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honeyreads's review against another edition
Too much speculation. Even though the subject matter is important and interesting. She did not have enough to justify an entire book. So much conjecture based on unsupported theories.
cemoses's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was very well-written. The focus is on what Ireland was like in the 1990s.
knittyreader's review against another edition
2.0
Disclaimer: I normally do not read true crime books. With this book I wanted to get somewhat out of my comfort zone, and because it was set in an area in Ireland I hoped it would at least be interesting.
Because it is a very short book, trying to cover imo quite a number of cases (as stated above, I don't know how usual that is in true crime books), it all seemed rushed. I understand that often there might not be more information about the cases. But as the blurb promises us that backdrop of the ireland of the writer's youth, and a hook of being a woman in that age's Ireland, I think the book would have benefited from more (and more in-depth and researched) parts about the country, and it's culture etc. at the time. There was some of it now, but more could have slowed down the pace from almost a list of cases to a truly interesting read about how a culture affects situations and cases like these.
I received a free copy through Netgalley to read.
Because it is a very short book, trying to cover imo quite a number of cases (as stated above, I don't know how usual that is in true crime books), it all seemed rushed. I understand that often there might not be more information about the cases. But as the blurb promises us that backdrop of the ireland of the writer's youth, and a hook of being a woman in that age's Ireland, I think the book would have benefited from more (and more in-depth and researched) parts about the country, and it's culture etc. at the time. There was some of it now, but more could have slowed down the pace from almost a list of cases to a truly interesting read about how a culture affects situations and cases like these.
I received a free copy through Netgalley to read.
franceswilde95's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Murder
antiopelle's review against another edition
4.0
Being a fan of Claire McGowan, I went right in when I saw a new book was being published. Only after did I realize that it was a true crime instead of a novel. I dove right in anyway.
The author is giving us an overview of woman disappearing during the nineties, all relatively in the same area. She doesn't limit the investigation to the official eight who disappeared, but she has broadened her inquiry to almost the whole of Ireland. From the beginning she clearly states that she wanted to know more about these older cases and try to find out what had caused so many to disappear with so little publicity. This gives another approach to the whole book, focusing more on background than on facts and figures about the cases themselves. Which is logical as there are very little facts to go on. With the lack of technology from that era, the women almost literary vanished without a trace.
So instead we get a very good insight in what life was in the nineties in Ireland, and how women were considered almost second hand citizens by the church, the police, politicians, by society in general and by men who felt empowered to take whatever they wanted without having to take any responsibility. To make things worse, all this happened during the Troubles, the time that Ireland was plagued by terrorist attacks, and very little attention or time and resources were available for solving any other crimes.
So, this book is not for you if you want a factual account in a clear timeline of all the victims, but it is recommendable if you are interested in the societal upheaval during this decade and the role of women in general, and the paradigm shift that happened afterwards. I can imagine that this book is very personal to the author, as she has also weaved a lot of her own impressions throughout, growing up in the area in that timeframe. I also think that she is hoping that this book might bring up the cases up again, as an extra stepping stone in making sure their lives will not be forgotten.
A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Little A and the author for an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.
The author is giving us an overview of woman disappearing during the nineties, all relatively in the same area. She doesn't limit the investigation to the official eight who disappeared, but she has broadened her inquiry to almost the whole of Ireland. From the beginning she clearly states that she wanted to know more about these older cases and try to find out what had caused so many to disappear with so little publicity. This gives another approach to the whole book, focusing more on background than on facts and figures about the cases themselves. Which is logical as there are very little facts to go on. With the lack of technology from that era, the women almost literary vanished without a trace.
So instead we get a very good insight in what life was in the nineties in Ireland, and how women were considered almost second hand citizens by the church, the police, politicians, by society in general and by men who felt empowered to take whatever they wanted without having to take any responsibility. To make things worse, all this happened during the Troubles, the time that Ireland was plagued by terrorist attacks, and very little attention or time and resources were available for solving any other crimes.
So, this book is not for you if you want a factual account in a clear timeline of all the victims, but it is recommendable if you are interested in the societal upheaval during this decade and the role of women in general, and the paradigm shift that happened afterwards. I can imagine that this book is very personal to the author, as she has also weaved a lot of her own impressions throughout, growing up in the area in that timeframe. I also think that she is hoping that this book might bring up the cases up again, as an extra stepping stone in making sure their lives will not be forgotten.
A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Little A and the author for an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.
radbear76's review against another edition
2.0
This book is supposed to be about women who vanished in a specific area of Ireland in the 1990s. However the author spends most of it talking about cases from outside the timeframe or the area to help make her points. She also uses these cases as a means of discussing problems in wider Irish society. I would have been fine with this but the book lacks a structure and jumps all over the place. My guess is she started this project thinking there was a lot to it but the more research she did, the author discovered there was little information available so she began grasping for anything to support her narrative.
The author also uses the same phrases over and over again to make her points. Like a lot of true crime she thinks repeating speculations will make them true. Another source of irritation is she tries to connect the events to her own life. While these connections are meaningful to her, it doesn't add anything for the reader except for an impression she's desperate for a feeling of connection to larger events.
Skip this one.
The author also uses the same phrases over and over again to make her points. Like a lot of true crime she thinks repeating speculations will make them true. Another source of irritation is she tries to connect the events to her own life. While these connections are meaningful to her, it doesn't add anything for the reader except for an impression she's desperate for a feeling of connection to larger events.
Skip this one.
laurajh77's review against another edition
2.0
I almost feel bad giving this a low rating, as the women who have been raped and strangled and murdered deserve to be remembered. There was just too much repetition in this. Ireland was a corrupt and backward place and still is. That’s all there is to it. Men were repeatedly protected and let off, investigations were bungled and even now, there is little evidence or desire to correct these errors. The church and state held too much power. As a cautionary tale, it deserves to be heard, but would have worked far better as an extended article in a magazine, I think. A shame.
shadowrocks8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Really interesting look at Ireland in the 90's and the ways in which society fails missing or murdered women
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
bereft_of_frogs's review against another edition
DNF at 60 pages because I couldn’t abide the fact there wasn’t a single citation. Wouldn’t pass r/UnresolvedMysteries post standards, I don’t know how it got published without even a bibliography. It was also disorganized and repetitive, and a bit rambling and editorial. Disappointing.