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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Moral of the story: don’t have college friend reunions.
Either be friends with those people all of the time or just let it go.
Plot summary: Friend gets raped at a reunion party - host’s husband is accused - everyone is an asshole and has been for years.
Either be friends with those people all of the time or just let it go.
Plot summary: Friend gets raped at a reunion party - host’s husband is accused - everyone is an asshole and has been for years.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Woowww! Tough topic but super good! I kept looking forward to listening to the book! Recommend.
A little longer than it needed to be. Definitely kept my attention, though it felt a tad predictable. Solid book though!!
It was okay. Easy to read and some aspects I really liked - especially the topic of rape and the issue of not listening to the victim/blaming the victim, so essentially I liked the feminist aspects. There were lots of important topics covered. What I thought this book does greatly is show how different you view someone and therefore act depending on small things you see, discover, are told. It never got boring. Domestic violence, rape, murder, lies, affairs, black mail, stabbing - this book's got it all.
But all in all this book was a little depressing and while it was a gripping read I'm also glad I'm done.
But all in all this book was a little depressing and while it was a gripping read I'm also glad I'm done.
Excellent read that keeps you guessing and usually incorrectly
This is the second book of Claire McGowan’s I’ve read (first was The Other Wife), and it was just as good. Her best friend is raped at a 25 year reunion party her house and says it was her husband, and it’s hard to know which one she should believe. And from there the twists and turns unfolded and drew me in, sure that things were one way only to decide they were another and still be surprised. I sometimes have trouble keeping track of a lot of characters in books, but that was no problem for me even with these 6 old university friends and some other characters around them because they were each so different. We get to know each of them well, trying to work out what might have happened, and all of the threads are tied up neatly in the end.
The narration was also good.
This is the second book of Claire McGowan’s I’ve read (first was The Other Wife), and it was just as good. Her best friend is raped at a 25 year reunion party her house and says it was her husband, and it’s hard to know which one she should believe. And from there the twists and turns unfolded and drew me in, sure that things were one way only to decide they were another and still be surprised. I sometimes have trouble keeping track of a lot of characters in books, but that was no problem for me even with these 6 old university friends and some other characters around them because they were each so different. We get to know each of them well, trying to work out what might have happened, and all of the threads are tied up neatly in the end.
The narration was also good.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I see some people loved [b:What You Did|43078409|What You Did|Claire McGowan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554910921l/43078409._SY75_.jpg|66878842], but for me it was only a 3 star read.
Mostly I didn't enjoy the chaos of being inside our main character's head, as hit after hit pounded down on Ali's oddly uptight life: accusations of rape, confessions of adultery, financial issues, a murder attempt, a suicide attempt, terminations of life-long friendships.
Perhaps I wasn't all that patient or sympathetic with Ali's string of troubles was because she wasn't a very likable character? Maybe all people are that neurotic and annoying inside their heads? I don't know. All I do know is that I didn't enjoy being stuck in the whirlpool while Ali's life circled the drain.
In any case, the premise of the novel was interesting, but the execution felt far from "thrilling" and more like I was merely an observer while so very much tragic and slow drama played out for a few hundred pages. I felt sorry for Ali, but I couldn't identify with her.
Mostly I didn't enjoy the chaos of being inside our main character's head, as hit after hit pounded down on Ali's oddly uptight life: accusations of rape, confessions of adultery, financial issues, a murder attempt, a suicide attempt, terminations of life-long friendships.
Perhaps I wasn't all that patient or sympathetic with Ali's string of troubles was because she wasn't a very likable character? Maybe all people are that neurotic and annoying inside their heads? I don't know. All I do know is that I didn't enjoy being stuck in the whirlpool while Ali's life circled the drain.
In any case, the premise of the novel was interesting, but the execution felt far from "thrilling" and more like I was merely an observer while so very much tragic and slow drama played out for a few hundred pages. I felt sorry for Ali, but I couldn't identify with her.
Did not see that coming. I was really annoyed with Allison, the main character. I won't say more except to say she made my head hurt.