mick_travel's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
juliannef's review against another edition
5.0
I can't praise this highly enough, there's suspense and a nice twist. Brilliant and well worth reading.
k_west1984's review against another edition
3.0
I'm glad I've finished this book I nearly gave up a few times. It's starts off ok then goes stupid, I was about put it down but it started to get interesting.the ending was very disappointing has well
chyneyee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This is one of the most ridiculous stories, and Justine would be one of the most despised characters I've ever read.
A mother suspects her daughter's written story is real because the names are weird, and she doesn't believe a fourteen-year-old teenager could come out with those names. Then, the mother suspects her daughter was writing her friend's mother's childhood story, and they are swapping family stories. Later, she asks everyone, including her recently met dog breeder and some of the teachers, because she suspects they are related to the fictional story. She hires a private investigator to look into her daughter's friend's family and keeps accusing her daughter's friend's mother as the anonymous caller. She has a family tree phobia because her stepmother included her family tree but excluded her mother's family, and the worst is she claims that maybe that was the cause of her mother's cancer. What?
This story is too far-fetched, and Justine seems to be a psychotic woman, which I felt more lunatic than her victim. She has so many accusations and assumptions without solid proof. Actually, the entire story doesn't have anything concrete to convince me that the victim is the psychopath. Who would be so obsessed with their child's fictional story and relate it to her daughter's friend's mother? It's like she's too free and has nothing better to do, and let's accuse someone with loads of unproven things and force those into that person so she can have a game to play.
Spoiler
A mother suspects her daughter's written story is real because the names are weird, and she doesn't believe a fourteen-year-old teenager could come out with those names. Then, the mother suspects her daughter was writing her friend's mother's childhood story, and they are swapping family stories. Later, she asks everyone, including her recently met dog breeder and some of the teachers, because she suspects they are related to the fictional story. She hires a private investigator to look into her daughter's friend's family and keeps accusing her daughter's friend's mother as the anonymous caller. She has a family tree phobia because her stepmother included her family tree but excluded her mother's family, and the worst is she claims that maybe that was the cause of her mother's cancer. What?
This story is too far-fetched, and Justine seems to be a psychotic woman, which I felt more lunatic than her victim. She has so many accusations and assumptions without solid proof. Actually, the entire story doesn't have anything concrete to convince me that the victim is the psychopath. Who would be so obsessed with their child's fictional story and relate it to her daughter's friend's mother? It's like she's too free and has nothing better to do, and let's accuse someone with loads of unproven things and force those into that person so she can have a game to play.
kbranfield's review against another edition
3.0
A Game for All the Family by Sophie Hannah is a perplexing mystery within a mystery. Following their move from London to the bucolic countryside, Justine Merrison begins getting a series threatening phone calls she believes might be tied to her fourteen year old daughter Ellen's writing project.
Having recently quit her stressful job in television, Justine is looking forward to doing Nothing. The first few months of life in their new house are idyllic but the first disquieting phone calls occurs on the same day she finds out Ellen is upset about her friend George's expulsion from school. When Justine tries to intervene on George's behalf, she is stunned to learn there is no George so therefore, there was no expulsion. Despite a few doubts, Justine believes Ellen's story and she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened and find out why the school is lying to her. At the same time, she continues receiving telephone calls that are increasingly sinister. She is also growing concerned about Ellen's writing project about a murder mystery that appears to be based on real life events but her search for more information leads to one dead end after another. Believing all of these events are somehow linked, Justine begins her own investigation but will she uncover the truth before it is too late?
The premise of A Game for All the Family is certainly unique but the execution of the story falls a little flat. The chapters alternate between the present day events and Ellen's story and while, initially both story arcs are interesting, there is little progression in either storyline. The dual storylines are written in two distinct voices but Ellen's murder mystery is so incredibly implausible that it eventually detracts from the main storyline. With each incredulous plot twist, the novel becomes a convoluted mess of highly improbable coincidences.
All in all, this latest release by Sophie Hannah's is an entertaining but overly long and somewhat bizarre mystery that readers will have to suspend disbelief to enjoy.
Having recently quit her stressful job in television, Justine is looking forward to doing Nothing. The first few months of life in their new house are idyllic but the first disquieting phone calls occurs on the same day she finds out Ellen is upset about her friend George's expulsion from school. When Justine tries to intervene on George's behalf, she is stunned to learn there is no George so therefore, there was no expulsion. Despite a few doubts, Justine believes Ellen's story and she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened and find out why the school is lying to her. At the same time, she continues receiving telephone calls that are increasingly sinister. She is also growing concerned about Ellen's writing project about a murder mystery that appears to be based on real life events but her search for more information leads to one dead end after another. Believing all of these events are somehow linked, Justine begins her own investigation but will she uncover the truth before it is too late?
The premise of A Game for All the Family is certainly unique but the execution of the story falls a little flat. The chapters alternate between the present day events and Ellen's story and while, initially both story arcs are interesting, there is little progression in either storyline. The dual storylines are written in two distinct voices but Ellen's murder mystery is so incredibly implausible that it eventually detracts from the main storyline. With each incredulous plot twist, the novel becomes a convoluted mess of highly improbable coincidences.
