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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
this was fun and i only guessed half the ending! love a little british woman losing her shit it’s very relatable.
Although I was on the edge my seat for most of this read and didn’t see any of the ending coming, I’m only giving it three stars. My biggest criticism is that I didn’t like any of the characters. Not one of them. I found all of them all to be shallow, selfish, and a bit odd, even Helen. I appreciated the shorter chapters and the telling of the story through changing points of view and perspectives in time. But at the end there were several things that didn’t make sense to me. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that there were a lot of details that were part of the story, but then dropped or not explained, and that while the ending was reasonable, I felt like there were some inconsistencies in the characters.
After a string of miscarriages, Helen Tropes finally pregnant. But her first prenatal class is a big disappointment. Her husband, Daniel, is working late and can’t make it. And, her brother, Rory, and sister-in-law, Serena, who are also expecting cancel at the last minute. Serena texts Helen to tell her that they will be taking the class at a different location. Helen is a bit lonely, so when she meets Rachel at the class, and Rachel is so friendly, it’s hard for Helen to keep herself from becoming entangled with her. Helen disapproves of Rachel’s drinking, smoking and lack of tact, nonetheless, she cannot say no to her, nor keep her at arm’s length. During the reading we learn that Helen is the middle child in a family of three siblings. Rory is her older brother, and Charlie her younger. We also learn that Rory, Helen, Serena and Daniel have known each other since college, and that Daniel and Rory work together.
After a string of miscarriages, Helen Tropes finally pregnant. But her first prenatal class is a big disappointment. Her husband, Daniel, is working late and can’t make it. And, her brother, Rory, and sister-in-law, Serena, who are also expecting cancel at the last minute. Serena texts Helen to tell her that they will be taking the class at a different location. Helen is a bit lonely, so when she meets Rachel at the class, and Rachel is so friendly, it’s hard for Helen to keep herself from becoming entangled with her. Helen disapproves of Rachel’s drinking, smoking and lack of tact, nonetheless, she cannot say no to her, nor keep her at arm’s length. During the reading we learn that Helen is the middle child in a family of three siblings. Rory is her older brother, and Charlie her younger. We also learn that Rory, Helen, Serena and Daniel have known each other since college, and that Daniel and Rory work together.
The pace was a bit slow and I thought it was predictable.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've seen so much buzz around Greenwich Park online, so I was so excited to receive an ARC last week. Faulkner's first novel centers on Helen, a young woman finally pregnant with her child after suffering numerous losses (so content warning on that one). When her sister-in-law bails on her for a childbirth class, Helen meets Rachel instead, a young pregnant woman who demands a lot of attention from her and begins inserting herself into Helen's life. Faulker does a good job of establishing the scene and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow. However, I found Helen to be such a flat and uninteresting character. We don't really see her develop, which kept me from getting invested in the book. And as other reviewers have said, Rachel is the most annoying character almost to the point of distraction.
Ultimately, I think there's a lot of potential in Faulkner's writing, and I look forward to reading her next book even if this one didn't hit quite right for me.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
Ultimately, I think there's a lot of potential in Faulkner's writing, and I look forward to reading her next book even if this one didn't hit quite right for me.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
This book has so many wonderful twists and turns. And the way it weaves the narrative makes you feel almost insane. The plot felt a little hurried at the end but still an amazing read!