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strikingthirteen 's review for:
El Juego de Ripper
by Isabel Allende
I went back and forth between two and three stars but I settled on three because this is my first Allende novel and I know that this isn't her usual wheelhouse. It also was an alright book despite being a little bit disappointing.
I was really taken by the idea of the RPG being the centre of the crime solving efforts but there wasn't enough going on with them. Amanda, of course, was the star of the show but most of the time was spent with Amanda and Blake with the other Ripper player making appearances whenever Amanda needed a sounding board or other opinions. I did love the granddaughter/grandfather dynamic that was happening, as well as the whole Jackson/Martin family dynamic,but I was expecting a bit more from the RPG side of things.
I think in the end we had literary and genre fiction trying to meet here and getting a little lost in each other. There were parts I enjoyed but also parts that I found problematic and the amount of disbelief I had to suspend with Amanda and the Ripper players being taken legitimately. The mystery itself was alright but I was much more interested in the characters than the plot since I'd guessed the culprit early (though a few details I admit got past me). I also really wish there hadn't been such a jump between the crime's resolution and the final chapter. I was curious to see a bit more aftermath for some of the characters.
I'm curious to read Allende's usual fare so that is one thing I got out of this experience,
I was really taken by the idea of the RPG being the centre of the crime solving efforts but there wasn't enough going on with them. Amanda, of course, was the star of the show but most of the time was spent with Amanda and Blake with the other Ripper player making appearances whenever Amanda needed a sounding board or other opinions. I did love the granddaughter/grandfather dynamic that was happening, as well as the whole Jackson/Martin family dynamic,but I was expecting a bit more from the RPG side of things.
I think in the end we had literary and genre fiction trying to meet here and getting a little lost in each other. There were parts I enjoyed but also parts that I found problematic and the amount of disbelief I had to suspend with Amanda and the Ripper players being taken legitimately. The mystery itself was alright but I was much more interested in the characters than the plot since I'd guessed the culprit early (though a few details I admit got past me). I also really wish there hadn't been such a jump between the crime's resolution and the final chapter. I was curious to see a bit more aftermath for some of the characters.
I'm curious to read Allende's usual fare so that is one thing I got out of this experience,