luellen1990's review against another edition
4.0
My Sisters Bones by Nuala Ellwood
Title: My Sisters Bones
Author: Nuala Ellwood
First Published: Sept 2017
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 400
Price on Amazon: Paperback £7.99 Kindle: £0.99
ISBN:0241977266
If you can't trust your sister, Can you trust anyone?
Kate has spent her life running from her past, she left home and went to university, became a journalist and never looked back. Then one day her mother dies and all of a sudden she has no choice but to return to Herne Bay, the place she grew up, the place her sister never left.
With Kate living a successful life, a budding journalist, travelling the world, running into war zones to get the hottest stories and finding a voice for those who can't speak up themselves. Sally on the other hand never left Herne Bay, drinks too much, won't admit she drinks too much, her marriage is in shatters and her daughter is long gone.
Two sisters living two very different lives. But is all as it seems? Is Kate seeing things and hearing voices? What is going on in the house next door to Kate and Sally's mum's house? And is everyone who they make out to be?
I got this book as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster at Alton towers and I loved it. Just when you think you have it all worked out you realise you don't. I could not put this book down I read it in a single sitting overnight it was that good. Would defiantly recommend to anyone looking for their next great psychological thriller. The plot is well-written and easy to follow. The characters have you screaming inside wanting them to realise what is happening at times and at other times it has you wishing you could read faster to find out whats happening.
A really great read, four out of five stars very well deserved, leaves you wanting more. Can't wait for more from this author.
Reviews for this book can be found on:
Amazon under Lu's Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley,
My Blog at www.lu-ellensreadingandreviewingblog.co.uk
Links to this review can be found on:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
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Tumblr: lusreviewsblog
Flikr: Lu's Reviews
Title: My Sisters Bones
Author: Nuala Ellwood
First Published: Sept 2017
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 400
Price on Amazon: Paperback £7.99 Kindle: £0.99
ISBN:0241977266
If you can't trust your sister, Can you trust anyone?
Kate has spent her life running from her past, she left home and went to university, became a journalist and never looked back. Then one day her mother dies and all of a sudden she has no choice but to return to Herne Bay, the place she grew up, the place her sister never left.
With Kate living a successful life, a budding journalist, travelling the world, running into war zones to get the hottest stories and finding a voice for those who can't speak up themselves. Sally on the other hand never left Herne Bay, drinks too much, won't admit she drinks too much, her marriage is in shatters and her daughter is long gone.
Two sisters living two very different lives. But is all as it seems? Is Kate seeing things and hearing voices? What is going on in the house next door to Kate and Sally's mum's house? And is everyone who they make out to be?
I got this book as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster at Alton towers and I loved it. Just when you think you have it all worked out you realise you don't. I could not put this book down I read it in a single sitting overnight it was that good. Would defiantly recommend to anyone looking for their next great psychological thriller. The plot is well-written and easy to follow. The characters have you screaming inside wanting them to realise what is happening at times and at other times it has you wishing you could read faster to find out whats happening.
A really great read, four out of five stars very well deserved, leaves you wanting more. Can't wait for more from this author.
Reviews for this book can be found on:
Amazon under Lu's Reviews
Goodreads,
Net Galley,
My Blog at www.lu-ellensreadingandreviewingblog.co.uk
Links to this review can be found on:
Twitter: @lusreviews
Facebook: @lusreviews
Instagram: lusreviews
Tumblr: lusreviewsblog
Flikr: Lu's Reviews
panda27's review against another edition
5.0
What the.
This book started out slowly but wow I devoured it in a day after getting into it. I'm just mind boggled
This book started out slowly but wow I devoured it in a day after getting into it. I'm just mind boggled
sueotwell's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me a minute to get into but it was a page turner. It was very intense and I really enjoyed it!
k_west1984's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this book an a really good twist that I never saw coming
twentytworeader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
pud50's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood slowly builds into a suspense-laden mystery with very unexpected twists and turns.
