana French makes it seem almost plausible.
I don't think I enjoyed this quite as much as her first book, "In the Woods", but it was an excellent mystery nonetheless. Cassie's dark attraction to undercover work, and the effects of the events in "In the Woods" on her life, are wonderfully depicted. The house of students she infiltrates and becomes so drawn in by draws us in as well, and it is partly this that allows us to suspend our disbelief - we desperately want her to delve into the mysteries of the house and the relationships of those within. I think Tana French has become one of my "read everything she writes" authors.
I don't think I enjoyed this quite as much as her first book, "In the Woods", but it was an excellent mystery nonetheless. Cassie's dark attraction to undercover work, and the effects of the events in "In the Woods" on her life, are wonderfully depicted. The house of students she infiltrates and becomes so drawn in by draws us in as well, and it is partly this that allows us to suspend our disbelief - we desperately want her to delve into the mysteries of the house and the relationships of those within. I think Tana French has become one of my "read everything she writes" authors.