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3.02 AVERAGE
3.02 AVERAGE
I feel bad giving this novel just 3.5 stars because I truly enjoyed the characters and their relationships but there’s just a little too much “big brother” and robotic pieces for me to fully enjoy it. In other novels by Tatiana De Rosnay like “Sarah’s Key” and “A Secret Kept”, she created characters and storylines I greatly enjoyed. This time the storyline fell short due to some of the AI aspects – without giving anything away, there are two robots in the story that make it more of a sci-fi book than a mystery or suspense novel in my opinion. I did enjoy the characters though. Most are likable and relatable in some sense. There could have been more relationship development between some of the characters but overall I still enjoyed their interactions. I really enjoyed the main character’s relationship with her granddaughter, but again, I think there could have been more done around it. Overall, I found it to be a good read, just not a great read.
Thank you to both Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an early eGalley in return for an honest review.
Thank you to both Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an early eGalley in return for an honest review.
I'm going to be honest. Science Fiction is not a genre I will pick up for myself. But I will read it. And there have been books in this genre that I've loved. This book took me by surprise though. Maybe it wasn't was I was expecting? Maybe it went from normal to too out there and surprised me. I don't know. I think the writing was excellent. The characters were great. It might just be that this wasn't my cup of tea.
I did love the way de Rosnay slowly peeled away the layers so we could find out what happened in the past. That alone helped to build the suspense and mystery. And then she did the same thing with the present tense. To the point where I was yelling at the book, "YOU ARE NOT OVERREACTING CLARISSA! GET OUT OF THERE!" Of course the character the character in the book didn't listen to me. At least not for a long time. I have to say, de Rosnay is an incredible suspense author.
I will say the book was a 4.5 stars until the end. The last 25% was just too strange. I'd love to find out from hardcore SciFi fans if they felt the same way because I just couldn't wrap my head or heart around it. The ending is just bizarre.
The book, Sarah’s Key also by Tatiana de Rosnay is a favorite for me. So I was thrilled to be gifted this beautiful book by the author and the publisher. Thank you so very much!
I did love the way de Rosnay slowly peeled away the layers so we could find out what happened in the past. That alone helped to build the suspense and mystery. And then she did the same thing with the present tense. To the point where I was yelling at the book, "YOU ARE NOT OVERREACTING CLARISSA! GET OUT OF THERE!" Of course the character the character in the book didn't listen to me. At least not for a long time. I have to say, de Rosnay is an incredible suspense author.
I will say the book was a 4.5 stars until the end. The last 25% was just too strange. I'd love to find out from hardcore SciFi fans if they felt the same way because I just couldn't wrap my head or heart around it. The ending is just bizarre.
The book, Sarah’s Key also by Tatiana de Rosnay is a favorite for me. So I was thrilled to be gifted this beautiful book by the author and the publisher. Thank you so very much!
We’re some years into the future, and temperatures are consistently beyond what is comfortable. Technological advancements have grown by leaps and bounds, and life is easier using such technology. But what if those advancements are being used for nefarious reasons? That’s what we look at in this novel.
I must confess that I almost didn’t finish this. I found the impossibly long paragraphs hard to get through. But I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did. If there was anything I didn’t love, it was the slow unveiling of Clarissa’s past. Even though the secrets were unpredictable, I didn’t feel it was necessary.
I requested to read this because I had the feeling things were going to go fantastically awry in Clarissa’s new home. I wanted to see how de Rosnay was going to write such a home, and what horrors awaited Clarissa. Overall, this is told at a leisurely pace and makes for an enjoyable read. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.
I must confess that I almost didn’t finish this. I found the impossibly long paragraphs hard to get through. But I stuck with it, and I’m glad I did. If there was anything I didn’t love, it was the slow unveiling of Clarissa’s past. Even though the secrets were unpredictable, I didn’t feel it was necessary.
I requested to read this because I had the feeling things were going to go fantastically awry in Clarissa’s new home. I wanted to see how de Rosnay was going to write such a home, and what horrors awaited Clarissa. Overall, this is told at a leisurely pace and makes for an enjoyable read. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.
I think the best way to describe this novel is literary fiction with a dash of mystery and suspense mixed in. I got some 1984 vibes from the whole novel. You don't know who is watching you or recording you. Overall, it was a unique and quietly compelling novel. The premise was unusual (in a good way) and the setting was unsettling.
