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A review by trisarey
Biglaw by Lindsay Cameron
Sorry to say I wasn't exactly part of the intended audience. And I really, REALLY wanted to like this book, but I just didn't. *sigh* Why not? Well, I'll try my best to explain. Sorry if it's chaotic, but here goes.
The MC...
Despite her flaws (the main being her willingness to endure unnatural levels of workplace abuse for a promotion of ambiguous value, if you truly think about it), Mackenzie is an okay main character. I didn't care for all her complaining (sorry, I don't like whining), but it is warranted. Her job, her treatment at work (even her relationship woes)...yeah, their horrible. But she voluntarily went into and stayed in that mess. A stronger woman would've probably left sooner or not chosen that path at all. So, obviously, Mack had some growing to do. And grow she did.
A couple of things I like about Mack is her attention to detail and her willingness to question things--circumstances, even people that are close her are not above suspicious. She carefully notes if your actions match your words. I respect that. No one should walk around delusional; it's a recipe for disaster. (And, now I'm hungry. -_-)
On the subject of language...
Way too much profanity for me. More like rated Aargh (than R) for pirate speak, 'cause too many of the characters curse like sailors (and in too many ways that don't make sense). But I should've expected that from a book about lawyers. (Lawyers don't have the rep when it comes to scruples. But I try to stay out of trouble, so I don't have too much personal experience with them.) I don't take too much issue with certain language in books, but I prefer moderation. If it's overwhelming the dialogue it's a problem.
The writing...
On the hand, Cameron does a great job of drawing her readers into her story emotionally. I had to put the book down several times because I thought I'd blow my top over how poorly Mackenzie is treated. How rude, unfair, indeferent her superiors are to her needs, wants, outside obligations. Or how oblivious they were to fact that most of what demand of others was ridiculous, impossible, or unnecessary. And did they have any appreciation for the sacrifices, hard work, emotional and mental strain and degradation that went into satisfying their foolish whims? Do I really need to answer that?
...Sorry about that. But, you can tell, this book got to me...
The plot...
I had suspicions early on about certain characters that grew and took shape as more details came to light. Still, I obviously didn't know how deep the rabbit went. How characters I overlooked were involved. (Without more information, more clues, you can't truly tie them all together. So, in that respect, it's kind of like watching Foyle's War.) And, yet, the conclusion was still lacking something. The confrontation with the culprits behind the scheme that could've destroyed Mackenzie was okay I guess. Well, at least, with one of them (I liked the first take down better). The other was...well, disappointing. The villains on Scooby-Doo put up much more of a fight. (Meddling kids.) And everything seems to tie up so neatly. So, I'm all, "Really?! That's it?" So, yeah, after all that buildup, I felt a little let down. Felt like watching the final scenes in a scary movie, with the panic-driven MC running breathlessly from a villain; and when she finally faces him and says "Boo" the bad guy surrenders. -_- Yay. The day is saved. whoohoo. -_-
Hmm... I think that's pretty much it for me. So, overall, it's like...well...I'on'no' (translation: I don't know). If I had a chance to start over, I probably wouldn't read it again. So...you know...it's just not for me. But, who knows? Maybe you'll think/feel differently.
*I received a free copy of BIGLAW from Goodreads First Reads.*
The MC...
Despite her flaws (the main being her willingness to endure unnatural levels of workplace abuse for a promotion of ambiguous value, if you truly think about it), Mackenzie is an okay main character. I didn't care for all her complaining (sorry, I don't like whining), but it is warranted. Her job, her treatment at work (even her relationship woes)...yeah, their horrible. But she voluntarily went into and stayed in that mess. A stronger woman would've probably left sooner or not chosen that path at all. So, obviously, Mack had some growing to do. And grow she did.
A couple of things I like about Mack is her attention to detail and her willingness to question things--circumstances, even people that are close her are not above suspicious. She carefully notes if your actions match your words. I respect that. No one should walk around delusional; it's a recipe for disaster. (And, now I'm hungry. -_-)
On the subject of language...
Way too much profanity for me. More like rated Aargh (than R) for pirate speak, 'cause too many of the characters curse like sailors (and in too many ways that don't make sense). But I should've expected that from a book about lawyers. (Lawyers don't have the rep when it comes to scruples. But I try to stay out of trouble, so I don't have too much personal experience with them.) I don't take too much issue with certain language in books, but I prefer moderation. If it's overwhelming the dialogue it's a problem.
The writing...
On the hand, Cameron does a great job of drawing her readers into her story emotionally. I had to put the book down several times because I thought I'd blow my top over how poorly Mackenzie is treated. How rude, unfair, indeferent her superiors are to her needs, wants, outside obligations. Or how oblivious they were to fact that most of what demand of others was ridiculous, impossible, or unnecessary. And did they have any appreciation for the sacrifices, hard work, emotional and mental strain and degradation that went into satisfying their foolish whims? Do I really need to answer that?
...Sorry about that. But, you can tell, this book got to me...
The plot...
I had suspicions early on about certain characters that grew and took shape as more details came to light. Still, I obviously didn't know how deep the rabbit went. How characters I overlooked were involved. (Without more information, more clues, you can't truly tie them all together. So, in that respect, it's kind of like watching Foyle's War.) And, yet, the conclusion was still lacking something. The confrontation with the culprits behind the scheme that could've destroyed Mackenzie was okay I guess. Well, at least, with one of them (I liked the first take down better). The other was...well, disappointing. The villains on Scooby-Doo put up much more of a fight. (Meddling kids.) And everything seems to tie up so neatly. So, I'm all, "Really?! That's it?" So, yeah, after all that buildup, I felt a little let down. Felt like watching the final scenes in a scary movie, with the panic-driven MC running breathlessly from a villain; and when she finally faces him and says "Boo" the bad guy surrenders. -_- Yay. The day is saved. whoohoo. -_-
Hmm... I think that's pretty much it for me. So, overall, it's like...well...I'on'no' (translation: I don't know). If I had a chance to start over, I probably wouldn't read it again. So...you know...it's just not for me. But, who knows? Maybe you'll think/feel differently.
*I received a free copy of BIGLAW from Goodreads First Reads.*