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thegothamgirls's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
El mensaje del libro es claro pero el final no me acaba de convencer... muchos cabos sueltos.
Las historias entrelazadas entre si están bien narradas aunque algunas están un poco mal planteadas.
Recomendable como lectura ligera y light, sólo me duro 2 horas.
El mensaje del libro es claro pero el final no me acaba de convencer... muchos cabos sueltos.
Las historias entrelazadas entre si están bien narradas aunque algunas están un poco mal planteadas.
Recomendable como lectura ligera y light, sólo me duro 2 horas.
jaymeee's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
beillumined's review against another edition
3.0
It might be strange to call a book like this "light reading," but that's what it is. It's a fast read, and it's an easy read. That's not to say it isn't an entertaining read. It had it's pluses: great character development, very descriptive, good plot. But the negatives were that there was almost TOO MANY descriptions... and maybe even too many characters. I had a hard time keeping track of all of them, I kept mixing them up. Plus, I wanted them all to be connected in some way to the main character, Kat, and in some loose way, they all were, but not enough to satisfy me. Plus, I was more invested in some of their stories than in others, which made me want to skip chapters that focused on characters I didn't care about. Those stories could have been developed a little more. I guess overall I desired a little more background, a little more buildup to the main event. I didn't feel emotionally attached to the main character at all, so in the end, I didn't feel sad about her death. Just... merely intrigued.
littlelibraryofhorrors's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
meme_too2's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to read this book because we always seem to have a morbid fascination of human nature, but I couldn't even finish it because of the language. It's interesting to see human nature in action, but sadly it's not a very positive reveal. Humans often don't do the right thing and this book shows that in spades. It's very sad and disappointing.
mwgerard's review against another edition
3.0
It began and ended strongly, but it the middle it seemed to lose its way a bit. Please read my full review here: http://cineastesbookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-good-neighbors-by-ryan-david.html
tarrynruth's review against another edition
4.0
A frightening look at the bystander effect. Extremes for the individual stories of those in the apartments. Dark. Twisted. Unsettling.
erinmully's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely dark and sometimes painful to read, Jahn bases his story on the Kitty Genovese murder in 1964 Queens. He does a good job of characterizing the neighbors who lived in Genovese's building, and saw or heard her being attacked and killed. Overall a compelling read.
felinity's review against another edition
4.0
This is an incredible story, and even more so for being a debut novel. Kat, the night manager at a bar, is almost home when she's attacked right outside her front door. She thinks she'll be okay, because many of her neighbors are home - in fact, she sees their lights on, and they see her after she screams. But each one of them has a different reason for not calling 911: a more pressing personal problem, someone starts talking, they don't want to tie up the lines with redundant calls... Obviously this is a fictionalized retelling of the Kitty Genovese story, but it's so much more than that. (For those who have had CPR training, this is precisely why you are taught to single out one person and say, "YOU, call 911 and come back".)
Each neighbor's story is examined and drawn into the storytelling weave, not just what happened that night but also some of their history. Each neighbor becomes a real person, despites only having a few chances to develop. Each has motivations, problems, relationships, a story. And each person can share in the guilt and shame of knowing they watched a girl being attacked and did nothing to stop it, and left the anonymous "other people" to help her. Not one called for help, even though they thought "Poor girl".
When you read this, let the truth sink in. Promise to yourself that you will never leave the responsibility for a simple phone call to other people when you have the ability, even if it means you're the 100th caller about an incident, because you never know if yours is the call that will make the difference.
Each neighbor's story is examined and drawn into the storytelling weave, not just what happened that night but also some of their history. Each neighbor becomes a real person, despites only having a few chances to develop. Each has motivations, problems, relationships, a story. And each person can share in the guilt and shame of knowing they watched a girl being attacked and did nothing to stop it, and left the anonymous "other people" to help her. Not one called for help, even though they thought "Poor girl".
When you read this, let the truth sink in. Promise to yourself that you will never leave the responsibility for a simple phone call to other people when you have the ability, even if it means you're the 100th caller about an incident, because you never know if yours is the call that will make the difference.