readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about a middle-aged, professional woman who has a steamy hookup in an old chapel with a man she just met in the halls of Parliament. That description might make you think this book is a bodice-ripping romance of the Harlequin variety.
Except now, both the woman and her stranger-turned-lover are on trial for murder. Knowing that detail might make you think this book is a police procedural, a story of a bad marriage and lovers desperate to be together at any cost.
This is why the back of a book (or the publisher-provided description) can be misleading. It's true that Apple Tree Yard is the story of Yvonne Carmichael, a respected geneticist, and that her uncharacteristic infidelity leads to her arrest. However salacious and pulpy the premise is, however, this isn't the kind of book you'd find in mass-market paperback in an airport bookstore. Louise Doughty writes with a refreshing amount of depth, gifting her narrator with profound insight into herself and the people she cares about.
So really, the plot here takes a back seat to the measured, intentional building of Yvonne's character. This is a hard thing for authors to do well, especially when the subject matter is this titillating. Often, when an author tries to wax philosophical at the end of a crime novel, I have to look away from the page frequently in order to roll my eyes. Who wants pages and pages of introspection and speculation about motives and feelings after the trial is over and the verdict read? No one, of course—if the plot is all a book has going for it, once the action is over, so is the book. Nobody cares how the main character is feeling, for crying out loud. But again, this book is different, and I found I cared a great deal how Yvonne was feeling.
Much of the narration is Yvonne speaking directly to her lover and co-defendant, asking questions and analyzing the minute details of his speech, his posture, his facial expressions. True to her scientist nature, she thinks deeply about everything. Her reflections, which in a less capable writer's hands could have been superfluous or redundant, instead make the events of her life glow with meaning. Where I was expecting a fast-paced, seedy thriller, I found a meditative, melancholy guided tour through the wreckage of a woman's life.
Bottom line: Read this book instead of a romance novel or cheap mystery. Insist on getting more for your money than just a momentary diversion—demand artistry and nuance.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Except now, both the woman and her stranger-turned-lover are on trial for murder. Knowing that detail might make you think this book is a police procedural, a story of a bad marriage and lovers desperate to be together at any cost.
This is why the back of a book (or the publisher-provided description) can be misleading. It's true that Apple Tree Yard is the story of Yvonne Carmichael, a respected geneticist, and that her uncharacteristic infidelity leads to her arrest. However salacious and pulpy the premise is, however, this isn't the kind of book you'd find in mass-market paperback in an airport bookstore. Louise Doughty writes with a refreshing amount of depth, gifting her narrator with profound insight into herself and the people she cares about.
So really, the plot here takes a back seat to the measured, intentional building of Yvonne's character. This is a hard thing for authors to do well, especially when the subject matter is this titillating. Often, when an author tries to wax philosophical at the end of a crime novel, I have to look away from the page frequently in order to roll my eyes. Who wants pages and pages of introspection and speculation about motives and feelings after the trial is over and the verdict read? No one, of course—if the plot is all a book has going for it, once the action is over, so is the book. Nobody cares how the main character is feeling, for crying out loud. But again, this book is different, and I found I cared a great deal how Yvonne was feeling.
Much of the narration is Yvonne speaking directly to her lover and co-defendant, asking questions and analyzing the minute details of his speech, his posture, his facial expressions. True to her scientist nature, she thinks deeply about everything. Her reflections, which in a less capable writer's hands could have been superfluous or redundant, instead make the events of her life glow with meaning. Where I was expecting a fast-paced, seedy thriller, I found a meditative, melancholy guided tour through the wreckage of a woman's life.
Bottom line: Read this book instead of a romance novel or cheap mystery. Insist on getting more for your money than just a momentary diversion—demand artistry and nuance.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
annebrooke's review against another edition
5.0
It's a very different book from the recent TV series (which I also loved). This is far darker and more dangerous and deeper, and I much prefer it! I enjoyed the fact that the main character, Yvonne, is neither particularly likeable, nor particularly honest, but her voice is just so strong that she becomes an absolutely gripping character and I couldn't put the book down. The writing is both detailed and precisely fitted both to the characterisation and the flow of the story which makes for a first-class read. Doughty is now on my reading list and I will definitely be getting more of her books.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly original and disturbing novel about a woman who embarks on an affair with disastrous consequences. Surprising, considering the description makes it sound like an average nail-biter when in fact it turns out to be much more. From the very beginning we are told that the main character is on trial as a direct result of her affair. Gradually, the events leading up to the trial are revealed.
