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beauzo 's review for:
The Hounding
by Xenobe Purvis
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Yes
I received this book as a physical ARC through the bookstore I work at. | 2.5/5 stars (rounded up to a 3)
I'm not the biggest historical fiction reader, but when this book came in, I was really intrigued by the premise. I've never read The Crucible or The Virigin Suicides myself (I know, I know) so I didn't fully know what to expect going in, though I had my guesses.
I think Purvis has a nice prose style, and I was really digging the structure of the book. I love a book about a character (or, in this case, characters) where you do not actually see the novel from their perspective. I like that the book moves between a few different persepctives to give you (theoretically) a multi-faceted perspective on the Mansfield girls.
I was very intrigued by the "mystery," I suppose, and I wanted to see where it was going. As I neared the end of the novel, I started wondering how this book could be wrapped up in a way that was satisfying. I finished it, and I just thought... huh? I mean, yes, I get the basic premise. It's about rumors and misogyny and mob mentality, but I just don't feel satisfied by the way it ended. It felt too vague for me to really feel the impact ot the ending at all. I understand what Purvis is going for, yet I feel like I don't "get it." I don't get this book entirely.
Shame, because I was super into it. I saw some other reviewers found the middle portion dragging, but I liked it. Pete's hatred of the girls really, really interested me and I wanted to see how it'd all explode in the end, but I'm not satisfied by the way it ended. I'm not really satisfied about the endings any of the characters have.
In a way, I like that the final chapter is from the perspective of the blind grandfather of the girls because he is constantly excluded from what's going on due to his failing eyesight. But it left me wondering what the hell I was to get out of the ending, out of what was even going on in the first place. I have some valid guesses, but I don't know.
Shame. I had a feeling the ending wouldn't stick the landing, and it didn't. It kind of wastes the tension and intrigue of the buildup. I also feel like I don't know the girls well enough; it's fine that we don't get their perspectives but they feel more like objects than characters sometimes. In retrospect, the whole book feels a tad underwritten now that I see it in its entirety. It's far from terrible, but it misses the mark with its impact, unfortunately. The whole thing just deflates in the end and you kind of realize the entire book was mainly hot air. Oh well.
I wouldn't say it turns me off of reading Xenobe Purvis in the future. I think she has a lot of potential as an author and I did like the premise and the prose. Just an okay debut, but I look forward to seeing more.
I'm not the biggest historical fiction reader, but when this book came in, I was really intrigued by the premise. I've never read The Crucible or The Virigin Suicides myself (I know, I know) so I didn't fully know what to expect going in, though I had my guesses.
I think Purvis has a nice prose style, and I was really digging the structure of the book. I love a book about a character (or, in this case, characters) where you do not actually see the novel from their perspective. I like that the book moves between a few different persepctives to give you (theoretically) a multi-faceted perspective on the Mansfield girls.
I was very intrigued by the "mystery," I suppose, and I wanted to see where it was going. As I neared the end of the novel, I started wondering how this book could be wrapped up in a way that was satisfying. I finished it, and I just thought... huh? I mean, yes, I get the basic premise. It's about rumors and misogyny and mob mentality, but I just don't feel satisfied by the way it ended. It felt too vague for me to really feel the impact ot the ending at all. I understand what Purvis is going for, yet I feel like I don't "get it." I don't get this book entirely.
Shame, because I was super into it. I saw some other reviewers found the middle portion dragging, but I liked it. Pete's hatred of the girls really, really interested me and I wanted to see how it'd all explode in the end, but I'm not satisfied by the way it ended. I'm not really satisfied about the endings any of the characters have.
In a way, I like that the final chapter is from the perspective of the blind grandfather of the girls because he is constantly excluded from what's going on due to his failing eyesight. But it left me wondering what the hell I was to get out of the ending, out of what was even going on in the first place. I have some valid guesses, but I don't know.
Shame. I had a feeling the ending wouldn't stick the landing, and it didn't. It kind of wastes the tension and intrigue of the buildup. I also feel like I don't know the girls well enough; it's fine that we don't get their perspectives but they feel more like objects than characters sometimes. In retrospect, the whole book feels a tad underwritten now that I see it in its entirety. It's far from terrible, but it misses the mark with its impact, unfortunately. The whole thing just deflates in the end and you kind of realize the entire book was mainly hot air. Oh well.
I wouldn't say it turns me off of reading Xenobe Purvis in the future. I think she has a lot of potential as an author and I did like the premise and the prose. Just an okay debut, but I look forward to seeing more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence