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A review by ashcash04
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
2.0
"I saw a madness in front of me when I questioned [him]. It's a madness so discreet that it can walk the streets and be applauded in some circles, but it is madness nonetheless."
I just realized I brainstormed, but never posted my final thoughts on the book. So here they are.
If you want to read a fantastic review that sums up my thoughts better than I can, check out Emily May's:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1191700035?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Firstly I want to say that this was not a terrible book; however, there were too many things I didn't like to give it a better rating. I don’t think it fits in the thriller genre either. I was promised crime and madness and it just didn’t deliver. The excerpt sounds much creepier than the book actually was. With a thriller I expect to be thrilled. I felt that it was more a story with just some random shocking events put in between. Literally, I’d be reading and then all of a sudden *BAM*SHOCKING EVENT FROM LEFT FIELD* and return to story as if nothing happened. When said shocking things happened, I just wasn’t as affected and I should have been. I didn’t really have any sort of connection with the characters. I should have cried and felt pain for the characters and misery, but I just didn’t.
There is crime, but I feel like it only took up about 15% of the novel (this could be an incorrect exaggeration as I didn’t actually take notes and calculate percentages). I felt the book was more about the tragic story of an abused girl who found asylum in, well, an asylum, and made some good friends along the way.
Speaking of crime... I understand that this is a novel set in the late 1800s, so the concept of developing a profile was probably new for that time. However, my favorite crime show is Criminal Minds, so nothing they were talking about crime wise was anything new or ground breaking. It was rather boring and some of the things I didn't even feel like they could accurately draw their conclusions from the information given. It was a bit of a stretch sometimes and there was at least once where I didn't agree with that they said and could refute it with my own reasoning.
*SPOILER ABOUT THE ENDING*
The ending was very anticlimactic. I pretty much skimmed the whole trial because it was boring, I didn’t care for that whole scenario. It makes sense, iTs sweet justice for him to end up where he put his own daughter, but I just didn’t care for how it was done. I can respect that she didn’t want to come out to the public because, really, who would want people to know about that? I certainly wouldn’t, I can’t imagine what that would be like. But I didn't agree with Lizzy straight lying to put him away. It didn't sit well with me. Lastly I was very disappointed that she didn't reconnect with her sister. I desperately wanted her to have a reunion with her!
I just realized I brainstormed, but never posted my final thoughts on the book. So here they are.
If you want to read a fantastic review that sums up my thoughts better than I can, check out Emily May's:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1191700035?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Firstly I want to say that this was not a terrible book; however, there were too many things I didn't like to give it a better rating. I don’t think it fits in the thriller genre either. I was promised crime and madness and it just didn’t deliver. The excerpt sounds much creepier than the book actually was. With a thriller I expect to be thrilled. I felt that it was more a story with just some random shocking events put in between. Literally, I’d be reading and then all of a sudden *BAM*SHOCKING EVENT FROM LEFT FIELD* and return to story as if nothing happened. When said shocking things happened, I just wasn’t as affected and I should have been. I didn’t really have any sort of connection with the characters. I should have cried and felt pain for the characters and misery, but I just didn’t.
There is crime, but I feel like it only took up about 15% of the novel (this could be an incorrect exaggeration as I didn’t actually take notes and calculate percentages). I felt the book was more about the tragic story of an abused girl who found asylum in, well, an asylum, and made some good friends along the way.
Speaking of crime... I understand that this is a novel set in the late 1800s, so the concept of developing a profile was probably new for that time. However, my favorite crime show is Criminal Minds, so nothing they were talking about crime wise was anything new or ground breaking. It was rather boring and some of the things I didn't even feel like they could accurately draw their conclusions from the information given. It was a bit of a stretch sometimes and there was at least once where I didn't agree with that they said and could refute it with my own reasoning.
*SPOILER ABOUT THE ENDING*
The ending was very anticlimactic. I pretty much skimmed the whole trial because it was boring, I didn’t care for that whole scenario. It makes sense, iTs sweet justice for him to end up where he put his own daughter, but I just didn’t care for how it was done. I can respect that she didn’t want to come out to the public because, really, who would want people to know about that? I certainly wouldn’t, I can’t imagine what that would be like. But I didn't agree with Lizzy straight lying to put him away. It didn't sit well with me. Lastly I was very disappointed that she didn't reconnect with her sister. I desperately wanted her to have a reunion with her!