Yvonne is a successful middle-aged geneticist, highly respected in her field and happily married with two grown children. It may seem strange that she would risk all this for illicit sex with a stranger who won't even tell her his name, but little by little, it becomes clear that neither her work nor marriage are as perfect as they seem. Doughty masterfully reveals the small resentments simmering under the surface. At one point, Yvonne recalls that she and her husband decided to combine childrearing with working on their PhDs, and dryly concludes: "Guy completed his PhD in three years. Mine took seven. Funny that." Also, kindly Guy does a very shitty thing which makes Yvonne's infidelity seem kind of lame.
In her role as an authority in academia she wields a certain power, yet is propositioned by a young male student who offers sexual favours in return for a training position. And the Awful Thing That Happens is so awful I could barely keep reading .
Doughy seems to say that no matter how successful or independent you are as a woman, you are still just a woman in a man's world, at the mercy of a thouroughly sexist society. She does this brutally, believably and unapologetically. Yvonne is a rare, nuanced character bound to be disliked by readers who need their heroines to be lovable. At times, I found her behaviour frustrating, but I never stopped rooting for her.
It is suspenseful, but perhaps too dark for those looking for a quick thriller, or rather, dark for the wrong reasons. There is very little blood and gore here, yet this is one of the most nightmarish, frightening novels I've read in a long time. The horribly depressing anecdote of an experiment with mother and baby chimps almost made me lose all faith in mankind (and apes). Eager to read more by this author.
Yvonne is a successful middle-aged geneticist, highly respected in her field and happily married with two grown children. It may seem strange that she would risk all this for illicit sex with a stranger who won't even tell her his name, but little by little, it becomes clear that neither her work nor marriage are as perfect as they seem. Doughty masterfully reveals the small resentments simmering under the surface. At one point, Yvonne recalls that she and her husband decided to combine childrearing with working on their PhDs, and dryly concludes: "Guy completed his PhD in three years. Mine took seven. Funny that." Also, kindly Guy does a very shitty thing which makes Yvonne's infidelity seem kind of lame.
In her role as an authority in academia she wields a certain power, yet is propositioned by a young male student who offers sexual favours in return for a training position. And the Awful Thing That Happens is so awful I could barely keep reading
Spoiler
I'm referring to the rape, not the murder of the rapist in case that wasn't obvious.Doughy seems to say that no matter how successful or independent you are as a woman, you are still just a woman in a man's world, at the mercy of a thouroughly sexist society. She does this brutally, believably and unapologetically. Yvonne is a rare, nuanced character bound to be disliked by readers who need their heroines to be lovable. At times, I found her behaviour frustrating
Spoiler
Not leaving Guy after his affair, mooning over Mark despite his aloofnessIt is suspenseful, but perhaps too dark for those looking for a quick thriller, or rather, dark for the wrong reasons. There is very little blood and gore here, yet this is one of the most nightmarish, frightening novels I've read in a long time. The horribly depressing anecdote of an experiment with mother and baby chimps almost made me lose all faith in mankind (and apes). Eager to read more by this author.
sonham's review against another edition
4.0
Teile der Geschichte sind nicht schlüssig, aber ansonsten ein gut geschriebenes und spannendes Buch.
moneypenny51's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like Yvonne much and therefore, didn't feel overly sorry for her. The story was good, though. An OK read.
gnome_reads's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kajalbhagwandas's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read a book this addictive in a long time. A spur of the moment event turns the live of two individuals totally upside down. This book had so many twists and turns that I was gasping out loud while reading this on the train. This gritty book of lust, betrayal and fantasy makes this book hard to put down