lonnielandia's review against another edition
Feels like the book turns away from horror to an infertility journal close to the end. Not quite what I was expecting. Not rating.
lilyaforbes's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amyhenderson's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this. Real twists and turns throughout, kept me engaged.
beckyemma's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bumble_abi's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
you can tell I'm not having a great time with my mental health because I'm reading mass market thrillers again
this is blurbed as 'the most mind-blowing book of the year' which is the kind of hyperbole that can only set a book up for a fall. Marisa and her lovely boyfriend move in together and try to start a family, but Marisa is increasingly disturbed by the behaviour of their solicitous and overfamiliar lodger, Kate. There's a decent twist in this but it occurs only about a third of the way into the book, and then the rest is the long unraveling of how we got to that point, followed by a slightly too tidy ending.
This truly did feel like a book of two halves - the first half is great, tense and confusing and addictive, but it peaks too early and doesn't leave enough meat for the second half. There's not enough depth to any of it to justify its ultimate meandering. There's a (not graphic - the narrative voice just tells you it happened) rape scene which didn't have very much of a purpose in the plot except as a shortcut to creating a character who is unstable, which felt unnecessary and distasteful. I enjoyed it well enough but wouldn't rush to recommend.
this is blurbed as 'the most mind-blowing book of the year' which is the kind of hyperbole that can only set a book up for a fall. Marisa and her lovely boyfriend move in together and try to start a family, but Marisa is increasingly disturbed by the behaviour of their solicitous and overfamiliar lodger, Kate. There's a decent twist in this but it occurs only about a third of the way into the book, and then the rest is the long unraveling of how we got to that point, followed by a slightly too tidy ending.
This truly did feel like a book of two halves - the first half is great, tense and confusing and addictive, but it peaks too early and doesn't leave enough meat for the second half. There's not enough depth to any of it to justify its ultimate meandering. There's a (not graphic - the narrative voice just tells you it happened) rape scene which didn't have very much of a purpose in the plot except as a shortcut to creating a character who is unstable, which felt unnecessary and distasteful. I enjoyed it well enough but wouldn't rush to recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape and Violence
squireskay's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
anjadevries's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Magpie by Elizabeth Day, it had me hooked from the start and I devoured it! The book is split into numerous distinct parts as the timeline changes and makes you question/reassess everything you thought you knew about the book in the previous chapters. I loved how easy it was to read aswell as how unique and compelling the story line was. The only reason I decided to rate it 4 instead of 5 stars was that I was a little disappointed by the ending - it wasn’t a bad ending.. I think I just expected something else maybe a shock plot twist or something a bit bigger than it was. Either way I would highly recommend and worth a 4 star.
sjforsko's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This started out really great but then fell off a cliff. There was one great twist right in the middle, but then nothing else. I kept thinking there would be another one right up until the end, but it never came. Bummer.
quinnglishmuffin's review against another edition
3.0
this book was quick n fun and i liked it! nothing super special, the twist was unique and the ending was nice :) definitely would be good for someone looking to get into domestic thrillers but doesn’t want anything too intense/dark!
elean0rtaylor's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
This was okay. Not at all what I was expecting but it was quite gripping.
I enjoyed the plot surrounding fertility and thought that was done well.
Some of the parts about mental health seemed skimmed over and not really dealt with fully. In general, I really dislike the horrible mother/horrible mother in law trope because it always seems caricatured and over done and often takes the plot away from more interesting storylines.
It was alright, and I got the audiobook on loan from the library so I don't feel too disappointed but I had expected better. Some describe it as a thriller but I wouldn't really describe it as such. The writing style was okay, but kind of reminded me of 'beach read' type authors such as Jojo Moyes.
I enjoyed the plot surrounding fertility and thought that was done well.
Some of the parts about mental health seemed skimmed over and not really dealt with fully. In general, I really dislike the horrible mother/horrible mother in law trope because it always seems caricatured and over done and often takes the plot away from more interesting storylines.
It was alright, and I got the audiobook on loan from the library so I don't feel too disappointed but I had expected better. Some describe it as a thriller but I wouldn't really describe it as such. The writing style was okay, but kind of reminded me of 'beach read' type authors such as Jojo Moyes.