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bookaddictpnw's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
1.0
I was really looking forward to this book but today I decided to give up on it after about 2 months of avoiding it! I liked the parts abour Crippen but so much seemed to be the lives of the people around him or the people that were on the boat when he tried to escape.
melohpa's review against another edition
4.0
See my review at
https://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2020/10/crippen-novel-of-murder-by-john-boyne.html
https://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2020/10/crippen-novel-of-murder-by-john-boyne.html
lottepot's review against another edition
5.0
Really between four and five stars for this. A five star rating for me is more about my enjoyment of a book than its quality. And I really enjoyed this, and had the rare experience of becoming excited for any spare time you have to pick it up again.
It is flawed, with some anachronisms and characterisations that didn’t entirely hit the mark but the construction was excellent and it was a pacy, exciting version of a story that everyone knows. The twist was completely unexpected and cleverly done, with a lot of red herrings put in beforehand. I don’t know if it was necessary to the plot, which was interesting enough without it but I can see that John Boyne did it in order to develop his specific fictional characters.
At one point, I felt a bit uncomfortable because the female characters with one or two exceptions were all unpleasant, selfish and grasping. On later reflection though, there were an equal amount of unpleasant male characters so it balanced out.
Overall, it’s a book about obsession and seeking what you are obsessed with. All the characters are chasing their obsessions whether it’s a person, a career, God, status, a manhunt, or respectability.
It is flawed, with some anachronisms and characterisations that didn’t entirely hit the mark but the construction was excellent and it was a pacy, exciting version of a story that everyone knows. The twist was completely unexpected and cleverly done, with a lot of red herrings put in beforehand. I don’t know if it was necessary to the plot, which was interesting enough without it but I can see that John Boyne did it in order to develop his specific fictional characters.
At one point, I felt a bit uncomfortable because the female characters with one or two exceptions were all unpleasant, selfish and grasping. On later reflection though, there were an equal amount of unpleasant male characters so it balanced out.
Overall, it’s a book about obsession and seeking what you are obsessed with. All the characters are chasing their obsessions whether it’s a person, a career, God, status, a manhunt, or respectability.
carolinerd's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An imaginative and gripping re-telling of the story of Hawley Harvey Crippen, infamous murderer. Even though I knew quite a bit about the case, I enjoyed this new take on it. John Boyne has created a suspenseful and completely plausible alternative version to the one I had read so many times in the true crime books.
Much of the action takes place on board the SS Montrose, a passenger ship heading to Canada, where Crippen hopes to start a new life with his young lover, Ethel Le Neve. Inspector Dew's transatlantic manhunt is well-documented but Boyne introduces several fictional characters too, all with their own reasons for being on board and intriguing in their own right. These passengers interact with each other and with Crippen and Ethel in dramatic and fascinating ways. Other chapters give flashbacks of Crippen's earlier life, his medical career and his marriage to the dreadful harridan, Cora.
I never would have thought I could feel any sympathy for Crippen but this book does make you understand a bit more about the man and the factors leading up to the macabre crime. He certainly comes across as an oddball, definitely creepy in the obvious thrill he gets from slicing bodies up in the name of surgery and inflicting pain on his dental patients, but also we see a meek, sensitive victim of domestic abuse. In Ethel we also see a complex character, sometimes coming across as vulnerable, sweet and in need of a father figure but at other times passionate, forthright and tough.
I really enjoyed this book. There were several plot twists which literally sent shivers down my spine and although at over 500 pages, this was quite a long book for me, I just raced through it.
Much of the action takes place on board the SS Montrose, a passenger ship heading to Canada, where Crippen hopes to start a new life with his young lover, Ethel Le Neve. Inspector Dew's transatlantic manhunt is well-documented but Boyne introduces several fictional characters too, all with their own reasons for being on board and intriguing in their own right. These passengers interact with each other and with Crippen and Ethel in dramatic and fascinating ways. Other chapters give flashbacks of Crippen's earlier life, his medical career and his marriage to the dreadful harridan, Cora.
I never would have thought I could feel any sympathy for Crippen but this book does make you understand a bit more about the man and the factors leading up to the macabre crime. He certainly comes across as an oddball, definitely creepy in the obvious thrill he gets from slicing bodies up in the name of surgery and inflicting pain on his dental patients, but also we see a meek, sensitive victim of domestic abuse. In Ethel we also see a complex character, sometimes coming across as vulnerable, sweet and in need of a father figure but at other times passionate, forthright and tough.
I really enjoyed this book. There were several plot twists which literally sent shivers down my spine and although at over 500 pages, this was quite a long book for me, I just raced through it.
joeymc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cher_n_books's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
John Boyne never disappoints, and the only thing better than historical fiction, is historical fiction based on actual events.
Once you have read the book, there is an interesting article with engrossing pictures surrounding what happened here, but I recommend not peeking until after you have read the novel to avoid spoilers!
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Favorite Quote: That’s the strangest thing about the wealthiest families of Europe: they’re all penniless.
First Sentence: She was over 575 feet in length, with a beam almost an eighth of that size.
John Boyne never disappoints, and the only thing better than historical fiction, is historical fiction based on actual events.
Once you have read the book, there is an interesting article with engrossing pictures surrounding what happened here, but I recommend not peeking until after you have read the novel to avoid spoilers!
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: That’s the strangest thing about the wealthiest families of Europe: they’re all penniless.
First Sentence: She was over 575 feet in length, with a beam almost an eighth of that size.
planetpammy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
paulahe's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent John Boyne novel. This is his version of the story of Dr Crippen. A fascinating tale of murder and intrigue.