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oakleylynch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Alcohol
I saw another review where they tagged a Racial Slur use! I do not remember this but just as a warning I added it.ktrecs's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Well, this was a disappointment.
Until the last fifteen percent of the book, The Death of Mrs. Westaway reads much more like a family drama than the tense thriller I've come to expect from Ware. The plot should have had intrigue baked right in from the start, given that what draws Hal to the Westaways is the decision to defraud them, but for someone who continually applauds herself for her ability to cold read and deceive people, Hal is completely hopeless at the game she's signed herself up for. Her blundering mistakes and complete lack of perspective made it hard to trudge through - especially as I was fairly sure that I had solved this particular mystery basically right away.
What I wanted from this was the same atmospheric, Gothic-style retelling I loved in The Turn of the Key. The grand manor home & the creepy, frighteningly-loyal housekeeper are lifted directly from Rebecca, and that's the mood I wanted, but even these elements stood underutilised in the narrative, as flat and dead as the story itself. It completely lacked any sort of tension or thrill, and the two small moments of danger were not enough to convince me Hal was struggling with the dark, scheming, villainous setting I was promised.
I also didn't like the explorations of class in this book, in that it felt alternatively abortive and contradictory - and there's something close to appropriation here, the name Madame Marguerite - not to mention a casual use of an anti-Romani slur. Yuck. What a disappointment.
Until the last fifteen percent of the book, The Death of Mrs. Westaway reads much more like a family drama than the tense thriller I've come to expect from Ware. The plot should have had intrigue baked right in from the start, given that what draws Hal to the Westaways is the decision to defraud them, but for someone who continually applauds herself for her ability to cold read and deceive people, Hal is completely hopeless at the game she's signed herself up for. Her blundering mistakes and complete lack of perspective made it hard to trudge through - especially as I was fairly sure that I had solved this particular mystery basically right away.
What I wanted from this was the same atmospheric, Gothic-style retelling I loved in The Turn of the Key. The grand manor home & the creepy, frighteningly-loyal housekeeper are lifted directly from Rebecca, and that's the mood I wanted, but even these elements stood underutilised in the narrative, as flat and dead as the story itself. It completely lacked any sort of tension or thrill, and the two small moments of danger were not enough to convince me Hal was struggling with the dark, scheming, villainous setting I was promised.
I also didn't like the explorations of class in this book, in that it felt alternatively abortive and contradictory - and there's something close to appropriation here, the name Madame Marguerite - not to mention a casual use of an anti-Romani slur. Yuck. What a disappointment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Racial slurs