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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I might be the only person in the world who hasn’t seen the Hitchcock film. Nonetheless, this was too familiar to be a five-star read for me. Had I read it in its day, it would have been a very different story.
I read this book because I knew the Hitchcock film so well and wanted to see what Alfred had done with it. It's quite different from the film, but easy to see why as it would have had to be visually adapted. A good little thriller based on a real-life case, and quite intriguing even if we all know the outcome.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not bad but not as good as I was expecting, it’s a little too short for me, I struggled to really feel any suspense or connection to the characters. The twist was ruined for me as I had seen the movie (this is a rare case where I preferred the movie), but I was underwhelmed all the same by the reveal which was written a lacklustre for me. Definitely groundbreaking for the time and interesting antagonist for sure but overall a bit underwhelming.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My only issue with this book was that I'd seen the movie based on it first. Don't get me wrong, it's a masterpiece of a movie but it does spoil the experience a little bit. However, I have to admit that Robert Bloch sets the novel up in an excellent manner and the build up is great. It does get somewhat slow before the ending, with Lila and Sam just waiting around for Arbogast to come back, but it's such a small book that I didn't bother that much. The dialogue between Norman and his mother, as well as his internal monologue were masterfully written. A great novel overall, though I would definitely recommend reading it before watching the movie.