Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

67 reviews

jnl0's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-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? No

3.75


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cozmicdotcom's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

2.0

UGH. No. If it engaged me maybe I could’ve gotten to 3, but this was mostly a waste of time. I hated the characters, I hated the useless sex scenes, I hated the dialogue. I hated it. Flynn does write some beautiful lines that I did, I do admit, enjoy. But this is not a good story, it is not a good thriller, it is not a good mystery, and it is not a good book. Yuck. 

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mariaisabelad's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I had trouble getting into Sharp Objects. For the first 50-70 pages, I found Camille deeply unpleasant and I struggled to get invested in the story due to the time it takes for the story to reveal itself. I put it down for a couple months and was debating abandoning it entirely until I began watching the HBO adaptation.

Watching the world of Sharp Object be brought to light encouraged me to revisit the story and reminded me of the elements I was enjoying prior to putting the novel down. Once I got back into it knowing what kind of tone and pace to expect, I was able to stay on-board until the end. I would recommend anyone who reads the book checks trigger warnings and goes in understanding that it will be a slow burn thriller with a set of characters that are often unlikable or cold and hard to decipher.

I don't dislike this character direction for Gillian Flynn. In some ways, I find Camille to be an interesting exploration of the damaged/nihilistic detective archetype in many crime novels and films. Her darkness and abrasive personality plays directly into themes in the story that make it crucial to events and how they unfold. She's unwilling to let you in, even as you're experiencing the world through her eyes. I also loved the characterization of Wind Gap as a town. There are so many painstaking details woven into the setting that make it feel lived in and sell the horror of later events effectively.

I have issues with the third act post-climax due to mostly to how fast the story ends after a big reveal, but I overall recommend it.

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communoid's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0


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justcathh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

2.5

This is a book I would never have read if it wasn’t my book club choice for the month.

I didn’t like any of the characters, I guessed the murderer within the first chapter and just felt wildly uncomfortable throughout.

If you struggle with self harm or anything of that nature there are vivid descriptions of the main character doing this to herself, so I would give this book a wide berth.

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johall7's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.25


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hydr0jen's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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geminisoul's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The first maybe 30% of this book I found really hard to get into. I didn't particularly enjoy the main character and it wasn't until the book delved into her past more that the book became interesting. Once that happened I did enjoy it. Both twists were very predictable-which is fine- but the ending felt very rushed, especially compared to the rest of the book. I feel like it should have been fleshed out more. I also didn't particularly like how the author described the thirteen year olds in the story. I think that those characters could have behaved in the same way without the author describing their bodies the way she did. (It just felt weird to read.) 

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townmarshboy's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The whole time I was reading this book, I was thinking, how did this even get published? 2.5 stars because the plot was interesting (until the end, when
everything was ruined by the twist
) and i felt that Flynn strongly developed an atmosphere in this novel so it was very immersive. This is my first Gillian Flynn read and I’m not sure if I’ll read anything else after this.

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daniarribas's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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