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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
This was an amazing thriller. It captured my attention right from the start and had it until the very end. It's wonderfully written, in the way that it jumps between the here and now and to Ellen's story, with each having it's own particular style, which I imagine is quite difficult.
I was however, a little disappointed with the ending. I was so looking forward to finding out whether Anne was evil or insane or perhaps a little of both. I had wanted to see revealed the exposition of her fantasy world to her family and to the school, this was lacking also. I had thought that the ending could have been fleshed out a lot more, though perhaps the mark of an excellent book is that it leaves you wanting.
I did think that having Justine killing Anne was a little easy, I did like the touch of burying her in the grounds at Speedwell House though, that was very eerie.
All in all, it was fast paced, well written, extraordinarily imaginative and fun to read. I would highly recommend it.
I was however, a little disappointed with the ending. I was so looking forward to finding out whether Anne was evil or insane or perhaps a little of both. I had wanted to see revealed the exposition of her fantasy world to her family and to the school, this was lacking also. I had thought that the ending could have been fleshed out a lot more, though perhaps the mark of an excellent book is that it leaves you wanting.
I did think that having Justine killing Anne was a little easy, I did like the touch of burying her in the grounds at Speedwell House though, that was very eerie.
All in all, it was fast paced, well written, extraordinarily imaginative and fun to read. I would highly recommend it.
I would've given this book one star, but I was intrigued to finish it. It started well, but eventually I realized the overly-obvious plot wasn't going to take a more interesting turn and got frustrated. I kept waiting for that ah-ha moment where the plot twist would come and all the stupidity of the characters would make sense. However, it never came. I love other Sophie Hannah books, but this one was a bust.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 stars
I became an instant fan of Sophie Hannah immediately after reading Keep Her Safe and knew that she was a talented author. Every single one of her books is just amazing and to also be able to take on the new Hercule Poirot series, I mean how genius is she? Not anyone can pull off Agatha Christie. So when I saw this book for 8$ on the shelves I knew I had to buy it and I was not disappointed at all.
This really was the novel I was looking for this year and so far it’s been my favourite read of the year. It’s amazing how Sophie can delve into the minds of people and just play with them.
Justine and her family have moved to a new area. One day her daughter Ellen tells her that her friend George has been expelled for stealing her coat even though she gave it to him. Justine goes down there to talk to the headmaster only to find out that there I no George. There never was a student named George attending Ellen’s school. At the same time, she is getting threatening calls from a woman calling her “Sandie” and telling her and her family to leave before she kills them all. Is George real? Who is the woman? Who is Sandie? What is real?
So very brilliant and I’m just so excited that I picked this novel up! Never in a million years would have I guessed this plot. It was so complex and it had me turning page after page after page. I could not get enough! Between the threatening calls and Ellen and her so called friend George, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. Is Ellen going crazy? Is there really a George?
Justine’s character was just phenomenal. She did not stop until she found the answers she was looking for. She was one determined mother! I loved everything about her character and she was just so entertaining to read about!
I loved the twists. Hannah puts the psycho and logical in psychological. That’s all I’m saying. The rest is for you to uncover.
This is a must read! Sophie Hannah is one author to watch out for! Going to find another Hannah book to read!
I became an instant fan of Sophie Hannah immediately after reading Keep Her Safe and knew that she was a talented author. Every single one of her books is just amazing and to also be able to take on the new Hercule Poirot series, I mean how genius is she? Not anyone can pull off Agatha Christie. So when I saw this book for 8$ on the shelves I knew I had to buy it and I was not disappointed at all.
This really was the novel I was looking for this year and so far it’s been my favourite read of the year. It’s amazing how Sophie can delve into the minds of people and just play with them.
Justine and her family have moved to a new area. One day her daughter Ellen tells her that her friend George has been expelled for stealing her coat even though she gave it to him. Justine goes down there to talk to the headmaster only to find out that there I no George. There never was a student named George attending Ellen’s school. At the same time, she is getting threatening calls from a woman calling her “Sandie” and telling her and her family to leave before she kills them all. Is George real? Who is the woman? Who is Sandie? What is real?
So very brilliant and I’m just so excited that I picked this novel up! Never in a million years would have I guessed this plot. It was so complex and it had me turning page after page after page. I could not get enough! Between the threatening calls and Ellen and her so called friend George, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. Is Ellen going crazy? Is there really a George?
Justine’s character was just phenomenal. She did not stop until she found the answers she was looking for. She was one determined mother! I loved everything about her character and she was just so entertaining to read about!
I loved the twists. Hannah puts the psycho and logical in psychological. That’s all I’m saying. The rest is for you to uncover.
This is a must read! Sophie Hannah is one author to watch out for! Going to find another Hannah book to read!
