valleyofthedulls's review
2.0
i picked up this novel because i’m forever chasing the high of the secret history, but when i was about 100 pages away from finishing this book, i realized that what i was after was a reread of the secret history.
i did end up finishing this book (after reading the secret history again) and this is my takeaway: cardboard characters, totally forced and unbelievable dialogue (really, it seemed as if every character spoke in the same fashion), and writing that tries to be very serious and clever but comes across as contrived and superficial.
the characters were so undeveloped that by the time the climax of the novel came and went and the ripples smoothed themselves out, i was bored and ready for my next read.
i’m rating two stars because despite my review, the read was somewhat engaging and the premise was interesting.
i did end up finishing this book (after reading the secret history again) and this is my takeaway: cardboard characters, totally forced and unbelievable dialogue (really, it seemed as if every character spoke in the same fashion), and writing that tries to be very serious and clever but comes across as contrived and superficial.
the characters were so undeveloped that by the time the climax of the novel came and went and the ripples smoothed themselves out, i was bored and ready for my next read.
i’m rating two stars because despite my review, the read was somewhat engaging and the premise was interesting.
caitie95's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very good book that I found hard to put down.
The story follows Oscar, and his relationship with Iris, her brother Eden, and their friends. Eden is arrogant, and has some very strange ideas which worry Iris, who begs Oscar for help proving this.
The novel shows a contrast between the working class background of Oscar, and the privately educated, Oxbridge of the other main characters.
There's plenty of mystery and intrigue, with some of the stories never fully explained.
The plot flows very well as it asks just what is madness.
The story follows Oscar, and his relationship with Iris, her brother Eden, and their friends. Eden is arrogant, and has some very strange ideas which worry Iris, who begs Oscar for help proving this.
The novel shows a contrast between the working class background of Oscar, and the privately educated, Oxbridge of the other main characters.
There's plenty of mystery and intrigue, with some of the stories never fully explained.
The plot flows very well as it asks just what is madness.
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
A readable story of a Care assistant Oscar who works in a Cambridge retirement home. He is drawn one evening to a church service by the organ playing and soon is involved in THe Bellwether family, romantically with Iris the medical student an Eden the Organ playing music student with the power to heal. You know from chapter one that something terrible happens at the end but not the details so there is an element of impending doom. Reviews compare it to Secret History but its so long ago that I read that that I can't offer a view but I enjoyed it even though some of the characters are a bit annoying at times and it is very rareified student atmosphere. Overall more 3.5 than 4 stars but worth a read.
smokedsignals's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebookwormofnotredame's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
The translation may have been for a lot (I haven’t read a translation in years and will never again) but... meh.
The translation may have been for a lot (I haven’t read a translation in years and will never again) but... meh.
necromanticfemme's review
2.0
This book was disappointing, to be honest. I thought I would really like it as I got started, but as I got further I just got more and more frustrated.
Eden's character felt like the author was trying too hard to write him as being smarter than the others. From Iris' character alone I could tell from a mile away that this book had been written by a male author. The entire book was a mess of missed narrative opportunities, and nothing quite played out satisfyingly. The ending was fine but entirely emotionally unmoving for me.
At least the prose was nice? Still not quite sure why the author is a creative writing professor if this is his best effort.
Eden's character felt like the author was trying too hard to write him as being smarter than the others. From Iris' character alone I could tell from a mile away that this book had been written by a male author. The entire book was a mess of missed narrative opportunities, and nothing quite played out satisfyingly. The ending was fine but entirely emotionally unmoving for me.
At least the prose was nice? Still not quite sure why the author is a creative writing professor if this is his best effort.
fredsphere's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
| A young working-class man dates a rich girl attending Cambridge. Her brother is a dark triad guy who thinks his music can miraculously heal people. It's Dark Academia and it's got corpses in the first chapter and it's a sibling of other books I love (The Secret History, If We Were Villains -- those books) so I was all set to love this.
I did, right up until I turned the last page and said, "What the heck? It just ended??!!"
Yeah, the ending was abrupt and not what I expected. I sort of get it, the ambiguity, the read-between-the-lines aspect, but still, a bit of a disappointment. 5 stars swerving at the last moment into 4.
I did, right up until I turned the last page and said, "What the heck? It just ended??!!"
Yeah, the ending was abrupt and not what I expected. I sort of get it, the ambiguity, the read-between-the-lines aspect, but still, a bit of a disappointment. 5 stars swerving at the last moment into 4.
jheckman324's review
2.0
This was another one of those books where I just felt like I missed something. There were plot twists that never panned out and characters that started in one direction only to never really get fleshed out. Also the ending just didn't wrap things well.