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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn’t see any of the twists coming, which made this fun and slightly preposterous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
The Main Character has to be one of the most original mysteries I’ve read to date. This story within a story revolves around an author who hires individuals as a sort of inspiration to what she’ll be writing about. How she does this is by getting to know them through interviews and then fictionalizing them. However, what her latest inspiration doesn’t know is that her part of the story is far from over. Rory, the new muse, is given a lavish trip along Italy’s Mediterranean coast on the famed, newly renovated Orient Express (yes, think Agatha Christie). But it’s not just a thank you gift. Instead, Rory is thrust into a real-life murder mystery with a set of characters she wasn’t expecting to see (her brother, best friend, and ex-fiancé) and each one of them is hiding something.
This is a twisty murder mystery and completely original. Yes, most have read Agatha Christie so that part of the story may be nostalgic but everything else is unique. I found myself extremely interested in this story and didn’t want to put it down.
This is a twisty murder mystery and completely original. Yes, most have read Agatha Christie so that part of the story may be nostalgic but everything else is unique. I found myself extremely interested in this story and didn’t want to put it down.
Honestly… this book pissed me off.
Let me start by saying this book had such strong potential to be an amazing read. It felt like even after being handed so many keys to the castle, they still couldn’t get in. By the description alone, I really thought we were going to have a suspenseful thriller with bodies dropping left and right. And to add to that, the setting of the Orient Express—already a classic scene—set expectations even higher, only for them to be let down even further. I’m not sure what frustrated me more about this book: the lack of utilization in the setting, or the fact that nothing actually happens until about 80% into the read. Or maybe it was that the main character was so insufferable and so many of the choices made just did not add up.
This book centers around Rory, who has been offered the deal of a lifetime—or so you’d think. She’s chosen to be the main character for a famous mystery writer, Ginevra X. After all the interviews are complete, Ginevra offers Rory a trip of a lifetime to celebrate the advance reader copy of her book. But to Rory’s surprise, she’s not the only one on this adventure. When she boards the train, she’s shocked to see her brother, her childhood best friend, and her ex. I just wish we, as readers, felt as shocked as she did. Rory felt hyperbolic in ways that made it hard to really relate to her reactions. And while the book is told through multiple POVs, none of them seemed deep enough to allow readers to actually care.
There are also plot points that keep being hammered in to the point where I was like, “OK, we get it.” The brother is working on a cure. The dad has Alzheimer’s. Nate is her ex. And as if the repetition wasn’t enough, the slow, slow, slow burn of this book definitely blew out any flame I had for it. By the time we get to the big reveals, they almost bore you, and we don’t even see an attempt at the death happen until nearly the end of the book. But what really bothered me was that everyone on this train was interviewed for this book, yet they had secrets they didn’t want to get out. Like… huh? Make it make sense.
So, for me, this was beyond disappointing. I might recommend this to someone who likes familial drama, but I would not recommend it to anyone expecting a crazy, suspenseful, emotional thriller. Because thrill it did not.
Let me start by saying this book had such strong potential to be an amazing read. It felt like even after being handed so many keys to the castle, they still couldn’t get in. By the description alone, I really thought we were going to have a suspenseful thriller with bodies dropping left and right. And to add to that, the setting of the Orient Express—already a classic scene—set expectations even higher, only for them to be let down even further. I’m not sure what frustrated me more about this book: the lack of utilization in the setting, or the fact that nothing actually happens until about 80% into the read. Or maybe it was that the main character was so insufferable and so many of the choices made just did not add up.
This book centers around Rory, who has been offered the deal of a lifetime—or so you’d think. She’s chosen to be the main character for a famous mystery writer, Ginevra X. After all the interviews are complete, Ginevra offers Rory a trip of a lifetime to celebrate the advance reader copy of her book. But to Rory’s surprise, she’s not the only one on this adventure. When she boards the train, she’s shocked to see her brother, her childhood best friend, and her ex. I just wish we, as readers, felt as shocked as she did. Rory felt hyperbolic in ways that made it hard to really relate to her reactions. And while the book is told through multiple POVs, none of them seemed deep enough to allow readers to actually care.
There are also plot points that keep being hammered in to the point where I was like, “OK, we get it.” The brother is working on a cure. The dad has Alzheimer’s. Nate is her ex. And as if the repetition wasn’t enough, the slow, slow, slow burn of this book definitely blew out any flame I had for it. By the time we get to the big reveals, they almost bore you, and we don’t even see an attempt at the death happen until nearly the end of the book. But what really bothered me was that everyone on this train was interviewed for this book, yet they had secrets they didn’t want to get out. Like… huh? Make it make sense.
So, for me, this was beyond disappointing. I might recommend this to someone who likes familial drama, but I would not recommend it to anyone expecting a crazy, suspenseful, emotional thriller. Because thrill it did not.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis is a mystery novel inspired by Agatha Christie. It's not exactly a whodunit sort of story, but the premise sounds like that.
Ginerva Ex is a famous author, and her latest main character is Rory. She arranges a luxury train ride for Rory on the Orient Express that travels to amazing locales in Italy. Why is Ginevra so invested in Rory, and what secrets are going to be revealed?
On the surface, this is an excellent premise, and I was really invested in the story. The locales are beautiful, and the setting creates an atmosphere. However, the constant changing of characters' narrative with the writing style was hard to follow for me. I would have enjoyed the story more if the first-person narrative was different. I expected an explosive ending, but alas, it really fell flat for me. I wanted more. A few tweaks would have made this an excellent one, in my opinion.
Thank you, Atria Books, for this book.
Ginerva Ex is a famous author, and her latest main character is Rory. She arranges a luxury train ride for Rory on the Orient Express that travels to amazing locales in Italy. Why is Ginevra so invested in Rory, and what secrets are going to be revealed?
On the surface, this is an excellent premise, and I was really invested in the story. The locales are beautiful, and the setting creates an atmosphere. However, the constant changing of characters' narrative with the writing style was hard to follow for me. I would have enjoyed the story more if the first-person narrative was different. I expected an explosive ending, but alas, it really fell flat for me. I wanted more. A few tweaks would have made this an excellent one, in my opinion.
Thank you, Atria Books, for this book.
Bait and switch. I thought it was a suspense mystery Christie-style, but turns out it was Jewish/post WWII diaspora instead.
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.5 stars, this sounded like it could be Christiesque with the setting, but it's just a character drama. I do appreciate the history the author brings attention to, but I wish this was more mysterious and less everyone cheating on everyone else.
slow-paced