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sammy759's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the book all the way through it, until the very last chapter. It had to be the worse ending I have ever read... No climax, twist or mystery. It just sort of ended, complete waste of time really, half way through I figured out the plot and nothing changed or surprised me, so very disappointed... The author obviously had writers block in the final chapter.
heaether's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea what was going on in this book until the end, but in a good way. I liked how deceiving the story was. When I began I was disappointed thinking it was a supernatural story. It is not, keep reading...
thetinatang's review against another edition
1.0
I had to stop reading this at page88. It was trying too much while not actually telling much of a story that made me want to know what happened to Nicole. The bitch is dead and I don't care. the. end.
graytisch's review against another edition
4.0
3.75. I really enjoyed this and it was well written. The time jumps could be a little confusing and disorienting but it didn’t detract from the story. The ending was the hardest part for me - I wanted more closure but this ending was likely realistic for the story
teacherpatti's review against another edition
4.0
The author of this book teaches at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is where I live. So the book grabbed me right away, as I read the description of Craig and his father driving through town. I read this entire book in about four days (I am on summer break), which should tell you how much I enjoyed it!
I had read some non-spoiler reviews before I read it, so I got the impression that the last part of the book was lacking. Indeed, the author never really explains what happened to Nicole and why she was seen in Bad Axe(a real place I've been to!) and in Ann Arbor at the same time. Or why Nicole played virginal to Craig but was screwing around. And what about poor Denise?! At first, I was a little miffed and thought that the author just said "screw it" because she couldn't come up with a proper explanation. But I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and hoping she is going with the Hitchcock thing that says what we don't see is scarier than what we see.
There are some glaring issues though. First, how is it that a body was positively identified by just jewelry and clothing? Dental records, anyone? Next, I was in a sorority and we really don't have that much power. (Did the author get burned during her own Rush?). It was a little unbelievable that a sorority would have that much power...a university in a university town, possibly. I guess I could see a cover up by UM (indeed, nearby Eastern Michigan University tried to cover up a murder several years ago...it ended about as disastrously as you would think). I also got REALLY tired of reading about HAIR HAIR HAIR!!! I think the author has a hair fetish. I get that the girls were all beautiful with straight blonde hair and perfect asses. Not all sorority girls look like that (I surely don't and didn't when I was in Chi Omega!). I also am not sure why the issues with the twins' language skills was in the book...was it just to show that Mira's husband (whose name escapes me at the moment) was an idiot? Because that message came through pretty strong! ;)
But despite these complaints, I still really liked this book. Her writing is amazing! I found all of the characters believable. Some other reviewers complained about how the story was told (she jumped around in time quite a bit), but that didn't bother me. It helped me not totally hate Craig, who I surely would have hated if I had no idea that his comeuppance was coming. I also liked the insight into academia. You would have to shoot me to get me to put up with that shit (even though a huge paycheck and four month summer would be nice--and don't give me that bullshit that professors don't make any money...you can check UM salaries online and they are all more than I make as a K-12 public schoolteacher) and it was kind of validating to read about how it is at "publish or perish" places.
The whole idea of death rituals and college ghosts also intrigued me. I got caught up in Mira's enthusiasm for the subject and kind of wish there were classes like that (er, without the trip to the morgue, thanks!!).
I am going to read the author's other books to see how she handles the endings. Then I will know if I was correct to give her the benefit of the doubt about how this book ended.
I had read some non-spoiler reviews before I read it, so I got the impression that the last part of the book was lacking. Indeed, the author never really explains what happened to Nicole and why she was seen in Bad Axe(a real place I've been to!) and in Ann Arbor at the same time. Or why Nicole played virginal to Craig but was screwing around. And what about poor Denise?! At first, I was a little miffed and thought that the author just said "screw it" because she couldn't come up with a proper explanation. But I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and hoping she is going with the Hitchcock thing that says what we don't see is scarier than what we see.
There are some glaring issues though. First, how is it that a body was positively identified by just jewelry and clothing? Dental records, anyone? Next, I was in a sorority and we really don't have that much power. (Did the author get burned during her own Rush?). It was a little unbelievable that a sorority would have that much power...a university in a university town, possibly. I guess I could see a cover up by UM (indeed, nearby Eastern Michigan University tried to cover up a murder several years ago...it ended about as disastrously as you would think). I also got REALLY tired of reading about HAIR HAIR HAIR!!! I think the author has a hair fetish. I get that the girls were all beautiful with straight blonde hair and perfect asses. Not all sorority girls look like that (I surely don't and didn't when I was in Chi Omega!). I also am not sure why the issues with the twins' language skills was in the book...was it just to show that Mira's husband (whose name escapes me at the moment) was an idiot? Because that message came through pretty strong! ;)
But despite these complaints, I still really liked this book. Her writing is amazing! I found all of the characters believable. Some other reviewers complained about how the story was told (she jumped around in time quite a bit), but that didn't bother me. It helped me not totally hate Craig, who I surely would have hated if I had no idea that his comeuppance was coming. I also liked the insight into academia. You would have to shoot me to get me to put up with that shit (even though a huge paycheck and four month summer would be nice--and don't give me that bullshit that professors don't make any money...you can check UM salaries online and they are all more than I make as a K-12 public schoolteacher) and it was kind of validating to read about how it is at "publish or perish" places.
The whole idea of death rituals and college ghosts also intrigued me. I got caught up in Mira's enthusiasm for the subject and kind of wish there were classes like that (er, without the trip to the morgue, thanks!!).
I am going to read the author's other books to see how she handles the endings. Then I will know if I was correct to give her the benefit of the doubt about how this book ended.
reamellie's review against another edition
3.0
I would have given the book five stars if I had gotten closure. I liked the story. I adjusted to the switch between present and past. I got over the fact it was told from the point of view of about four or five characters.
the story was interesting. It held my interest from the first page. The ending simply fell flat and it was rushed. It seemed as though Kasischke just got sick of her own story and threw together a cliche ending.
the story was interesting. It held my interest from the first page. The ending simply fell flat and it was rushed. It seemed as though Kasischke just got sick of her own story and threw together a cliche ending.
farbeavis's review against another edition
2.0
What a disappointment. I pretty much decided to read this because it was compared to Donna Tartt's "Secret History", which is one of my absolute favorite books. I kept hoping it would get better, but 500 pages later, it didn't. Sigh.