edierobertss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
macneill___rae's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this audiobook without really knowing anything about it. I wish I had read a little bit more beforehand because I don't think this one would have been one I'd pick had I known. It came up under my available now on Libby, and I figured I would just give it a try.
It ended up being a little more heavy of a story than I expected or was wanting to listen to when I picked it. It is loosely inspired by the Manson Family and the murder of Sharon Tate which honestly left me a little uncomfortable when reading it at times. Was just a little more than yucky and too realistic. Especially since finding out this fact. Thrillers usually don't bother me much, but knowing similar events happened. I don't know. Gave me a major ick.
This one wasn't my vibe in the end. Well written however in my opinion so others may end up really liking it. I just should have done my research.
It ended up being a little more heavy of a story than I expected or was wanting to listen to when I picked it. It is loosely inspired by the Manson Family and the murder of Sharon Tate which honestly left me a little uncomfortable when reading it at times. Was just a little more than yucky and too realistic. Especially since finding out this fact. Thrillers usually don't bother me much, but knowing similar events happened. I don't know. Gave me a major ick.
This one wasn't my vibe in the end. Well written however in my opinion so others may end up really liking it. I just should have done my research.
lorabishop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
angelofsappho's review against another edition
2.75
this book could have been so much better if the main character was suzanne or any of the other girls. Evie throughout the book was just a desperate insecure girl and it was starting to get very annoying. The whole plot would’ve been so much more interesting if there was more written about the actual murders. I honestly still don’t understand the point of this book.
kelton365's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookchew's review against another edition
5.0
Potentially the best book I'll read in 2016. It gave me that elusive "book tingle"--when a book is so good, it feels as if it was written for you. Emma Cline is a true talent, and has evoked the quiet rage of girlhood in a way that I've rarely seen before. The Girls is a book I wish I could have written.
My one criticism: The writing is, at times, "too clever." Her style may be an acquired taste. Cline uses words in an unconventional way, leading to meandering descriptions that are at times confusing. Some sentences have so much ornament, it distracts from the content. Other sentences end abruptly, meant to evoke a blunt, joyless tone. An example:
The dark maritime cypress packed tight outside the house, the twitch of salt air. I ate in the blunt way I had as a child—a glut of spaghetti, mossed with cheese. The nothing jump of soda in my throat.
Every word is so carefully picked over, you can see the writer writing. I was almost too conscious of Emma Cline, and found myself focusing on her clever language gimmicks rather than on the plot.
Still, the writing is beautiful, the characters are evocative, the content is compelling, the atmosphere of a dusty, fraught summer is palpable. The Girls is damn near perfect.
My one criticism: The writing is, at times, "too clever." Her style may be an acquired taste. Cline uses words in an unconventional way, leading to meandering descriptions that are at times confusing. Some sentences have so much ornament, it distracts from the content. Other sentences end abruptly, meant to evoke a blunt, joyless tone. An example:
The dark maritime cypress packed tight outside the house, the twitch of salt air. I ate in the blunt way I had as a child—a glut of spaghetti, mossed with cheese. The nothing jump of soda in my throat.
Every word is so carefully picked over, you can see the writer writing. I was almost too conscious of Emma Cline, and found myself focusing on her clever language gimmicks rather than on the plot.
Still, the writing is beautiful, the characters are evocative, the content is compelling, the atmosphere of a dusty, fraught summer is palpable. The Girls is damn near perfect.
veganellewoods's review against another edition
5.0
The fucked up ideas of Gillian Flynn combined with the prose of Margaret Atwood
alexandraloyd's review against another edition
3.0
this book was mostly entertaining but i kept asking myself “what is the point?” over and over again. and now that i’m finished, i still have no idea what i’m supposed to take away from this. the book follows a 14 year old girl, evie, who has no friends, parents who dont understand her, and no crushes who like her back. so one day she runs into an older, mysterious girl who leads her back to “the ranch” where their 1960s cult leader shows young girls how much of a waste the “real” world is.
the author does a great job at highlighting how easy it is for young, strugging women to fall into the manipulative traps of older men, easily groomed into what they require them to be. but, for me this book fell short everywhere else. the entire first 75% of the book describing the time at the ranch was preaching love and peace and all that typical cult shit, but then at the end when the crime is committed, it doesn’t make sense. why would the girls follow such a command when they seemed otherwise gentle and innocent? we don’t get much backstory on the cult leader either, so it’s difficult to understand his motives and why he’s such a followed presence.
i understand that the author wanted to focus the book on evie, but she wasn’t even part of the crime, so understanding the “why” behind the ending was difficult. also, the “after” flashbacks of evie’s life years after leaving the cult were so pointless to me. her sitting in a guest house with college kids eating pizza and struggling to relate to them? just brief chapters of that same scene packed in between the cult flashbacks? again, while the imagery was bright and i did enjoy reading the story, i really have no idea what the point of it was.
rating: 3.5/5
the author does a great job at highlighting how easy it is for young, strugging women to fall into the manipulative traps of older men, easily groomed into what they require them to be. but, for me this book fell short everywhere else. the entire first 75% of the book describing the time at the ranch was preaching love and peace and all that typical cult shit, but then at the end when the crime is committed, it doesn’t make sense. why would the girls follow such a command when they seemed otherwise gentle and innocent? we don’t get much backstory on the cult leader either, so it’s difficult to understand his motives and why he’s such a followed presence.
i understand that the author wanted to focus the book on evie, but she wasn’t even part of the crime, so understanding the “why” behind the ending was difficult. also, the “after” flashbacks of evie’s life years after leaving the cult were so pointless to me. her sitting in a guest house with college kids eating pizza and struggling to relate to them? just brief chapters of that same scene packed in between the cult flashbacks? again, while the imagery was bright and i did enjoy reading the story, i really have no idea what the point of it was.
rating: 3.5/5