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A review by laylamckane
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Ok here we go. I've sat with my thoughts about this book for a day and my original description of "this reads like a fever dream in the worst way possible" still stands. Let's unpack what didn't work for me!
I spent most of the time reading this book in confusion about what was going on. Now, this might be because I was listening to the audiobook but usually my two brain cells are good at following a story. Not with A Study in Charlotte. I had multiple moments where I was completely lost and felt like I had missed a bunch of pieces of very vital information.
The plot and pacing felt incredibly erratic. A lot of stuff happens but to me, there was no clear throughline of how events and characters related to one another. Which is the one job a mystery has, in my opinion. I genuinely could not recount the plot and how the crime gets resolved!
I did not like Jamie's perspective. As a narrator, he just did not work for me. His characterization and that of Charlotte through his eyes felt inconsistent and like they played to plot conveniences instead of the characters internal motivations. Especially Charlotte was incredibly hard to grasp because her behaviour was inconsistent and basically just gave me emotional whiplash. This made it very hard to be invested in either of the two main characters. Additionally, I absolutely hated the way Jamie thought about and described women, it felt necessarily sexist and objectifying and quite frankly, made me uncomfortable at times.
In a similar vein, a past sexual assault plays a big part in the plot and is treated as fundamental to the character of Charlotte . But it is never properly addressed with the sensitivity that I think it needs and it feels like a misguided attempt at introducing some drama for the sake of motive. Having sexual assault be treated as a dramatic plot device just does not sit right with me.
So yeah, it was a pretty disappointing reading experience and sadly put me off the rest of the series.
I spent most of the time reading this book in confusion about what was going on. Now, this might be because I was listening to the audiobook but usually my two brain cells are good at following a story. Not with A Study in Charlotte. I had multiple moments where I was completely lost and felt like I had missed a bunch of pieces of very vital information.
The plot and pacing felt incredibly erratic. A lot of stuff happens but to me, there was no clear throughline of how events and characters related to one another. Which is the one job a mystery has, in my opinion. I genuinely could not recount the plot and how the crime gets resolved!
I did not like Jamie's perspective. As a narrator, he just did not work for me. His characterization and that of Charlotte through his eyes felt inconsistent and like they played to plot conveniences instead of the characters internal motivations. Especially Charlotte was incredibly hard to grasp because her behaviour was inconsistent and basically just gave me emotional whiplash. This made it very hard to be invested in either of the two main characters. Additionally, I absolutely hated the way Jamie thought about and described women, it felt necessarily sexist and objectifying and quite frankly, made me uncomfortable at times.
In a similar vein, a past sexual assault plays a big part in the plot and is treated as fundamental to the character of
So yeah, it was a pretty disappointing reading experience and sadly put me off the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexism