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littlemascara's review against another edition
2.0
For all the things I liked -- the structure, some of the phrasing, the setup -- this book didn't really deliver in the end. It was fairly predictable. The lead character was very difficult to sympathize with, and the author didn't seem to know what she wanted to do with Charlie and Simon. It reads very much like a first novel, and I'm glad that the writing improved for future outcomes.
Having now read three of her books, I think she's due for a first-person character who isn't a damaged, desperate woman that no one will believe.
Having now read three of her books, I think she's due for a first-person character who isn't a damaged, desperate woman that no one will believe.
fros86's review against another edition
3.0
It kept me hooked but I found it very depressing (not meant to be a happy topic, but even so!)
bplayfuli's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually write reviews but I felt I should do something to counteract some of the negative ones I have read - because most of them are inaccurate and show a poor grasp of the characters and their personalities.
The inaccurate reviewers all claim to understand the concept of an unreliable narrator then complain that the author cheated. They claim that the narrator didn't just obscure the truth but flat out lied because they don't think the story told holds up once the truth is known. This is false. The story holds up 100%. I was really impressed by the care Sophie Hannah used in crafting the first person narration. It definitely created the impression the narrator wanted yet once the truth is revealed it still worked. It is possible that I had an easier time grasping this because I am trained for close reading of texts. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say that the author did not cheat - the narrator's thoughts stand up 100% on reexamination once the truth is known.
Another complaint I have read is that one of the "bad guys" got no comeuppance. SERIOUSLY? This happens all the time in the real world! People get away with misdeeds all the time. Why is it so awful for it to happen in a novel? Aside from that, it's simply not true. Sure there were no legal repercussions but the character definitely ends up suffering for their actions. We are left not knowing what happens to this person but I can easily see a downward spiral ending in suicide because this person loses their entire support system and is left as the empty shell of a person they are. I can easily see them committing suicide in the future beyond the novel. This is plenty of punishment as far as I am concerned.
One final complaint that cropped up frequently is that people don't like the change in one of main characters at the end of the novel. I don't understand this because it is perfectly in line with the character Hannah created. This is a person who is certain of their intellectual superiority, who is repressed and emotionally stunted. Someone who tends to feel others are against them and has anger issues. I felt that the change in attitude is exactly how this person would respond on finding out that someone they idolized had lied and manipulated them. A person like that would never forgive a betrayal of such magnitude.
I feel like people were maybe just disappointed because there was no tidy wrap up where all the bad guys go off to jail and the good guys end up happy but that's not real life, is it? In real life people have thoughts and feelings that aren't logical. They do things that make sense to them but not to anyone else. I feel like Hannah worked hard to create realistic characters and the result is that seems of their actions are inexplicable to us. But we as readers aren't in the middle of a nightmare scenario, trying to muddle through and acting out of desperation.
I highly enjoyed this novel. The ending felt a bit rushed and the characters aren't particularly likeable but that's okay because the author doesn't present them as if she expects sympathy for them. She worked really hard to make them real - and I feel as if she succeeded. I think that if we could read each other's minds we would all live in isolation because we wouldn't be able to handle the messes in other people's heads. Hannah does a terrific job of showing some of the ugliness we all have inside us - the judgemental or uncharitable thoughts, self pity and petty grievances. The awful things we sometimes think but would never articulate.
So yeah, I really enjoyed this novel. It's not entirely plausible but works well enough with a willing suspension of disbelief. The ending felt a bit rushed. There was a lot of psychobabble. I didn't feel any of these were serious issues though. It was well written and the tension mounted at a good pace. The characters felt real to me and I want to know more about them, even if I don't like them very much.
The inaccurate reviewers all claim to understand the concept of an unreliable narrator then complain that the author cheated. They claim that the narrator didn't just obscure the truth but flat out lied because they don't think the story told holds up once the truth is known. This is false. The story holds up 100%. I was really impressed by the care Sophie Hannah used in crafting the first person narration. It definitely created the impression the narrator wanted yet once the truth is revealed it still worked. It is possible that I had an easier time grasping this because I am trained for close reading of texts. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say that the author did not cheat - the narrator's thoughts stand up 100% on reexamination once the truth is known.
Another complaint I have read is that one of the "bad guys" got no comeuppance. SERIOUSLY? This happens all the time in the real world! People get away with misdeeds all the time. Why is it so awful for it to happen in a novel? Aside from that, it's simply not true. Sure there were no legal repercussions but the character definitely ends up suffering for their actions. We are left not knowing what happens to this person but I can easily see a downward spiral ending in suicide because this person loses their entire support system and is left as the empty shell of a person they are. I can easily see them committing suicide in the future beyond the novel. This is plenty of punishment as far as I am concerned.