Some spoilers ahead.
I usually love Sophie Hannah's series crime novels, but this one disappointed. It's a stand alone psychological thriller, and in theory ought to be right up my alley. But it was lacking something.
The series novels very cleverly combine the genres of psychological thriller and police procedural, in alternating chapters. It's a complex structure but very satisfying, and I enjoy the long and slowly developing backstory involving the personal lives of the police series characters.
This one also has an intriguing structure - it contains a novel within a novel.
The novel within the novel is a locked room mystery - except it isn't. It's based on truth - except it isn't. It's written by the daughter of the narrator as homework. Except it turns out that the story was invented by the person who is stalking and threatening the main character...
Structurally it's a tour de force. There's a huge amount of complexity that kept me guessing. There's a very weird co-incidence at the beginning of the novel, that turns out to be just a weird co-incidence at the end of the novel, which is rather perplexing, but the only real weakness in the plotting that leapt out at me.
Where it failed for me was that it was pretty much an intellectual exercise. I didn't much like the narrator - the main character. She had an interesting backstory and there was reason to be sympathetic to her - but I didn't get to know much about it until it was too late for me to care. I'd just seen her obnoxious defensive persona that she's adopted to cope with the aftermath. The fact that her husband is physically and emotionally absent and her daughter finds it really easy to distrust her doesn't help either.
The stalker is convincingly, crazily, a bad person so by the time we find that out I suppose I started to sympathise more. But for too long I wondered if the narrator was unreliable - if she might have done all the bad stuff that she was accused of in the threatening phone calls.
The novel within the novel is full of deliberately stereotypical characters and the mystery hinges on a weird piece of trivial with-held information that turns out to the be the key to the stalker's psyche - and to require the existence of the annoying coincidence.
So by the time of the showdown I was distracted by the failures in the plotting, and I didn't care about the narrator and her family and what happened to them - which considering how horrible the stalker turns out to be was quite an achievement.
I am disappointed, and maybe that's pertly because my expectations were so high.
I usually love Sophie Hannah's series crime novels, but this one disappointed. It's a stand alone psychological thriller, and in theory ought to be right up my alley. But it was lacking something.
The series novels very cleverly combine the genres of psychological thriller and police procedural, in alternating chapters. It's a complex structure but very satisfying, and I enjoy the long and slowly developing backstory involving the personal lives of the police series characters.
This one also has an intriguing structure - it contains a novel within a novel.
The novel within the novel is a locked room mystery - except it isn't. It's based on truth - except it isn't. It's written by the daughter of the narrator as homework. Except it turns out that the story was invented by the person who is stalking and threatening the main character...
Structurally it's a tour de force. There's a huge amount of complexity that kept me guessing. There's a very weird co-incidence at the beginning of the novel, that turns out to be just a weird co-incidence at the end of the novel, which is rather perplexing, but the only real weakness in the plotting that leapt out at me.
Where it failed for me was that it was pretty much an intellectual exercise. I didn't much like the narrator - the main character. She had an interesting backstory and there was reason to be sympathetic to her - but I didn't get to know much about it until it was too late for me to care. I'd just seen her obnoxious defensive persona that she's adopted to cope with the aftermath. The fact that her husband is physically and emotionally absent and her daughter finds it really easy to distrust her doesn't help either.
The stalker is convincingly, crazily, a bad person so by the time we find that out I suppose I started to sympathise more. But for too long I wondered if the narrator was unreliable - if she might have done all the bad stuff that she was accused of in the threatening phone calls.
The novel within the novel is full of deliberately stereotypical characters and the mystery hinges on a weird piece of trivial with-held information that turns out to the be the key to the stalker's psyche - and to require the existence of the annoying coincidence.
So by the time of the showdown I was distracted by the failures in the plotting, and I didn't care about the narrator and her family and what happened to them - which considering how horrible the stalker turns out to be was quite an achievement.
I am disappointed, and maybe that's pertly because my expectations were so high.
Vacation read #1. The ending was so disappointing. I felt like the author could have made a more satisfying end to such a great beginning half of the book.
Totally gripped me all the way through.
Two storylines for one to keep you guessing.
Two storylines for one to keep you guessing.
Sophie Hannah really can write when she isn't indulging in agonies over the relationship Charlie has with Simon. That being said, you need to suspend your disbelief pretty high when you read one of. her books - and I'm not sure if every loose end in this story was tied up.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book started off great. It was easy to read and it eased me into the story.
But eventually there were too many different plots that were mashed together to try and relate that just didn’t seem to work.
The ending was not it.
But eventually there were too many different plots that were mashed together to try and relate that just didn’t seem to work.
The ending was not it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Murder
Moderate: Mental illness