lanagabriela99's review
4.0
4-4.5 stars. Oddly enough, this book has piqued my interest in traveling to Bangkok.
frahorus's review against another edition
3.0
Una ladra fugge da New York a Bangkok dove decide di vivere in un grattacielo. Ma sarà davvero un rifugio quello che trova o diventerà la sua prigione?
In questa storia i protagonisti sono i segreti: essi si possono custodire per sempre? O qualcuno riuscirà a scoprirli e a prenderceli? Quello che ci regala Lawrence Osborne è un thriller insolito, che inizia con lentezza come le nuotate che si concede Sarah, la protagonista della storia, ormai quasi certa di stare al sicuro in quel complesso residenziale, ma la sua generosità (come ad esempio l'aver accettato la donna delle pulizie) la metterà ben presto nei guai con un finale spiazzante e triste.
In questa storia i protagonisti sono i segreti: essi si possono custodire per sempre? O qualcuno riuscirà a scoprirli e a prenderceli? Quello che ci regala Lawrence Osborne è un thriller insolito, che inizia con lentezza come le nuotate che si concede Sarah, la protagonista della storia, ormai quasi certa di stare al sicuro in quel complesso residenziale, ma la sua generosità (come ad esempio l'aver accettato la donna delle pulizie) la metterà ben presto nei guai con un finale spiazzante e triste.
whogivesabook's review against another edition
2.0
Damn. It is going to be another short review. Because I was always brought up to believe that if you don't have anything good to say, you shouldn't say much of anything.
This one reads like it wants to be High Rise (J.G.Ballard) and ends up just being a low ebb.
I loved the writing. The author is clearly talented. They just can't develop a decent plot to keep things engaging. I kept reading because I loved the description of the hotel and the surrounding area. I've been to Thailand. I stayed in a similar setting. It rang true in many respects...
But ultimately the story doesn't go anywhere. There's no real tension and that's almost a blessing when you realise that there would have been no pay off even if the tension had been high.
It would be more accurate to say that there was a 90° turn, rather than a twist. Twice.
I've no way of benchmarking this against holiday reads, because I don't read them. But I assume that this is the sort of thing that a person who reads one book a year might find scintillating.
I'm not tagging the author or the book title in hashtags because I don't think it's fair. I'm sure the author has done better than this before. And if you buy this book, that's at least paid for the descriptions because they are great.
I'm really disappointed, because I took a break from a fantastic trilogy to finish this one off and it's really bummed my vibe.
This one reads like it wants to be High Rise (J.G.Ballard) and ends up just being a low ebb.
I loved the writing. The author is clearly talented. They just can't develop a decent plot to keep things engaging. I kept reading because I loved the description of the hotel and the surrounding area. I've been to Thailand. I stayed in a similar setting. It rang true in many respects...
But ultimately the story doesn't go anywhere. There's no real tension and that's almost a blessing when you realise that there would have been no pay off even if the tension had been high.
It would be more accurate to say that there was a 90° turn, rather than a twist. Twice.
I've no way of benchmarking this against holiday reads, because I don't read them. But I assume that this is the sort of thing that a person who reads one book a year might find scintillating.
I'm not tagging the author or the book title in hashtags because I don't think it's fair. I'm sure the author has done better than this before. And if you buy this book, that's at least paid for the descriptions because they are great.
I'm really disappointed, because I took a break from a fantastic trilogy to finish this one off and it's really bummed my vibe.
lizzybrrs's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
readingundertheradar's review
2.0
Started out interesting enough, but the third-person omniscient narration ultimately was its downfall for me. Jumping from character to character and immediately learning their thoughts and intentions took out some of the suspense and interest and did not benefit in a way that the trade off made sense.
CW: domestic abuse, violence, blood
CW: domestic abuse, violence, blood
d_sheerin's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
While the plot felt flawed and narration sometimes hard to follow, this book was a relaxing read. The author is very descriptive about background noise & filler sentences, which almost makes it feel like the story was really just about the Kingdom itself, not the characters.
misslezlee's review against another edition
2.0
It would have been just one star if not for the surprise ending. A seriously tedious read for me. All that for an amount of money that would last for maybe five years living frugally.
chaddnolen's review against another edition
2.0
2.0
Plodding story with unlikable characters. Not enough tension. The building and its tenants could have made for more intrigue. Made me interested in Bangkok. Subtle transitions from person to person were well done by the author.
Plodding story with unlikable characters. Not enough tension. The building and its tenants could have made for more intrigue. Made me interested in Bangkok. Subtle transitions from person to person were well done by the author.
kamagates4's review against another edition
3.0
The Glass Kingdom by Lawrence Osborne is a tail set in Thailand at a large crumbling complex called the Kingdom. Sarah, an American from New York who recently moved to Bangkok, is taken with the women of the building after she meets Mali who invites her to the groups weekly gatherings. But political unrest settles in around the building and strange disappearances occur. Sarah's safe haven soon starts to disappear.
First and foremost, there was not a single character in this mystery/thriller that I liked. This was a first for me and I don't think I was a fan. I don't mind a non likeable character and in many places, I think they are called for but this book took that to another level. Sarah, one of the main characters is a criminal mastermind who could pull off a large financial crime in the United States but then could be so easily manipulated to the women in the Kingdom, pretty easily felt off to me. I did enjoy the ambience and the tone set in the Kingdom and felt it mimicked the time and frustration around them. 2.5 stars, audio.
First and foremost, there was not a single character in this mystery/thriller that I liked. This was a first for me and I don't think I was a fan. I don't mind a non likeable character and in many places, I think they are called for but this book took that to another level. Sarah, one of the main characters is a criminal mastermind who could pull off a large financial crime in the United States but then could be so easily manipulated to the women in the Kingdom, pretty easily felt off to me. I did enjoy the ambience and the tone set in the Kingdom and felt it mimicked the time and frustration around them. 2.5 stars, audio.