One final complaint that cropped up frequently is that people don't like the change in one of main characters at the end of the novel. I don't understand this because it is perfectly in line with the character Hannah created. This is a person who is certain of their intellectual superiority, who is repressed and emotionally stunted. Someone who tends to feel others are against them and has anger issues. I felt that the change in attitude is exactly how this person would respond on finding out that someone they idolized had lied and manipulated them. A person like that would never forgive a betrayal of such magnitude.
I feel like people were maybe just disappointed because there was no tidy wrap up where all the bad guys go off to jail and the good guys end up happy but that's not real life, is it? In real life people have thoughts and feelings that aren't logical. They do things that make sense to them but not to anyone else. I feel like Hannah worked hard to create realistic characters and the result is that seems of their actions are inexplicable to us. But we as readers aren't in the middle of a nightmare scenario, trying to muddle through and acting out of desperation.
I highly enjoyed this novel. The ending felt a bit rushed and the characters aren't particularly likeable but that's okay because the author doesn't present them as if she expects sympathy for them. She worked really hard to make them real - and I feel as if she succeeded. I think that if we could read each other's minds we would all live in isolation because we wouldn't be able to handle the messes in other people's heads. Hannah does a terrific job of showing some of the ugliness we all have inside us - the judgemental or uncharitable thoughts, self pity and petty grievances. The awful things we sometimes think but would never articulate.
So yeah, I really enjoyed this novel. It's not entirely plausible but works well enough with a willing suspension of disbelief. The ending felt a bit rushed. There was a lot of psychobabble. I didn't feel any of these were serious issues though. It was well written and the tension mounted at a good pace. The characters felt real to me and I want to know more about them, even if I don't like them very much.
becky19's review against another edition
3.0
I was really intrigued by the premise of this book - there's something about the idea of a mother insisting the baby in her house is a stranger, while her husband swears she is mad or lying, which hit a nerve. Little Face makes for a thought-provoking, compulsive read, partly because it brings fresh anxieties and complications to the missing child theme. The switch between different points of view in each chapter feels a little clunky at first, but this becomes less of an issue as the story gathers momentum. I finished the book a couple of weeks ago and I'm still trying to decide how I feel about the ending. Without giving anything away, aspects of it are deliberately inconclusive - it mirrors the messiness of life far more closely than most other crime mysteries I've read. However, I didn't find it a satisfying ending and felt somewhat cheated. On the whole though, I would recommend this book, not least because I want to discuss it with as many people as possible!
erburnside's review against another edition
3.0
Found the end of this disappointing; the premise just gave out in the last sections and it was a tremendous letdown. None of that build up to a truly tense moment that you want from a thriller. Ah well.
flyawaytinker's review
challenging
dark
sad
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
3.5
robynryle's review against another edition
2.0
Reading this backwards was a good idea. Little Face is by the far the worse in this series. It was fairly incoherent at times, and the two police detectives, Charlie and Simon, are almost unrecognizable in this one.
elliemcc11's review against another edition
1.0
Got only as far as the first two chapters. Didn't really grab me.
contemporarymeepsie's review against another edition
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
2.0
Little Face tells the story of Alice Fancourt who returns home one day to find her baby has gone missing and in its place is an exact look-alike copy. Alice informs the police but no one believes her as her husband David swears she is the same baby, except Detective Simon Waterhouse who takes on the confusing case.
This book was your classic mystery bullshit. I'm not a fan of mystery which is a bias I'm aware of. I'm also aware me giving it a low rating because of this bias is unfair. It's not poorly written. The story is interesting and well-written grammatically. It's just really not my cup of tea. And I found the reveal predictable when I thought there could've been a much more interesting solution to the murder subplot. My main issue with the story is both Simon and Alice are unlikeable characters, they are also unreliable narrators and because Alice's chapters are written in first person, we hear her inner monologue, so why oh why does she suddenly flip her opinions at the end? It's annoying to suddenly be told that's how she felt the whole time when that was not explored at all earlier in the novel. Just a personal gripe with mystery novels in general. I might recommend this book to mystery fans specifically but I won't be reading it again.
This book was your classic mystery bullshit. I'm not a fan of mystery which is a bias I'm aware of. I'm also aware me giving it a low rating because of this bias is unfair. It's not poorly written. The story is interesting and well-written grammatically. It's just really not my cup of tea. And I found the reveal predictable when I thought there could've been a much more interesting solution to the murder subplot. My main issue with the story is both Simon and Alice are unlikeable characters, they are also unreliable narrators and because Alice's chapters are written in first person, we hear her inner monologue, so why oh why does she suddenly flip her opinions at the end? It's annoying to suddenly be told that's how she felt the whole time when that was not explored at all earlier in the novel. Just a personal gripe with mystery novels in general. I might recommend this book to mystery fans specifically but I won't be reading it again.