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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
So, as my friends can tell, I'm on a hunt for mysteries that would be good recommendations for my mystery book club. This was another try that will not make the cut.
This is another much hyped novel- the next Gone Girl or Girl on the Train! Well, no. I don't think so.
The main character is named Leonora. But she used to like to be called Lee, and now she wants to be called Nora. Why? I don't really know except as a plot device, and no one pays attention to what she wants to be called anyway. Perhaps the author was giving a shout-out to Edgar Allen Poe. Who knows? Nora is a mystery writer, and a bit of a recluse. The mystery writer idea did not pay off as much as I hoped it might. Maybe because Nora is only 26 and doesn't seem to have an incisive enough mind to convince me that she could actually write a good mystery.
The story centers around a hen party (bachelorette party for us Americans) that takes place in a dark, dark wood. I should have known what I was in for because the quote at the front of the book is as follows:
In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house;
And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room;
And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard;
And in the dark, dark cupboard there was a dark, dark shelf;
And on the dark, dark shelf there was a dark, dark box; And in the dark, dark box there was a....skeleton!
Well, I copied that off the net and I think that the author left out a line or two, but you get the idea. A children's rhyme, kind of whimsical and nostalgic. Did the rest of the book fit this beginning at all? No. But the characters did feel childish.
The hen party is for an old friend of Nora's. Nora wasn't invited to the wedding so is a bit bemused at the invitation. But she goes anyway. All the characters are quite young and knew each other in school one way or another. This was a bit confusing to me timeline-wise. Nora talked about the last time she saw these people 10 years ago, so I thought in terms of an American university, which would make everybody about 30. However, the self-proclaimed "old lady" of the group is only 28, two years older than everybody else, with a new baby. So, Nora last saw these people when she was 16? That doesn't make much sense with the way the plot spun out. The author also appears to think ( I'm cribbing from another review here) that 28 is vastly different than 26, which further undermined her as a perceptive author in my eyes.
Nora and one guest are fragile, the guest of honor is too good to be true, and there's at least one mean girl at the party. There is a gun literally on the mantelpiece that is referred to as Chekhov's gun, so not much mystery as to what is going to happen there.
This just felt like a mess, and I couldn't relate to Nora- she seemed so timid and naive. DNF.
This is another much hyped novel- the next Gone Girl or Girl on the Train! Well, no. I don't think so.
The main character is named Leonora. But she used to like to be called Lee, and now she wants to be called Nora. Why? I don't really know except as a plot device, and no one pays attention to what she wants to be called anyway. Perhaps the author was giving a shout-out to Edgar Allen Poe. Who knows? Nora is a mystery writer, and a bit of a recluse. The mystery writer idea did not pay off as much as I hoped it might. Maybe because Nora is only 26 and doesn't seem to have an incisive enough mind to convince me that she could actually write a good mystery.
The story centers around a hen party (bachelorette party for us Americans) that takes place in a dark, dark wood. I should have known what I was in for because the quote at the front of the book is as follows:
In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house;
And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room;
And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard;
And in the dark, dark cupboard there was a dark, dark shelf;
And on the dark, dark shelf there was a dark, dark box; And in the dark, dark box there was a....skeleton!
Well, I copied that off the net and I think that the author left out a line or two, but you get the idea. A children's rhyme, kind of whimsical and nostalgic. Did the rest of the book fit this beginning at all? No. But the characters did feel childish.
The hen party is for an old friend of Nora's. Nora wasn't invited to the wedding so is a bit bemused at the invitation. But she goes anyway. All the characters are quite young and knew each other in school one way or another. This was a bit confusing to me timeline-wise. Nora talked about the last time she saw these people 10 years ago, so I thought in terms of an American university, which would make everybody about 30. However, the self-proclaimed "old lady" of the group is only 28, two years older than everybody else, with a new baby. So, Nora last saw these people when she was 16? That doesn't make much sense with the way the plot spun out. The author also appears to think ( I'm cribbing from another review here) that 28 is vastly different than 26, which further undermined her as a perceptive author in my eyes.
Nora and one guest are fragile, the guest of honor is too good to be true, and there's at least one mean girl at the party. There is a gun literally on the mantelpiece that is referred to as Chekhov's gun, so not much mystery as to what is going to happen there.
This just felt like a mess, and I couldn't relate to Nora- she seemed so timid and naive. DNF.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Compulsively readable, but I felt the identity of the guilt party was far too obvious.
I will definitely read more of this author's work, though.
Compulsively readable, but I felt the identity of the guilt party was far too obvious.
I will definitely read more of this author's work, though.
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It wasn’t a page turner that I couldn’t put down, but I liked it.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The only reason I finished this book was to make sure I was right about what happened. I wanted to be scared and it serves me right for making that assumption based on the title. At the very least I hoped for a good mystery. The main character is supposed to be a crime fiction author, but that is rarely mentioned throughout the book. I feel like it could have been done better. Disappointing.
Kind of unbelievable ending, but kept my interest!