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abby_reads7's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
meggeorge's review against another edition
4.0
Initially rated 4.5 stars and reduced to 4.3
First off, I really loved this book. It's not the type of story I usually read, from content to execution, but all the recommendations piqued my interest. I'm glad I listened!
I was on the edge of my seat almost from page 1. The suspense was probably some of the best I've read. The writing style was not something I was used to but it hooked me straight away with its short, punchy sentences and the shocking imagery that was too real to turn away from. A lot in this book was disgusting and horrifying and harrowing, but in a fascinating way that made me want to know more, to see more of this woman's perspective on life and how it would change over time. The characters were compelling, despite being completely unlikeable, every single one of them. The narration was so close to the protagonist, it was all written by her, and that's so difficult to pull off, but Audrain did it. Not once did I pause and think, 'This seems contrived'.
A lot of the discussions brought up in this book hit close to home for me and it was refreshing to see someone else's perspective on things that you sometimes feel like you can't talk to anyone about. My only gripe, and the reason I lowered my score in the end, was possibly my own character flaw. I don't have kids. I'm not a particularly patient person. I did not understand Blythe's willingness to forgive and forget Violet's behaviour and that took me out of the story right towards the end. For the entire thing, I thought we were building up to some sort of consequence to Violet's actions and it just never came. The supposed murders aside, she did so many other things to warrant a good hard look by some sort of professional, that after a day, I still couldn't stop thinking about how much they let her get away with and it pissed me off.
Despite this, I think I see, in a way, why the author chose to do this. The whole plot hinged on the idea of nature vs nurture, illustrated very well by the different timelines. If Audrain had simplified it and chosen to portray Violet as bad in the blood from the beginning, it would have cheapened the whole thing. The way it ended, it was technically neither nature nor nurture, but some truly awful mix of the two.
Maybe it's a me problem, but the characters' actions were not completely believable to me in that aspect of the story. Still, the book was excellent and deserves its acclaim, in my humble opinion.
First off, I really loved this book. It's not the type of story I usually read, from content to execution, but all the recommendations piqued my interest. I'm glad I listened!
I was on the edge of my seat almost from page 1. The suspense was probably some of the best I've read. The writing style was not something I was used to but it hooked me straight away with its short, punchy sentences and the shocking imagery that was too real to turn away from. A lot in this book was disgusting and horrifying and harrowing, but in a fascinating way that made me want to know more, to see more of this woman's perspective on life and how it would change over time. The characters were compelling, despite being completely unlikeable, every single one of them. The narration was so close to the protagonist, it was all written by her, and that's so difficult to pull off, but Audrain did it. Not once did I pause and think, 'This seems contrived'.
A lot of the discussions brought up in this book hit close to home for me and it was refreshing to see someone else's perspective on things that you sometimes feel like you can't talk to anyone about. My only gripe, and the reason I lowered my score in the end, was possibly my own character flaw. I don't have kids. I'm not a particularly patient person. I did not understand Blythe's willingness to forgive and forget Violet's behaviour and that took me out of the story right towards the end. For the entire thing, I thought we were building up to some sort of consequence to Violet's actions and it just never came. The supposed murders aside, she did so many other things to warrant a good hard look by some sort of professional, that after a day, I still couldn't stop thinking about how much they let her get away with and it pissed me off.
Despite this, I think I see, in a way, why the author chose to do this. The whole plot hinged on the idea of nature vs nurture, illustrated very well by the different timelines. If Audrain had simplified it and chosen to portray Violet as bad in the blood from the beginning, it would have cheapened the whole thing. The way it ended, it was technically neither nature nor nurture, but some truly awful mix of the two.
Maybe it's a me problem, but the characters' actions were not completely believable to me in that aspect of the story. Still, the book was excellent and deserves its acclaim, in my humble opinion.
littlespookysmut's review against another edition
3.0
So I don’t really read books about children unless the children are like insane
sarahchabs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
patreesyah's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so dark that it was uncomfortable at times and yet it was so stupefying that I could feel this pressure in my chest. Please look at trigger warnings before reading this book.
moonfawn's review against another edition
4.0
Explicitly raw. The amount of times I had real tears falling just from the shear fact I continuously felt seen as a mother. Especially since I’ve suffered from postpartum depression and rage, and still struggle with it today. Maybe sometimes, it’s not all in our heads. This book was actually extremely depressing, put me in a weird headspace and really had very little redemption in the end… however, for speculative reasons.
Generational trauma CAN transcend DNA. Were some people doomed before they were even born? Or is it another case of Nature vs. Nurture?
A solid 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Generational trauma CAN transcend DNA. Were some people doomed before they were even born? Or is it another case of Nature vs. Nurture?
A solid 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️