War correspondent Kate Rafter's return to her childhood home following her mother's death contributes to her increasingly fragile mental state. Her recent experiences in Syria are horrific and the events leading up to her last assignment play a fairly large role in her declining emotional stability. Kate is suffering from extensive post traumatic stress disorder which makes her an increasingly unreliable narrator when she begins seeing and hearing things that cannot be corroborated by anyone else. Much of her story is revealed through her sessions with Dr. Shaw and no one is quite sure what to believe about Kate's recounting of extremely traumatic events that have recently occurred.
Kate's narration comes to an abrupt and shocking end and the perspective then switches to that of her younger sister, Sally, who is a raging alcoholic. Their relationship is badly fractured but Kate make a valiant effort to get through to her sister on her visit home. Sally consumes copious amounts of wine and spends her days in a drunken stupor as she laments the rift with her daughter, Hannah, whom she has not seen in several years. Her husband, Paul Cheverell is incredibly patient with her but their marriage is definitely breathing its last gasp. After a surprise visitor appears on her doorstep, Sally finally sobers up long enough to remember a desperate request from Kate. Will she then uncover the truth about whether or not Kate's experiences at their childhood home are real or imagined?
A dark, twisted and incredibly atmospheric tale, My Sister's Bones is an intriguing mystery that is initially somewhat slow-paced but dramatically hurtles to a twist-filled and shocking conclusion. Nuala Ellwood's extensive research and subsequent portrayal of the devastating effects of PTSD are hard-hitting and incredibly realistic. Kate is a sympathetic character whose intentions to expose the damages of war are noble and eventually take a horrific toll on her psyche.It is impossible to predict what direction the storyline is going until the absolutely jaw-dropping plot twist. From that point, the novel moves at a breakneck speed in the aftermath of stunning revelations. An outstanding debut that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.
War correspondent Kate Rafter's return to her childhood home following her mother's death contributes to her increasingly fragile mental state. Her recent experiences in Syria are horrific and the events leading up to her last assignment play a fairly large role in her declining emotional stability. Kate is suffering from extensive post traumatic stress disorder which makes her an increasingly unreliable narrator when she begins seeing and hearing things that cannot be corroborated by anyone else. Much of her story is revealed through her sessions with Dr. Shaw and no one is quite sure what to believe about Kate's recounting of extremely traumatic events that have recently occurred.
Kate's narration comes to an abrupt and shocking end and the perspective then switches to that of her younger sister, Sally, who is a raging alcoholic. Their relationship is badly fractured but Kate make a valiant effort to get through to her sister on her visit home. Sally consumes copious amounts of wine and spends her days in a drunken stupor as she laments the rift with her daughter, Hannah, whom she has not seen in several years. Her husband, Paul Cheverell is incredibly patient with her but their marriage is definitely breathing its last gasp. After a surprise visitor appears on her doorstep, Sally finally sobers up long enough to remember a desperate request from Kate. Will she then uncover the truth about whether or not Kate's experiences at their childhood home are real or imagined?
A dark, twisted and incredibly atmospheric tale, My Sister's Bones is an intriguing mystery that is initially somewhat slow-paced but dramatically hurtles to a twist-filled and shocking conclusion. Nuala Ellwood's extensive research and subsequent portrayal of the devastating effects of PTSD are hard-hitting and incredibly realistic. Kate is a sympathetic character whose intentions to expose the damages of war are noble and eventually take a horrific toll on her psyche.It is impossible to predict what direction the storyline is going until the absolutely jaw-dropping plot twist. From that point, the novel moves at a breakneck speed in the aftermath of stunning revelations. An outstanding debut that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.
ilariam's review
2.0
“Lei è al sicuro adesso. Libera dai suoi demoni. Riposa in un posto quieto e tranquillo, in un piccolo, placido fazzoletto d’acqua. Le sarebbe piaciuto, penso, guardando un battello avvicinarsi al molo. Lo avrebbe ritenuto appropriato.
È difficile credere che abbia trovato pace dopo una fine così violenta, ma spero ci sia riuscita.
Mia sorella. La mia bellissima sorella.”