All in all, this latest release by Sophie Hannah's is an entertaining but overly long and somewhat bizarre mystery that readers will have to suspend disbelief to enjoy.
mpr2000's review against another edition
5.0
Justine Merrisson and all her family has moved to Devon, and everything seems idyllic till Justine starts receiving some anonymous threatening calls calling her Sandie... Her daughter Elle' best friend, George Donavand, has been expelled from school, a pupil that the head teacher says that it doesn't exist.. And if that is not enough Justine finds a story where her daughter creates a murder based in their new home!
Justine's world starts to break in pieces... could she be able to discover the truth behind the phone calls? About the mysterious Elle's new friend? Or will the murder try to kill her before?
Start reading this spider web before the spider tries to catch you!
Sophie Hannah's books are like a good whiskey, you have to smell, savour and swallow, do not read them in just one sip, because then you will not enjoy the complete story inside the book!
This is the first standalone book of Sophie Hannah, but not my first one. As always there's more behind the story you know in the beginning, making the book quite complex but in the same time, everything fits perfectly in your mind.
I was interested in the mysterious crime that Ellen writes about the house they are living, is just fiction or is based in a past murder? Like in all Sophie Hannah's books, there's always something more, something the reader must discover while is untangling the story, something very important but that if you don't pay attention it will be lost till the end of the book.
That's why I love so much Sophie's books, they are never a normal mystery, you always have to make your own dissertations while you are reading to discover the truth!
What truth lies behind the lies?
Justine's world starts to break in pieces... could she be able to discover the truth behind the phone calls? About the mysterious Elle's new friend? Or will the murder try to kill her before?
Start reading this spider web before the spider tries to catch you!
Sophie Hannah's books are like a good whiskey, you have to smell, savour and swallow, do not read them in just one sip, because then you will not enjoy the complete story inside the book!
This is the first standalone book of Sophie Hannah, but not my first one. As always there's more behind the story you know in the beginning, making the book quite complex but in the same time, everything fits perfectly in your mind.
I was interested in the mysterious crime that Ellen writes about the house they are living, is just fiction or is based in a past murder? Like in all Sophie Hannah's books, there's always something more, something the reader must discover while is untangling the story, something very important but that if you don't pay attention it will be lost till the end of the book.
That's why I love so much Sophie's books, they are never a normal mystery, you always have to make your own dissertations while you are reading to discover the truth!
What truth lies behind the lies?
yoneb_26's review against another edition
3.0
Having read all of Sophie Hannah's Culver Valley series and some of her short stories and really enjoying them, I was really excited to read this. I'm not even sure how to review it! I almost feel like I need to re-read it to work out what happened, but I don't want to read it again because it was so all over the place. It was just kind of weird, the characters were just all too strange and unrealistic. I kind of enjoyed it, but have mixed feelings about this one.
areti22's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
leyendoconamor's review against another edition
4.0
Me gustó mucho Un juego para toda la familia y el final era el que de alguna forma me esperaba, pero creo que podrían haber pensado algo mejor.
La historia es muy buena y creo que los personajes, a pesar de muchos ser irritables, también son excelentes (incluída Justine, que al principio me parecía insoportable pero me terminó gustando), la forma de narrar de Sophie Hannah también me gustó.
Lo único que podría criticar es que los capítulos son demasiado largos, por lo que por momentos se me hacía pesada la lectura; prefiero los capítulos cortos. Otra cosa de la que podría decir algo es que todo el tiempo tenes que estar atenta a lo que pasa, sino dejás de entender la historia, pero supongo que eso no es malo, solo que yo sentí que no me daban tiempo para respirar o asimilar la información.
El resto, todo excelente. Me encanta la forma en la que está intercalada la historia de Justine Merrison con la de la familia Ingrey en los capítulos.
Es un libro que recomiendo mucho, aunque no sea de los mejores o de los que te cambian la vida.
La historia es muy buena y creo que los personajes, a pesar de muchos ser irritables, también son excelentes (incluída Justine, que al principio me parecía insoportable pero me terminó gustando), la forma de narrar de Sophie Hannah también me gustó.
Lo único que podría criticar es que los capítulos son demasiado largos, por lo que por momentos se me hacía pesada la lectura; prefiero los capítulos cortos. Otra cosa de la que podría decir algo es que todo el tiempo tenes que estar atenta a lo que pasa, sino dejás de entender la historia, pero supongo que eso no es malo, solo que yo sentí que no me daban tiempo para respirar o asimilar la información.
El resto, todo excelente. Me encanta la forma en la que está intercalada la historia de Justine Merrison con la de la familia Ingrey en los capítulos.
Es un libro que recomiendo mucho, aunque no sea de los mejores o de los que te cambian la vida.
tobyyy's review against another edition
1.0
Lord. What in the world did I just read.
Trippy. Gothic. Mind games. And just too much going on to maintain suspension of disbelief. Like literally none of the characters felt like they could possibly be real.
430+ pages and all the time spent reading that, that I’ll never get back.
Trippy. Gothic. Mind games. And just too much going on to maintain suspension of disbelief. Like literally none of the characters felt like they could possibly be real.
430+ pages and all the time spent reading that, that I’ll never get back.