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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
“Grown-ups hammer down all these markers, bells schedules coffee-breaks, to stake down time so you’ll start believing it’s something small and mean, something that scrapes flake after flake off of everything you love till there’s nothing left; to stake you down so you won’t lift off and fly away, somersaulting through whirlpools of months, skimming through eddies of glittering seconds, pouring handfuls of hours over your upturned face.”
4.5/5
After reading the first two Dublin Murder books, I was obsessed with the way Tana French wrote character drama as the backdrop to her mysteries—in fact, I preferred the interpersonal lives of the main characters to the actual mysteries. Here, she combines the two perfectly and succeeds where I think the first two didn’t, which is definitely thanks to making the mystery the actual narrative happening at the same time it’s being solved. The pacing was perfect and everything came together so well. French knows how to capture teenage girls and the intoxicating magic and agonies of their friendships. I think the supporting characters could have been a little more fleshed out but there were so many characters it’s barely a complaint. The only thing I will say is that I preferred the Rob/Cassie drama in the first two books and was invested in them way more than I was invested in Stephen and Conway, but I could tell French was trying to make this balance on purpose so I don’t mind very much. This is definitely the best of the series that I’ve read so far, even if my favorite characters were not present.
I love Tana French books, but this one was a bit confusing with the 8 girls. I couldn't remember which girl belonged to which clique.
Jag ÄLSKADE denna bok. Efter dom första sidorna var jag helt fast.
Jag älskar relationerna mellan de 4 vännerna och deras starka band. Den känns så otroligt rå och äkta i sina beskrivningar mellan de olika kompisgrupperna. Ibland förstog jag inte de ”magiska” delarna, men det är inget som drar ner på slutbetyget.
Så otroligt välskriven och en välarbetad och uttänkt historia som hade mig i sitt grepp under hela tiden jag läste den. Kunde inte lägga ifrån mig den!
Jag älskar relationerna mellan de 4 vännerna och deras starka band. Den känns så otroligt rå och äkta i sina beskrivningar mellan de olika kompisgrupperna. Ibland förstog jag inte de ”magiska” delarna, men det är inget som drar ner på slutbetyget.
Så otroligt välskriven och en välarbetad och uttänkt historia som hade mig i sitt grepp under hela tiden jag läste den. Kunde inte lägga ifrån mig den!
dark
mysterious
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 Stars. Definitely not my favorite Tana French novel. This is a rare instance when I wish I'd read, rather than listened to the audiobook. The detective part was interesting. I found the girl's narration to be annoying.
I like her books generally but I found this one to be too vague and too long...
I have to echo Samadrita's review "
"Few other books have conjured up the ghost of my teenage years as successfully as this one, dredged up the hazy remembrance of that first, most agonizing heartbreak, the subsequent amateurish cynicism summoned up to preclude the hassle of emotional hangups and the feeling of having only just the foggiest notion of how the world works."
I would add that the exploration of social conformity vs. self-actualization is brilliant. (I seriously hate the word "self-actualization" but it describes what I'm trying to say. If you can think of a better, please please tell me so I never have to use it again!!)
Addressing comments about the book structure:
alternating current with flashback chapters is a pretty standard straightforward literary technique.....I had no problem with it.
Having multiple protagonists for me is a relief. I find having just one in a novel tedious unless I really really identify with them which is rare.
"Few other books have conjured up the ghost of my teenage years as successfully as this one, dredged up the hazy remembrance of that first, most agonizing heartbreak, the subsequent amateurish cynicism summoned up to preclude the hassle of emotional hangups and the feeling of having only just the foggiest notion of how the world works."
I would add that the exploration of social conformity vs. self-actualization is brilliant. (I seriously hate the word "self-actualization" but it describes what I'm trying to say. If you can think of a better, please please tell me so I never have to use it again!!)
Addressing comments about the book structure:
alternating current with flashback chapters is a pretty standard straightforward literary technique.....I had no problem with it.
Having multiple protagonists for me is a relief. I find having just one in a novel tedious unless I really really identify with them which is rare.
Mi aspettavo decisamente di meglio.
Non c’è una pecca vera e propria ma allo stesso tempo l’ho trovato inutilmente prolisso e noioso in molte parti.
Peccato perché l’ambientazione mi ha affascinata tantissimo e anche il rapporto tra le ragazze.
Direi una bugia se dicessi che mi ha tenuta con il fiato sospeso per 600 pagine, questa sensazione l’ho avuta in pochissimi momenti e alla fine mi sono resa conto che il coinvolgimento era veramente poco, peccato peccato.
La scrittura di Tana French mi è piaciuta abbastanza, spero meglio per il prossimo libro
Non c’è una pecca vera e propria ma allo stesso tempo l’ho trovato inutilmente prolisso e noioso in molte parti.
Peccato perché l’ambientazione mi ha affascinata tantissimo e anche il rapporto tra le ragazze.
Direi una bugia se dicessi che mi ha tenuta con il fiato sospeso per 600 pagine, questa sensazione l’ho avuta in pochissimi momenti e alla fine mi sono resa conto che il coinvolgimento era veramente poco, peccato peccato.
La scrittura di Tana French mi è piaciuta abbastanza, spero meglio per il prossimo libro