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elissalynn's review against another edition
2.0
I added this book to my TBR list when it came out like 3 years ago and everyone was talking about it and it had great reviews and I am so underwhelmed. I thought the writing was basic and I the book just never took off for me. I cared about zero of the characters and actually really disliked the main character, Ed. It felt like there was a lot of slow build up and then…nada.
izzymunford's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ashs2x's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
its meh.. so detached
foxy_llama15's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
prettybizarre_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maagi's review against another edition
3.0
Plaah. Hidas, tunteita herättämätön ja lopulta äkkinäinen. Silti ihan ok.
zutsie's review against another edition
3.0
So my extreme book hangover following The Infernal Device trilogy left me confused and lost. I was floundering when a friend recommended I check out The Chalk Man. As I am one who takes suggestion seriously, I rooted around my Kindle until I found it again and set out to see what it was all about, as I remember rave reviews for it and a lot of advertising for it when it was originally released.
The Chalk Man reads very easily. It is slow paced and uses this to set up a pretty damn creepy vibe; it's hopeless and damning and draws you in. It is not necessarily a scary book, and not the most fascinating, yet it keeps you going the whole way through. The story juggles two timelines, and this is one of those times were both timelines were handled well. There was not too much of the one or too little of the other. They trundled along neatly and it all worked out.
I don't feel that the book featured an awful lot of likeable characters though. Okay, so maybe none. They all sucked, and reading about the constant alcoholism was also a little much at times. The story gives its secrets up bit by bit, and it works. The book was insanely bigged up here from the marketing and all, so I was a little wary that it might fall flat, but this was not the case. Okay, so maybe not the most amazing book ever as it was proclaimed to be or anything, but I had no regrets checking it out. I had a good time reading it. I liked how easy it was to read and how engaging the story was, even though at times it was a little predictable.
I think that The Chalk Man is also really well written, especially when you find out after the fact that this is a debut novel. I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for more of Tudor's work, and I can recommend this for a read. While I might not be as hyped for this as some were, it is definitely worth a read.
The Chalk Man reads very easily. It is slow paced and uses this to set up a pretty damn creepy vibe; it's hopeless and damning and draws you in. It is not necessarily a scary book, and not the most fascinating, yet it keeps you going the whole way through. The story juggles two timelines, and this is one of those times were both timelines were handled well. There was not too much of the one or too little of the other. They trundled along neatly and it all worked out.
I don't feel that the book featured an awful lot of likeable characters though. Okay, so maybe none. They all sucked, and reading about the constant alcoholism was also a little much at times. The story gives its secrets up bit by bit, and it works. The book was insanely bigged up here from the marketing and all, so I was a little wary that it might fall flat, but this was not the case. Okay, so maybe not the most amazing book ever as it was proclaimed to be or anything, but I had no regrets checking it out. I had a good time reading it. I liked how easy it was to read and how engaging the story was, even though at times it was a little predictable.
I think that The Chalk Man is also really well written, especially when you find out after the fact that this is a debut novel. I will certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for more of Tudor's work, and I can recommend this for a read. While I might not be as hyped for this as some were, it is definitely worth a read.
kilppes's review against another edition
3.0
Achei muito fraco. O suspense não era desenvolvido propriamente. Apesar da leitura fluir, não existia a antecipação e o medo que certos thrillers causam (ou acho que deveriam causar). O protagonista fez com que fosse muito mais difícil ainda se conectar, por que ele era tão indiferente aos acontecimentos que tudo parecia dormente. Os plot twists aconteceram, e nesse sentido a autora conseguiu dispor todas as dicas necessárias pra você desenvolver tudo, mas achei pouco convincente certas descrições. Achei as motivações dos personagens fracas demais, especialmente quanto a morte de Mickey. Achei também muito irrealista a velha idosa com problema de memória lembrar dessa criança que ela viu uma única vez na vida à trinta anos ao auge dos seus noventa - feita unicamente pra antecipar o plot. Creio também que toda a situação de Nicky ficou mal resolvida, seus sentimentos e suas intenções. A linha do tempo do dia do assassinato da menina do Twist foi também muito irrealista, e ninguém pode me convencer que um menino conseguiria esconder uma cabeça decepada por mais de um mes no próprio quarto, não importe quantas vigas de madeira distanciem ela do ar.
Não leve tudo isso a mal - a escrita realmente flue. Consegui ler inteiro em um dia, isso por que a tradução dela foi muito bem feita. Não posso atestar pela original, mas a Intrínseca fez um bom trabalho. Era muito prazeroso também ler considerando o projeto gráfico. Mas não vale o preço de capa de 50 reais - paguei 19,90 e acho que é o preço que o livro merece.
Logo nas primeiras páginas comentei com minha mãe: - Seria uma merda se fosse mais um livro em que o protagonista omite os fatos importantes pra soltar um plot twist idiota no final, espero que a autora não me decepcione. Infelizmente, foi exatamente o que aconteceu. O narrador não confiável já não é um artifício narrativo tão interessante quanto um dia já foi. Talvez se fosse meu primeiro suspense eu teria gostado muito mais, mas faltou o tempero e a emoção de uma narrativa que me fizesse antecipar mais. Muitas cenas longas e introspectivas que não acrescentavam na narrativa (e eu AMO cenas introspectivas. Só achei exagerado os hábitos alcoólicos do protagonista, por que já tem demais disso na literatura).
Enfim, vou emprestar esse livro a todos os interessados, mas não recomendarei ativamente - tem livros melhores esperando ser lidos.
Não leve tudo isso a mal - a escrita realmente flue. Consegui ler inteiro em um dia, isso por que a tradução dela foi muito bem feita. Não posso atestar pela original, mas a Intrínseca fez um bom trabalho. Era muito prazeroso também ler considerando o projeto gráfico. Mas não vale o preço de capa de 50 reais - paguei 19,90 e acho que é o preço que o livro merece.
Logo nas primeiras páginas comentei com minha mãe: - Seria uma merda se fosse mais um livro em que o protagonista omite os fatos importantes pra soltar um plot twist idiota no final, espero que a autora não me decepcione. Infelizmente, foi exatamente o que aconteceu. O narrador não confiável já não é um artifício narrativo tão interessante quanto um dia já foi. Talvez se fosse meu primeiro suspense eu teria gostado muito mais, mas faltou o tempero e a emoção de uma narrativa que me fizesse antecipar mais. Muitas cenas longas e introspectivas que não acrescentavam na narrativa (e eu AMO cenas introspectivas. Só achei exagerado os hábitos alcoólicos do protagonista, por que já tem demais disso na literatura).
Enfim, vou emprestar esse livro a todos os interessados, mas não recomendarei ativamente - tem livros melhores esperando ser lidos.
katrinaxx's review against another edition
3.0
Not that great of writing, and pretty short, all things considered. But it was ok.
briartherose's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not bad at all. A bit derivative, especially of Stephen King, and the need to end every chapter on some sort of whammy grew very tiresome. But it had a really nicely nasty beginning and ending, and sufficiently sustained my interest in between.