marilynsaul's review against another edition
1.0
Half-way through and I found myself skimming. I really disliked Opal - so scattered, sometimes her age but other times a teenager in a 27-year-old body; seriously couldn't remember taking in a neighbor's groceries, parceling them in the refrigerator, then in five minutes completely forgetting about them when neighbor came for the order?; the ending was meh; and, overall, the people and how they acted were just so improbable; the dialogue was just ridiculous; missing so many obvious clues was just beyond me. I leave it there.
jwoolley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
missantarctica's review against another edition
1.0
I'm sorry but what? I still have no idea what happened. Wa-HAY to plot heavy.
caitsidhe's review against another edition
5.0
More reviews on my blog
This is an astonishing work of fiction.
It's so good it's almost impossible to talk about it without reverting to advertising-type nonsense. Spellbinding, disturbing, emotionall devastating. There, that's my urges in that direction dealt with.
It's the prose that really gets you. It is perfect for the book - imaginative and descriptive, using the language that the main character would have available to use. Good prose is very difficult to talk about - it can be tricky to describe exactly why it had the effect it did, because it is so perfect for the story that you barely notice the spell its weaving.
I believed utterly in the world. The grim council estates of Leeds felt familiar enough to the grim council estate I grew up in to believe it utterly. The lagnuage the characters used was spot-on, and the way McPherson wrote around the secrets and tragedies clearly showed that she knows her craft.
The plot does rely a little over-much on coincidence to help the main character along- a number of useful things just happen around her and it almost destroys the suspension of disbelief you've got going on. But that's a minor flaw in a book I found so engrossing I read it in one sitting.
another 5, people.
Provided free by Midnight Ink through NetGalley.
This is an astonishing work of fiction.
It's so good it's almost impossible to talk about it without reverting to advertising-type nonsense. Spellbinding, disturbing, emotionall devastating. There, that's my urges in that direction dealt with.
It's the prose that really gets you. It is perfect for the book - imaginative and descriptive, using the language that the main character would have available to use. Good prose is very difficult to talk about - it can be tricky to describe exactly why it had the effect it did, because it is so perfect for the story that you barely notice the spell its weaving.
I believed utterly in the world. The grim council estates of Leeds felt familiar enough to the grim council estate I grew up in to believe it utterly. The lagnuage the characters used was spot-on, and the way McPherson wrote around the secrets and tragedies clearly showed that she knows her craft.
The plot does rely a little over-much on coincidence to help the main character along- a number of useful things just happen around her and it almost destroys the suspension of disbelief you've got going on. But that's a minor flaw in a book I found so engrossing I read it in one sitting.
another 5, people.
Provided free by Midnight Ink through NetGalley.
nnecatrix's review
4.0
Book #20 for 2014
This is an intriguing story with an excellent sense of place and some very nice twists as well. This was a book club selection, and Catriona was kind enough to provide some discussion questions for us. I will post the questions here, but some of my answers are spoileriffic, so I may edit those drastically.
1. There's an old Chinese proverb: "No coincidence; no story." But there's also an unwritten rule of mystery writing: "One coincidence, in the first half of the book, and it can't be what solves the mystery." What do you think of the use of coincidence in this book?
This book had a lot more coincidence than I am used to, and more, I'm sure, than is absolutely "proper." So it made me a little uncomfortable, but considering some of the themes Catriona was exploring here, I think I'd overlook the rules. Still, a smidgen less of a reliance on coincidence probably would have made the story seem stronger to me.
2. Why do you think Opal gets so involved in the three golden-thread mysteries?
For starters, they were all kinds of intriguing. And they had ties to her formative years in her old neighborhood. The bedpost angle was probably the most far-fetched, but that's what made it so interesting!
3. Who is your favourite character from among Opal's neighbours and why? Does your view change by the end of the book?
Fishbo.I think he was probably still my favorite by the end, though I did gain more of an appreciation of various other characters as the story went on.
4. Opal has a very un-glamorous job and we spend some time seeing her do it. Do you enjoy books with everyday workplaces in them?
I think we all appreciated this glimpse into Opal's everyday life. I know I get perturbed when it seems like the main character has completely dropped everything else in his or her life/career to focus on this one mystery. And I also liked that Catriona even had Opal's job play a small part in her discovering something about her neighbors.
5.Some readers have found fault with the negative portrayal of women, especially mothers, in the book. Does this trouble you?
I think Frank's comment was very fair, as it's a very common assumption. And I rather admire Catriona for being willing to explore this idea that not only are all mothers not shining goddesses of benevolence and light, but there are many, many godawful mothers who are barely fit to be called human beings, let alone be allowed to perpetuate the species. With this in mind, I think Catriona did a fine job of showing us some of the middle ground of motherhood. Her mothers in this story are mostly struggling humans faced with human challenges and making human responses.
6. Do you think this book has a happy ending? What do you think happens afterwards?
I'd call it a bittersweet ending. Overall, a lot of damage was revealed, but it seems like that was necessary to start the healing processes. I think that afterwards, the characters grew and learned from each other, finally laying to rest secrets that had been tormenting them.
This is an intriguing story with an excellent sense of place and some very nice twists as well. This was a book club selection, and Catriona was kind enough to provide some discussion questions for us. I will post the questions here, but some of my answers are spoileriffic, so I may edit those drastically.
1. There's an old Chinese proverb: "No coincidence; no story." But there's also an unwritten rule of mystery writing: "One coincidence, in the first half of the book, and it can't be what solves the mystery." What do you think of the use of coincidence in this book?
This book had a lot more coincidence than I am used to, and more, I'm sure, than is absolutely "proper." So it made me a little uncomfortable, but considering some of the themes Catriona was exploring here, I think I'd overlook the rules. Still, a smidgen less of a reliance on coincidence probably would have made the story seem stronger to me.
2. Why do you think Opal gets so involved in the three golden-thread mysteries?
For starters, they were all kinds of intriguing. And they had ties to her formative years in her old neighborhood. The bedpost angle was probably the most far-fetched, but that's what made it so interesting!
3. Who is your favourite character from among Opal's neighbours and why? Does your view change by the end of the book?
Fishbo.I think he was probably still my favorite by the end, though I did gain more of an appreciation of various other characters as the story went on.
4. Opal has a very un-glamorous job and we spend some time seeing her do it. Do you enjoy books with everyday workplaces in them?
I think we all appreciated this glimpse into Opal's everyday life. I know I get perturbed when it seems like the main character has completely dropped everything else in his or her life/career to focus on this one mystery. And I also liked that Catriona even had Opal's job play a small part in her discovering something about her neighbors.
5.
Spoiler
Frank says at one point, when Opal has made an assumption about his divorce, that it's not always "some poor suffering woman and some bastard hurting her."I think Frank's comment was very fair, as it's a very common assumption. And I rather admire Catriona for being willing to explore this idea that not only are all mothers not shining goddesses of benevolence and light, but there are many, many godawful mothers who are barely fit to be called human beings, let alone be allowed to perpetuate the species. With this in mind, I think Catriona did a fine job of showing us some of the middle ground of motherhood. Her mothers in this story are mostly struggling humans faced with human challenges and making human responses.
6. Do you think this book has a happy ending? What do you think happens afterwards?
I'd call it a bittersweet ending. Overall, a lot of damage was revealed, but it seems like that was necessary to start the healing processes. I think that afterwards, the characters grew and learned from each other, finally laying to rest secrets that had been tormenting them.
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