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whatsshwereading's Reviews (740)
What did I think of this book? Well, the premise was what caught my attention. Two girls, discovered surviving in the woods and forced to come back to civilization. I love dark tales and geared up for some twisted, emo stuff - only to be disappointed. The book is at best superficial. Everything's convenient.Ugh.
While I loved the concept of the book, I really didn't empathize with Carey - the lead character. She was too polite and well spoken for someone whose only contact with civilization was her junkie mother. My biggest issue though is how Carey, who is supposed to have been kidnapped at the age of five, taught herself and her sister so well that when they get tested for school they do well enough to be considered to be two grades ahead!!!!
Of all the characters that appear in the book, Delaney (Carey's step-sister) is the only one who feels real. Everyone is so nice to them. Carey straight-away finds a best friend and a boy-friend, who turns out to be her childhood best-friend. Coincidence much?
The other thing that bothered me was the way the issues of sexual abuse and rape were treated. As if an after-thought, just something to end the novel with. The "big" incident that was hinted at through out the book was very obvious and when it's finally told, it just feels ho-hum.
Even the ending felt contrived and hurried. I wish Murdoch'd taken some time to write a proper one.
Read it if you've got nothing better to do.
While I loved the concept of the book, I really didn't empathize with Carey - the lead character. She was too polite and well spoken for someone whose only contact with civilization was her junkie mother. My biggest issue though is how Carey, who is supposed to have been kidnapped at the age of five, taught herself and her sister so well that when they get tested for school they do well enough to be considered to be two grades ahead!!!!
Of all the characters that appear in the book, Delaney (Carey's step-sister) is the only one who feels real. Everyone is so nice to them. Carey straight-away finds a best friend and a boy-friend, who turns out to be her childhood best-friend. Coincidence much?
The other thing that bothered me was the way the issues of sexual abuse and rape were treated. As if an after-thought, just something to end the novel with. The "big" incident that was hinted at through out the book was very obvious and when it's finally told, it just feels ho-hum.
Even the ending felt contrived and hurried. I wish Murdoch'd taken some time to write a proper one.
Read it if you've got nothing better to do.
Dear merciful God! What did I just read!!!!!!!!!!!
When a friend recommended Picoult's latest, quite obviously I had to read it (because My Sister's Keeper and Salem's Fall. Enough said)
However, this book, from the word go, is so very different from Picoult's usual fare. Teenaged girl searching for her missing mum, deranged father, a psychic, and a washed out Cop. It is, in fact, terra nova for Picoult whose forte is human interest stories. I enjoyed the is she-isn't she dead suspense and I never saw the twist come (oh boy it was a major one and cleverly done.)
Sure, the story has its shortcomings (The final chapter. Lameness in the name of closure. But what worked for me was the writing and especially the parts about elephants.
Feels good to finally read a book with a decent, coherent plot, devoid of grammatical errors and flowery prose. You keep 'em coming Picoult. Just keep 'em coming.
When a friend recommended Picoult's latest, quite obviously I had to read it (because My Sister's Keeper and Salem's Fall. Enough said)
However, this book, from the word go, is so very different from Picoult's usual fare. Teenaged girl searching for her missing mum, deranged father, a psychic, and a washed out Cop. It is, in fact, terra nova for Picoult whose forte is human interest stories. I enjoyed the is she-isn't she dead suspense and I never saw the twist come (oh boy it was a major one and cleverly done.)
Sure, the story has its shortcomings (The final chapter. Lameness in the name of closure. But what worked for me was the writing and especially the parts about elephants.
Feels good to finally read a book with a decent, coherent plot, devoid of grammatical errors and flowery prose. You keep 'em coming Picoult. Just keep 'em coming.
Of late I've become obsessed with historical fiction. Having read All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale, I couldn't resist Kidd's The Invention of Wings. Though not quite harrowing, the book is a thought-provoking read.
While I loved the premise of the book and empathized with both Sarah and Handful (one a prisoner of mind, the other of body), I didn't care much about the other characters. The story began with such a delicious promise of what I thought would wring my emotions dry, turned out to be simply meandering (except for one exquisitely written bit that sees Sarah's dreams cruelly crushed by the men in her family).
In spite of the weak-ish plot, its difficult to read this book and not rethink our status as women and what freedom means to us. For that alone, I'd strongly recommend this as a "must read".
While I loved the premise of the book and empathized with both Sarah and Handful (one a prisoner of mind, the other of body), I didn't care much about the other characters. The story began with such a delicious promise of what I thought would wring my emotions dry, turned out to be simply meandering (except for one exquisitely written bit that sees Sarah's dreams cruelly crushed by the men in her family).
In spite of the weak-ish plot, its difficult to read this book and not rethink our status as women and what freedom means to us. For that alone, I'd strongly recommend this as a "must read".
Life After Life tried very hard to be an intelligent book. It failed. It tried again. Failed again. And tried and failed until it ended. Very much like Ursula who's born and dies. She's reborn. Dies. Reborn. Dies.
For 90% of the book you're left wondering as to why an unassuming girl from nowhere in Britain keeps getting reincarnated. Till the big reveal in the last few chapters, which was so bleh, I wanted to kill me (but didn't. Because, like darling Ursula here, I know I won't magically be born again)
There's not a single character you can actually care for. Sylvie is a mum from hell. Hugh is an absent father. And a cocktail of siblings. Even though Atkinson's prose is pure British, this book is simply nothing to write home about.
Thoroughly disappointed.
For 90% of the book you're left wondering as to why an unassuming girl from nowhere in Britain keeps getting reincarnated. Till the big reveal in the last few chapters, which was so bleh, I wanted to kill me (but didn't. Because, like darling Ursula here, I know I won't magically be born again)
There's not a single character you can actually care for. Sylvie is a mum from hell. Hugh is an absent father. And a cocktail of siblings. Even though Atkinson's prose is pure British, this book is simply nothing to write home about.
Thoroughly disappointed.
