Reviews

Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

novelvisits's review against another edition

3.0

My Thoughts: The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen is the story of 17-year old girl, Nofar, who gets swept up in a lie she didn’t really mean to tell. Many people quickly believe her lie, offering sympathy and rewards for her bravery in speaking out. It becomes almost impossible for her to let go of the lie. Even when she tried to take the lie back others refused to believe any change to her story. Besides the victim of her lie, no one suffered from it more than Nofar and that deep examination of a lie really worked for me. What worked less (and seemed completely unnecessary) was a side story about an older woman who also told a lie. Her story only minimally overlapped with Nofar’s and almost felt like filler to plump up an already short novel. Throughout the book what shone brightest for me was Gundar-Goshen’s beautiful writing.

“Guilt, when it comes to visit, can choose from any number of routes. It can sudddenly appear from behind and sink its talons into your back. It can charge you head-on. But Nofar’s guilt, like a Persian cat, rubbed her legs fleetingly, sat for a brief moment on her lap, then moved onward. It had no desire to stay longer than that.”

Her phrasing of certain passages had me reading them over and over. Grade: B

Note: I received a copy of this book from Little, Brown and Company (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/

ursulaursula's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rachel_a_'s review against another edition

2.0

English translation.

Lots of irrelevant rambling about other characters, way too many similies so much so I lost the point of what plot points were. Ideas that went nowhere and didnt add to the story or characters .

cricca's review against another edition

funny relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

notinjersey's review against another edition

4.0

The Liar is translated from Hebrew and takes place in Israel, which is one of the reasons I wanted to read it! This book is about the ways a lie can take on a life of its own and spread and effect different people. Nofar’s lie is about a minor celebrity. Obviously he is effected by the lie, as are a variety of minor characters from Nofar’s family, the boy who witnesses the lied about witness, a homeless man, and a police officer. Raymonde also lies about her life and her past and her story overlaps with Nofar’s. I enjoyed the writing in this book and would recommend it.

ruthi's review against another edition

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

4.0

mmccaney's review against another edition

5.0

I enjoyed every single page. This book takes a simple story and builds beautiful prose around it; the imagery and philosophical questions are satisfying and stimulating.

sachbuchleserin's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

4.0

laurareadsbig's review against another edition

fast-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

3.0

nikcc's review against another edition

5.0

Really enjoyed this story. It was well thought out and rounded, it felt like a truth being told.