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kellyamc's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
So good! It was perfect for bedtime reading as I was immersed in the story, curious, thoughtfully enjoying the read but not overly activated.
orb's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
2.25
ink_squid's review against another edition
4.0
***Won as part of a goodreads giveaway***
I really liked the idea behind The Returned. It deals with people coming back from the dead. It is not a zombie book. They are just like regular people... maybe. We are left with many unanswered questions, not about the characters, but about the how of the process. It does not lessen the impact of the book.
A very enjoyable, moving, fast read.
I really liked the idea behind The Returned. It deals with people coming back from the dead. It is not a zombie book. They are just like regular people... maybe. We are left with many unanswered questions, not about the characters, but about the how of the process. It does not lessen the impact of the book.
A very enjoyable, moving, fast read.
ecdereus's review against another edition
3.0
Een boek waarvan ik meer had verwacht, gezien de inhoudsbeschrijving.
Op zich wel een interessant gegeven: doden die ineens terugkeren en op zoek gaan naar hun geliefden, maar in deze uitwerking vond ik het helaas minder geslaagd.
Op zich wel een interessant gegeven: doden die ineens terugkeren en op zoek gaan naar hun geliefden, maar in deze uitwerking vond ik het helaas minder geslaagd.
novamonday's review against another edition
3.0
It's easy to see why this book was selected to be turned into a television series. The plot is interesting, and in line with much of the supernatural theme that seems to be in these days. The book is emotionally moving and the relationship between Jacob and his parents is authentic.
However, the character studies and slices of stories throughout the book disrupted the story line. I am not fond of flashbacks or multiple stories littering the pages of a novel. The book seems as if it is comprised of a novella and several short stories. I found myself skipping around and skimming towards the end of the book.
The book is worth reading, but I agree with several other reviewers who have stated that the author should stick to short stories.
However, the character studies and slices of stories throughout the book disrupted the story line. I am not fond of flashbacks or multiple stories littering the pages of a novel. The book seems as if it is comprised of a novella and several short stories. I found myself skipping around and skimming towards the end of the book.
The book is worth reading, but I agree with several other reviewers who have stated that the author should stick to short stories.
nypeapod's review
4.0
This book is going make me late for work! I just want to keep reading. It is is morning after reading the newspaper book. The concept is very intriguing and I keep thinking about all the whatifs. I just want to keep reading to find out what happens.
The book does raise an interesting quandry - what do we do if all the dead return to the world of the living. There is not enough space.
The book does raise an interesting quandry - what do we do if all the dead return to the world of the living. There is not enough space.
raven_morgan's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of "The Returned" is simple, and yet not: one day, the dead are living again.
There is no rhyme or reason as to who comes back, and no known method for their resurrection. They are not even returned to the place where they lived or died: someone born in the United States can be returned to rural China, someone born in Japan could appear in England.
The plot of the book mostly focuses on the events that occur in Arcadia. Here, several families are affected by the returned: a family who was murdered, the murderer never apprehended, and the main protagonists of the book: Harold and Lucille Hargrave, whose eight-year-old son Jacob drowned 50 years ago. Jacob is one of the returned, appearing in China just as he was on the day he died.
There is a lot to recommend about this book. The writing is clean, and the characters are all well fleshed out. There are some horrific situations which occur, both to the main characters and in interludes which interject into the main story, and Mott does not shy away from these. All of the actions that the characters make ring true, which is especially important to note, given that their decisions mostly arise from an extremely emotional situation.
However, I did have some issues with the book. I actually felt like Mott didn't push hard enough in some areas. Without spoiling events, major things happen in the world, seemingly without any other avenues being explored. It's heartwrenching to read, but the greater choices by countries never quite rang true for me. I could see these things happening eventually, just not with the speed that they do in the book.
It is important to note that I am mostly a genre reader, and I probably look for things in a fantastic situation (which this clearly is) that a reader of mostly literature will not. I suspect this book will be a great success (not in the least because it's already been picked up to be translated into a television series, which it clearly lends itself to). There is also quite a bit of handwavium, so to speak, in which the methodology of the dead returning is never investigated by anyone, which is frustrating.
