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lyra107 's review for:
A Madness So Discreet
by Mindy McGinnis
I have some mixed thoughts and emotions about this one, but overall, it was a good read and I recommend it. Probably closer to 3.5 stars.
First of all I just want to say that this book didn't turn out the way the description of it implies. I thought I was in for a story about an insane asylum, like many other stories like it out there, but I was wrong. The book I thought I was going to read ended about 20% in, and then it became something else entirely. I must say that I did like what it turned out to be, though others might find the whole thing misleading.
The writing was good. She didn't make things overly dramatic to try and milk the tragedies that were there, but she gave it the morbid weight necessary. The characters were also well rounded, I felt, interesting and lovable.
Yet still, the book didn't grip me. It took me so long to finish it, even though it's pretty short. The story interested me and I cared for the characters, but not enough to keep me up at night or eagerly read more to find out what happens next. I think if it had been a bit longer, with some extra scenes added to really tie in the reader, it would have been a perfect book.
I'd also like to make a point about the ending -
Also, the part where Grace goes to confront him - a moment I had personally been waiting for - was very weak and brief. This to me was going to be the peak of Grace's journey - a final confrontation to really bring her peace, to look her father in the eyes and tell him she's alive and kicking and to have her put him in a coffin - and the story really gave me nothing. I think that chapter was 2-3 pages? A huge miss, in my opinion...
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, because I did, and I would recommend this book to others. It does debate interesting questions as to what makes us insane, and society's stigmas as a whole, as well as emotional traumas. But it could've been so much better with a little more work, in my opinion.
First of all I just want to say that this book didn't turn out the way the description of it implies. I thought I was in for a story about an insane asylum, like many other stories like it out there, but I was wrong. The book I thought I was going to read ended about 20% in, and then it became something else entirely. I must say that I did like what it turned out to be, though others might find the whole thing misleading.
The writing was good. She didn't make things overly dramatic to try and milk the tragedies that were there, but she gave it the morbid weight necessary. The characters were also well rounded, I felt, interesting and lovable.
Yet still, the book didn't grip me. It took me so long to finish it, even though it's pretty short. The story interested me and I cared for the characters, but not enough to keep me up at night or eagerly read more to find out what happens next. I think if it had been a bit longer, with some extra scenes added to really tie in the reader, it would have been a perfect book.
I'd also like to make a point about the ending -
Spoiler
the whole trial thing was a bit ridiculous, I felt. It felt a bit far-fetched and a desperate effort to bring Grace a happy ending. Blaming a man for a crime that happened when he may or may not have been in town, and convicting him with a testimony from an insane asylum patient... A bit ridiculous, especially when the entire book it's been established how the general public treats people who are deemed "insane", and the man is a senator with many connections and money for lawyers. -insert joke about O.J. Simpson-Also, the part where Grace goes to confront him - a moment I had personally been waiting for - was very weak and brief. This to me was going to be the peak of Grace's journey - a final confrontation to really bring her peace, to look her father in the eyes and tell him she's alive and kicking and to have her put him in a coffin - and the story really gave me nothing. I think that chapter was 2-3 pages? A huge miss, in my opinion...
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, because I did, and I would recommend this book to others. It does debate interesting questions as to what makes us insane, and society's stigmas as a whole, as well as emotional traumas. But it could've been so much better with a little more work, in my opinion.