Kate è una reporter di guerra. Ha visto cose negli ultimi 20 anni che non potranno mai essere capite da chi non le ha vissute sulla propria pelle. La sua vita non è mai stata facile: il padre alcolizzato, le violenze subite, il pessimo rapporto con la sorella minore, Sally. Come se non bastasse, ecco la notizia della morte della madre, in un momento davvero delicato e dal punto di vista personale e da quello professionale. A funerale già avvenuto, è costretta a tornare a casa per risolvere alcune faccende, non immaginando che sarà l’inizio di un nuovo incubo.
La prima parte del racconto è estremamente appesantita dal tema del disturbo post-traumatico da stress della protagonista, che la porta ad avere allucinazioni uditive e visive. Lo scopo è mettere in dubbio la sua capacità di distinguere tra realtà e immaginazione, ma il risultato, piuttosto confusionario, è tutt’altro che efficace; di tensione alla fin fine ce n’è davvero poca. Se a questo si aggiunge l’eccesso di elementi drammatici nel background di Kate (padre alcolizzato e abusi, facile ricorso a vino, sonniferi e psicofarmaci, una storia d’amore finita male, un aborto, colleghi-serpenti, Aleppo), è facile capire come procedere nella lettura sia un supplizio. Non va molto meglio nella seconda parte, quella affidata alla Sally: in positivo rispetto alla prima ha solo l’essere più breve. Il racconto a due voci dovrebbe conferire una certa ambiguità (due punti di vista, due realtà diverse a seconda di chi parla), ma le potenzialità di un simile approccio non sono affatto sfruttate a dovere; al massimo si può parlare di un pallido accenno. Tolto tutto il superfluo, a far di questo libro un thriller non c’è quasi nulla; per di più non c’è sviluppo di trama che non si possa intuire sin dall’inizio. In soldoni: anche per una lettura estiva è davvero troppo poco; due stelline sono un giudizio più che generoso. Sconsigliato.
È difficile credere che abbia trovato pace dopo una fine così violenta, ma spero ci sia riuscita.
Mia sorella. La mia bellissima sorella.”
Kate è una reporter di guerra. Ha visto cose negli ultimi 20 anni che non potranno mai essere capite da chi non le ha vissute sulla propria pelle. La sua vita non è mai stata facile: il padre alcolizzato, le violenze subite, il pessimo rapporto con la sorella minore, Sally. Come se non bastasse, ecco la notizia della morte della madre, in un momento davvero delicato e dal punto di vista personale e da quello professionale. A funerale già avvenuto, è costretta a tornare a casa per risolvere alcune faccende, non immaginando che sarà l’inizio di un nuovo incubo.
La prima parte del racconto è estremamente appesantita dal tema del disturbo post-traumatico da stress della protagonista, che la porta ad avere allucinazioni uditive e visive. Lo scopo è mettere in dubbio la sua capacità di distinguere tra realtà e immaginazione, ma il risultato, piuttosto confusionario, è tutt’altro che efficace; di tensione alla fin fine ce n’è davvero poca. Se a questo si aggiunge l’eccesso di elementi drammatici nel background di Kate (padre alcolizzato e abusi, facile ricorso a vino, sonniferi e psicofarmaci, una storia d’amore finita male, un aborto, colleghi-serpenti, Aleppo), è facile capire come procedere nella lettura sia un supplizio. Non va molto meglio nella seconda parte, quella affidata alla Sally: in positivo rispetto alla prima ha solo l’essere più breve. Il racconto a due voci dovrebbe conferire una certa ambiguità (due punti di vista, due realtà diverse a seconda di chi parla), ma le potenzialità di un simile approccio non sono affatto sfruttate a dovere; al massimo si può parlare di un pallido accenno. Tolto tutto il superfluo, a far di questo libro un thriller non c’è quasi nulla; per di più non c’è sviluppo di trama che non si possa intuire sin dall’inizio. In soldoni: anche per una lettura estiva è davvero troppo poco; due stelline sono un giudizio più che generoso. Sconsigliato.
misscalculated's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
traceyd's review against another edition
1.0
DNF another one
I’m 1/4 through the book and Kate is still being held by the police. It’s so slow it’s makes me crazy.
Went to book club and found out the rest of the book. Saved me a lot of time.
I’m 1/4 through the book and Kate is still being held by the police. It’s so slow it’s makes me crazy.
Went to book club and found out the rest of the book. Saved me a lot of time.