It had lies, secrets, betrayal. But most of all it was a book about the pain of lonliness and sorrow. There was hope mixed in, but the main character, Clarissa, definitely had some demons and scars that she carried around with her throughout the story, and she needed to find away to deal with the ugliness that plagued her.
I would say a weakness of this book is it felt a bit unfinished and lacked some substantial world building needed for a futuristic, dystopian society. That being said, I do think the writing and literary elements included in the novel did create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that made the reader uncomfortable and claustrophobic.
Not a fast, compulsive read, but a literary take on consequences of Artificial Intelligence.
Book #51 of 2021
Pop Sugar 2021 Challenge: A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Goodreads
At time of writing this review: 3/4/21
435 Ratings
186 Reviews
I think the best way to describe this novel is literary fiction with a dash of mystery and suspense mixed in. I got some 1984 vibes from the whole novel. You don't know who is watching you or recording you. Overall, it was a unique and quietly compelling novel. The premise was unusual (in a good way) and the setting was unsettling.
It had lies, secrets, betrayal. But most of all it was a book about the pain of lonliness and sorrow. There was hope mixed in, but the main character, Clarissa, definitely had some demons and scars that she carried around with her throughout the story, and she needed to find away to deal with the ugliness that plagued her.
I would say a weakness of this book is it felt a bit unfinished and lacked some substantial world building needed for a futuristic, dystopian society. That being said, I do think the writing and literary elements included in the novel did create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that made the reader uncomfortable and claustrophobic.
Not a fast, compulsive read, but a literary take on consequences of Artificial Intelligence.
Book #51 of 2021
Pop Sugar 2021 Challenge: A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Goodreads
At time of writing this review: 3/4/21
435 Ratings
186 Reviews
In a near-future Paris, writer Clarissa Katsef finds herself abruptly in need of a new start and a new home - and seems to find both in the ultra-modern C.A.S.A. residence for artists. But there's something rotten under the sleek, shiny exterior - and Clarissa can't shake the feeling she's being watched...
Tatiana de Rosnay's latest book is an eerie dive into a city and a world emerging from a series of disasters and teetering on the brink of even more, through the lens of one woman who, reeling from a personal disaster, stumbles into something even more troubling. This similarity to Mrs. Dalloway - done here in a darker, grimmer palette than in Woolf's day through London - is no coincidence, as Clarissa Katsef takes her pen name, her literary inspiration, and the name of her disturbingly watchful virtual assistant from Woolf's classic. These aren't the only literary allusions and layers to be found bound up in the short but tight story - Daphne du Maurier and Romain Gary, and perhaps others I missed, are accounted for - and the result is an exquisite, unsettling gem of paranoia, grief, artistic creativity, and the search for tranquility and a room of one's own, as the world crumbles beneath one's feet.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance review copy!
Content warnings: Infant loss, discussion of suicide, substance abuse.
Tatiana de Rosnay's latest book is an eerie dive into a city and a world emerging from a series of disasters and teetering on the brink of even more, through the lens of one woman who, reeling from a personal disaster, stumbles into something even more troubling. This similarity to Mrs. Dalloway - done here in a darker, grimmer palette than in Woolf's day through London - is no coincidence, as Clarissa Katsef takes her pen name, her literary inspiration, and the name of her disturbingly watchful virtual assistant from Woolf's classic. These aren't the only literary allusions and layers to be found bound up in the short but tight story - Daphne du Maurier and Romain Gary, and perhaps others I missed, are accounted for - and the result is an exquisite, unsettling gem of paranoia, grief, artistic creativity, and the search for tranquility and a room of one's own, as the world crumbles beneath one's feet.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance review copy!
Content warnings: Infant loss, discussion of suicide, substance abuse.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
I enjoyed this book. The writing and characters were great the only thing that i didn’t like was the unfinished ending. Left more questions than answers. Was unfinished.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for letting me read this arc.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for letting me read this arc.
This enthralling, beautiful, and ominous book drew me in from the very first page. Set in a futuristic and slightly dystopic Paris, Flowers of Darkness follows Clarissa, a writer who moves into an upscale community of artists in the wake of a horrific discovery about her husband. The story touches on various themes, including grief, healing, artificial intelligence, and paranoia in an incredibly poignant and thought-provoking manner. The poetic writing style and sense of suspense left me emotionally engrossed and on edge as I flew through the pages. My only wish is that there had been more of a pay off when the story ended, especially after the intense build up. Even still, I highly recommend this unsettling yet touching read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a e-galley in exchange for an honest review!