This ARC was acquired via Netgalley.
There is no rhyme or reason as to who comes back, and no known method for their resurrection. They are not even returned to the place where they lived or died: someone born in the United States can be returned to rural China, someone born in Japan could appear in England.
The plot of the book mostly focuses on the events that occur in Arcadia. Here, several families are affected by the returned: a family who was murdered, the murderer never apprehended, and the main protagonists of the book: Harold and Lucille Hargrave, whose eight-year-old son Jacob drowned 50 years ago. Jacob is one of the returned, appearing in China just as he was on the day he died.
There is a lot to recommend about this book. The writing is clean, and the characters are all well fleshed out. There are some horrific situations which occur, both to the main characters and in interludes which interject into the main story, and Mott does not shy away from these. All of the actions that the characters make ring true, which is especially important to note, given that their decisions mostly arise from an extremely emotional situation.
However, I did have some issues with the book. I actually felt like Mott didn't push hard enough in some areas. Without spoiling events, major things happen in the world, seemingly without any other avenues being explored. It's heartwrenching to read, but the greater choices by countries never quite rang true for me. I could see these things happening eventually, just not with the speed that they do in the book.
It is important to note that I am mostly a genre reader, and I probably look for things in a fantastic situation (which this clearly is) that a reader of mostly literature will not. I suspect this book will be a great success (not in the least because it's already been picked up to be translated into a television series, which it clearly lends itself to). There is also quite a bit of handwavium, so to speak, in which the methodology of the dead returning is never investigated by anyone, which is frustrating.
This ARC was acquired via Netgalley.
amberraccoon's review against another edition
2.0
Eh, it was ok. I really wouldn't go and recommend it to anyone, especially those who are trying to understand the tv series because the book only makes it worse. It was a long, hard read and, again, unless you are a highly religious person, I wouldn't recommend it.
It had it's moments when it came to loving one's family and holding onto the memories of loved ones, even after they've passed. I enjoyed some of the personalities. And you spend the entire book hoping for the best for even the most basic characters. But other than that? It was eh.
It had it's moments when it came to loving one's family and holding onto the memories of loved ones, even after they've passed. I enjoyed some of the personalities. And you spend the entire book hoping for the best for even the most basic characters. But other than that? It was eh.
hdbblog's review against another edition
2.0
So, the concept of The Returned is really interesting. It's actually the reason I chose to read this book in the first place. Imagine if the dead came back. Not as zombies, but as living, breathing people. Just the same as the way they were when they died. As the dead come back, what happens to the lives of the people who lost them? That's what The Returned tackles, just not quite the way I expected.
What I was really hoping for here was a look at the way society can break apart in the face of something so big, and slowly start to deal with it. What I was given, was something a lot more flat than that. Despite everything, I never really felt connected to any of these characters. I think that if I had more knowledge of who the Returned were, why they came back, what their purpose was, I might have been more invested. Instead, everything was so vague. People come back, society tries to deal with them, they go away. End of story.
I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from this book. It was a quick enough read, but not something that every really grasped me. I think this was at one point a tv show? Or going to be a tv show? Maybe that would be a better medium, with more time to build things from the ground up. As for this book, I wasn't convinced.
What I was really hoping for here was a look at the way society can break apart in the face of something so big, and slowly start to deal with it. What I was given, was something a lot more flat than that. Despite everything, I never really felt connected to any of these characters. I think that if I had more knowledge of who the Returned were, why they came back, what their purpose was, I might have been more invested. Instead, everything was so vague. People come back, society tries to deal with them, they go away. End of story.
I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from this book. It was a quick enough read, but not something that every really grasped me. I think this was at one point a tv show? Or going to be a tv show? Maybe that would be a better medium, with more time to build things from the ground up. As for this book, I wasn't convinced.