Reviews

Skleněný les by Cynthia Swanson

vlj1120's review against another edition

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5.0

(Full disclosure: I’m thrilled with the success of my friend’s newly published novel! Also, there are no spoilers below.)

Fans of Cynthia Swanson’s The Bookseller will recognize the early 60s setting again in her latest The Glass Forest, but this mystery has a darker tone than her first book. My favorite elements are still here: historical accuracy, cultural believability, geographic detail (WI and NY this time instead of Denver), loads of literary references, and a tight plot- all factors that contribute to a very quick and compelling read. I particularly loved the way even the unlikeable characters were made somewhat sympathetic throughout. The thoughts, speech, and actions of all the characters made sense in a way that you could at least understand their motivations even if you didn’t agree - something that doesn’t always happen in real life. Yet another reason why I love fiction! Thanks for writing another great book Cynthia!

juliamae's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

serenitynowgirl's review against another edition

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3.0

3.6 stars. A slow burn, but once it got going, it kept me guessing. An interesting look at post-WW2 life.

emilyelizabethw's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a beautifully written suspense that completely surprised me. I generally like fast paced stories and find slower paced suspense novels lose my attention very easily. This was not the case here. Swanson did such a wonderful judge evolving the characters and giving you background on them. The switches in narrators and timelines were done perfectly to enhance the story and keep the suspense without feeling to jumpy. While the first half was a little slow it really ramps up and made for a wonderful read.

* I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

shalimar_135's review against another edition

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5.0

Won as a goodreads giveaway. Highly recommend. Well written, engaging, draws you into the story and the secrets it reveals. Thoroughly enjoyed

leticiagoluba's review against another edition

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It gets added to the pile of books I'd like to finish in another life but likely never will in this one.

pynkbyrd's review against another edition

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3.0

What a weird, creepy book. I would have given it 3.5 stars if anyone seemed to act with a sense of horror or morals at the end. That being said, I could not put it down. I thought I had it figured out, and to an extent, I did, but it did not go down as I thought it would. You certainly don't expect it to play out as it did, based on the beginning. That being said, now I want to read this author's other book and look forward to others.

ktamen's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a really good, very creepy suspense novel. At first, it just seems like a family drama, then you slowly start to realize that it's really dark and twisted. Highly recommended for fans of good suspense novels. It has a similar tone to author Ruth Ware's thrillers.

laurenlanum's review against another edition

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4.0

This was excellent. The story was a quiet sort of suspense, and it didn't rely on many of the tropes/cliches modern suspense novels often do (showing instead of telling, trying too hard to shock the reader, twists that don't make any sense...), which I appreciated. I really enjoyed getting to know each of the 3 narrators individually, to understand their motivation, and to piece together their stories. My one complaint is that at times things moved a little slowly for me - I really didn't have a clue where the book was going until I was over halfway through. Overall though, definitely one of my favorite books of the year and would highly recommend to anyone who wants a good mystery to unravel.

kaleymb's review against another edition

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4.0

Beautifully told, with interesting characters. The pacing was slow, but the twists were heart wrenching, even if you guessed ahead of time.
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