laurareadsbig's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nikcc's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this story. It was well thought out and rounded, it felt like a truth being told.
louise_jb0's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
Gundar-Goshen repeats what she did so well in Waking Lions--setting up a moral conundrum and watching what the characters do in response to it--but places the action in a #metoo style scandal where a teen girl is caught up in an impulsively told lie at just the right time to have it explode in ways she couldn't have imagined.
Teenage angst and trying to find your place in the world, the trappings of fame, sibling rivalry, the media's desire to incite a frenzy (until the next thing comes along) are all covered here in a story that moves quickly.
Recommended for book groups. There is much to discuss.
Teenage angst and trying to find your place in the world, the trappings of fame, sibling rivalry, the media's desire to incite a frenzy (until the next thing comes along) are all covered here in a story that moves quickly.
Recommended for book groups. There is much to discuss.
kimjunmyeon's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
chris_davies's review against another edition
5.0
I found this a fascinating and well written novel about the lies we all tell. The story progresses cleverly from the initial lie, as the tentacles of deceit slowly spread across multiple characters and linked storylines. Really well done, and very thought provoking. I liked the pace and the structure of the novel, and the conclusion did not disappoint. The writer has a particular style which I imagine would not suit everyone, but I enjoyed it and will definitely seek out more of her work.
snoakes7001's review against another edition
4.0
Most of Liar focuses on the story of a young girl and the consequences of one enormous lie she tells. Nofar is spending her summer working in an Ice cream shop. She's tired of being uninteresting and unnoticed, resentful of her prettier sister and jealous of the cooler kids she goes to school with. One day, after an altercation with a customer the police are called. At first Nofar says nothing, but this leads to assumptions being made and this small sin of omission snowballs into a lie and accusation. Soon she is thrust into the media spotlight and the lie becomes so huge that she cannot tell the truth even though the man will certainly go to jail as a result. Even so, there is no sympathy for the victim of the lie - he is portrayed as a rather pathetic needy creature, almost as though the author is implying that he deserves the punishment despite not committing the crime. This is somewhat disturbing, as is the fact that no consideration is given to genuine victims and how false accusations may diminish their voices.
There is a second story that pops up about halfway in about Raymonde, an elderly lady whose friend has just died. Raymonde too is a liar who slips into her friend's identity as easily as she might slip into a borrowed coat.
Although Nofar and Raymonde do meet, there is no meaningful connection between their stories, giving the book a disjointed feel. Almost every character lies at some point: the mute beggar who can speak, Nofar's boyfriend's mother whose Pilates class is a cover for a series of affairs and even the police who have no interest in uncovering the truth "I don’t intend to end up being the s**t from the police who harasses female victims". So why it is Raymonde's lie in particular that is singled out for a fuller telling isn't clear.
I enjoyed the style of the writing, full of metaphors and digressions, but the ending was a little rushed and Raymonde's story felt like a second book struggling to break free.
There is a second story that pops up about halfway in about Raymonde, an elderly lady whose friend has just died. Raymonde too is a liar who slips into her friend's identity as easily as she might slip into a borrowed coat.
Although Nofar and Raymonde do meet, there is no meaningful connection between their stories, giving the book a disjointed feel. Almost every character lies at some point: the mute beggar who can speak, Nofar's boyfriend's mother whose Pilates class is a cover for a series of affairs and even the police who have no interest in uncovering the truth "I don’t intend to end up being the s**t from the police who harasses female victims". So why it is Raymonde's lie in particular that is singled out for a fuller telling isn't clear.
I enjoyed the style of the writing, full of metaphors and digressions, but the ending was a little rushed and Raymonde's story felt like a second book struggling to break free.
akkikofnu's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
genieinanovel's review against another edition
1.0
I'm just going to start off right away that I couldn't get into this one, so I didn't finish it. It wasn't worth trying to push through.
I read the first few chapters, but I couldn't make myself go any further. It felt like a chore
The book does seem interesting; a 17-year-old ice cream scooper has a run-in with a disgruntled, washed-up star and allows rumors of an attempted sexual assault to bloom. But there was just something about the story that didn't pull me in or make me care to know what happens next.
One thing that bugged me about this book was that there was little dialogue to move the story on and instead we're given summary recaps of characters that played a part in Nofar's life. It was more telling the story than showing it in my opinion.. there was no passion in the narration.
With my new resolution to DNF books that I just can't get into, this sadly had to be the first one.
However, thanks NetGalley for letting me (try to) read an advanced copy of this book and give my honest review.
I read the first few chapters, but I couldn't make myself go any further. It felt like a chore
The book does seem interesting; a 17-year-old ice cream scooper has a run-in with a disgruntled, washed-up star and allows rumors of an attempted sexual assault to bloom. But there was just something about the story that didn't pull me in or make me care to know what happens next.
One thing that bugged me about this book was that there was little dialogue to move the story on and instead we're given summary recaps of characters that played a part in Nofar's life. It was more telling the story than showing it in my opinion.. there was no passion in the narration.
With my new resolution to DNF books that I just can't get into, this sadly had to be the first one.
However, thanks NetGalley for letting me (try to) read an advanced copy of this book and give my honest review.