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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
I read this because I’ve seen the movie so many times. This is a case where I liked the movie more, even though they didn’t really follow the book closely. The book was a little…campy? No one was really developed and the dialogue was shallow. I just got straight 80s vibes, though I’m not sure why.
Maybe this book is foundational for the genre but it was just bad. No characters were likeable, the "twist" is something you can figure out 30% in, and the attempt to modernize the text to include technology is clunky, confusing, and not well executed.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jag hade visst missförstått vad I Know what You Did Last Summer var för typ av bok. Jag vet att det är en film, minns att den var en snackis när jag var yngre, men hade fått innehållet helt om bakfoten. I min fantasi var filmen någon form av slasher, åtminstone en sådan film där en typisk läbbig mördare går bananas och tar livet av karaktärerna en efter en. En sådan bok var det alltså INTE. Det här är en YA thriller, varken mer eller mindre, och hade jag varit förberedd på det hade jag troligtvis inte blivit så besviken.
Att boken är skriven 1973 märks framförallt på sättet som karaktärerna diskuterar (både sin egna men också varandras) vikt, utseende och matpreferenser. I övrigt står den sig rätt bra - jag tycker om karaktärerna och blir engagerad av mysteriet även om det är relativt självklart vem som är ansvarig och står bakom.
En spännande bok som mår bäst av att läsas under rätt förutsättningar - mannen på framsidan med en fiskekrok existerar inte alls i boken, exempelvis - och om man tillåter viktsnacket vara den tidsmarkör det är. Av mig får den tre handskrivna hotbrev av fem möjliga.
Att boken är skriven 1973 märks framförallt på sättet som karaktärerna diskuterar (både sin egna men också varandras) vikt, utseende och matpreferenser. I övrigt står den sig rätt bra - jag tycker om karaktärerna och blir engagerad av mysteriet även om det är relativt självklart vem som är ansvarig och står bakom.
En spännande bok som mår bäst av att läsas under rätt förutsättningar - mannen på framsidan med en fiskekrok existerar inte alls i boken, exempelvis - och om man tillåter viktsnacket vara den tidsmarkör det är. Av mig får den tre handskrivna hotbrev av fem möjliga.
A quick, chilling read, generally well-written and with a great plot twist at the end. The language was a little dated and the ending was far too abrupt — Seriously, that’s all we’re going to get? No resolution, not even a chapter about what happened to the main characters once they faced the terrible thing they did last summer? — but the story kept me eagerly turning pages, anxious to know who was behind each sinister message and terrifying attack. I didn’t find this book nearly as emotional or nuanced as “Killing Mr. Griffin,” and Barry was enormously unlikable (though I don’t think Lois Duncan ever intended him to be particularly sympathetic); but as an easy, entertaining thriller, this hit the spot.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Way way way beyond "better than the movie." This well done SUSPENSE novel is a million times better than the slasher flick it morphed into in the wake of the (million times better) Scream franchise.
2.5 stars
Despite its short length, I was bored through most of the book and the twist was super predictable. I can see why the movie loosely adapted the novel
Despite its short length, I was bored through most of the book and the twist was super predictable. I can see why the movie loosely adapted the novel
Read this a LONG time ago, and just reread it for class. Super easy read, and almost nothing like the movie that was made from it. Yes, the characters and overall plot is there, but no one dies in this book. Just attacks and scary notes, but no actual murrdderrrrrrrr. The clues along the way to who the stalker was reminded me about Scooby Doo and all the tiny clues they would find to lead them to the bad guy. (this could also be that Freddie Prince Jr was in this movie, and also in the live-action Scooby Doo, but whatever...) Story telling was well done, but a little broken up at times, which wasn't bad just slightly odd for reading. Sentences were pretty simple but involved enough to make it feel like you weren't reading a "kids" book. Can also tell this was written back in the 70's...hello mentions of 'Nam and people using "grass", but overall it still can hold up to modern teens. Easy read with a simple plot, along with enough suspense to make things interesting till the end.
I read this book as in high school and loved it, so I decided to read it again and see if it held up. It doesn’t. The story itself is good, as is the ending, but it’s filled with sexism, misogyny, and fatphobia. It’s very much a book of the 70s. Not something I’ll need to read again.