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A review by kebliss
The Lies They Tell by Gillian French
3.0
Review:
I am a huge fan of French’s Grit and so was very excited about this one. (I somehow missed The Door to January? Not sure how that happened.) Sadly this one is a bit of a disappointment. Not Brightly Burning disappointing, but it definitely fell short of my expectations.
French’s prose is sparse and tight as ever, but it’s the story itself that doesn’t deliver. Moody rich people who are assholes don’t interest me very much and that constitutes the bulk of what the book is about, wrapped in the guise of a mystery. Pearl’s “investigation” is somehow both leisurely and weirdly intense. While she and her dad have clearly suffered because the Garrison fire, I never felt that her dogged pursuit of the truth was fleshed out enough. The big reveal is more of a “yeah, sure” and the climax happens in the last 10-15 pages.
Rating:
3.0/5 Stars
Recommend to a Friend?
Not great for Gillian French is better than what a lot of other people can do, but I wish she would’ve directed her talents to something better.
I am a huge fan of French’s Grit and so was very excited about this one. (I somehow missed The Door to January? Not sure how that happened.) Sadly this one is a bit of a disappointment. Not Brightly Burning disappointing, but it definitely fell short of my expectations.
French’s prose is sparse and tight as ever, but it’s the story itself that doesn’t deliver. Moody rich people who are assholes don’t interest me very much and that constitutes the bulk of what the book is about, wrapped in the guise of a mystery. Pearl’s “investigation” is somehow both leisurely and weirdly intense. While she and her dad have clearly suffered because the Garrison fire, I never felt that her dogged pursuit of the truth was fleshed out enough. The big reveal is more of a “yeah, sure” and the climax happens in the last 10-15 pages.
Rating:
3.0/5 Stars
Recommend to a Friend?
Not great for Gillian French is better than what a lot of other people can do, but I wish she would’ve directed her talents to something better.