sde's review against another edition
3.0
This story was decent but I found the writing style to be annoying. Half the paragraphs start with "This is. . ." which reminded me of the nursery rhyme "This is the House that Jack Built." or the old This is your brain on drugs ad that showed an egg frying in a pan.
I also took a little while for things to happen, and there were a few threads - Beatrice, one of the women's babysitter when she was a girl; Mandy, the custodian at the pool - that I thought would go somewhere, but didn't. I really wanted to get to know Chris, a beautiful but distant and isolated mother of one of the swimmers, better. But there was enough suspense to keep me reading.
I also took a little while for things to happen, and there were a few threads - Beatrice, one of the women's babysitter when she was a girl; Mandy, the custodian at the pool - that I thought would go somewhere, but didn't. I really wanted to get to know Chris, a beautiful but distant and isolated mother of one of the swimmers, better. But there was enough suspense to keep me reading.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Becky.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sthis%20is%20the%20water%20murphy__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sthis%20is%20the%20water%20murphy__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
shalanna's review against another edition
2.0
This is me being annoyed by the author's writing style. This is me hoping the this is me sentences would end. This is me realizing they don't. This is me hating this book, which had a ton of potential, because of it. Good story, just couldn't get past the absurd writing.
lauraa06's review against another edition
3.0
This is written in the second person which takes a while to settle in to ("You walk into the locker room. You see your daughter.") The book went from a simple story about a disillusioned wife and mother to a murder mystery. I did not like the ending however.
bluebirdiebop's review
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A book with unusual writing and yet beautifully written.
jwmcoaching's review against another edition
2.0
Did Not Finish
This is me giving up on this book. This is me deciding to copy the style of other reviews of this because I can't resist. This is the way that nearly every sentence in this book begins. This is me bemoaning the fact that there's some really good writing here, but the "This is ..." device just turned me off. I also didn't like the schoolmarmish way that she referred to everybody's ass as their "rear". This drove me crazy. Oh, and there's a serial killer who works as a school administrator. This is just a little much for this father's mental well-being.
This is me giving up on this book. This is me deciding to copy the style of other reviews of this because I can't resist. This is the way that nearly every sentence in this book begins. This is me bemoaning the fact that there's some really good writing here, but the "This is ..." device just turned me off. I also didn't like the schoolmarmish way that she referred to everybody's ass as their "rear". This drove me crazy. Oh, and there's a serial killer who works as a school administrator. This is just a little much for this father's mental well-being.
booksies_booksies's review against another edition
5.0
I think this book is fantasic. It has some lower ratings that must be due the style it was written in. It took some getting used to, but was well worth it.
kmmi_booklover's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book difficult to rate. It is written in an odd 2nd person style, with most paragraphs beginning with "This is...". "You" are "Annie, the main character. The style gets in the way at first and switches often between characters. It only bothered me for several chapters and then I was fine with it. At times I felt like I was reading someone's writing assignment to show this certain style. This style in some ways outweighed the story. Without a doubt, Yannick Murphy can write.
"This is the Water" is not your typical murder mystery. The story centers around the families of a team of young swimmers. When one of them is murdered, you see how all react. The story is less about solving the crime and more about being inside each character's head. I felt like some of their thoughts were quite repetitive, and I did get tired of Annie thinking about Paul the husband of a friend. I wanted to get on with the mystery. One inner thought that was noteworthy to me was Annie describing "mom energy". This felt very real to me.
Definitely a unique interesting read. I'm just not sure that the story came through.
"This is the Water" is not your typical murder mystery. The story centers around the families of a team of young swimmers. When one of them is murdered, you see how all react. The story is less about solving the crime and more about being inside each character's head. I felt like some of their thoughts were quite repetitive, and I did get tired of Annie thinking about Paul the husband of a friend. I wanted to get on with the mystery. One inner thought that was noteworthy to me was Annie describing "mom energy". This felt very real to me.
Definitely a unique interesting read. I'm just not sure that the story came through.
atschakfoert's review against another edition
1.0
I found this book to be very boring most of the way through. And then there was the end...which was just awful. Up until that point, I figured I'd at least rate it a 2 for effort. The ending made me change my mind. It was terrible.