bookapotamus's review against another edition
2.0
Written very nicely but super-weak plot. The first sentence grabs you but after that it completely falls apart and ends with you feeling incomplete.
kschulze's review against another edition
2.0
I really didn't like this one. I usually dont go below 3 stars, but I had to here. After the lovely bones, I was excited to read the almost moon! I started this book, and read about 6 other books before finally coming back to it and finishing it.
The only reason I finished it was because I HATE leaving books half-read.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, the plot could have been interesting enough, but the main character was just not likable! At all! I would have been okay with a main character that I hated because I was supposed to hate her, but Helen was just... Blah.
The book just flat out disappointed me. I did not care for any of the other characters, and I especially did not care for the decisions Helen made. The entire time I was reading, I found myself wishing that she had just gone to the police and turned herself in directly after the crime. It would have made me happier!
The only reason I finished it was because I HATE leaving books half-read.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, the plot could have been interesting enough, but the main character was just not likable! At all! I would have been okay with a main character that I hated because I was supposed to hate her, but Helen was just... Blah.
The book just flat out disappointed me. I did not care for any of the other characters, and I especially did not care for the decisions Helen made. The entire time I was reading, I found myself wishing that she had just gone to the police and turned herself in directly after the crime. It would have made me happier!
tcturner14's review against another edition
1.0
I was given this book as a gift by someone who thought I would enjoy although after hearing about her first novel, The Lovely Bones, I did not think it was my type of read. In a desperate attempt to read one night I grabbed this off the bookshelf because it was one of few books I had not read. About half way through the second chapter I had to give up on it and put it down. I felt like it was dragging by and filled with pointless details. I could already sense there was no point or resolution. And I honestly couldnt get over the fact that Helen murdered her mother and then dragged her corpse around. It just was not for me. In my opinion, this is a book best avoided.
lbb00ks's review against another edition
Although I understand that the maddeninly slow progression of plot in this novel mirrors the inner life of the novel's protagonist, ultimately this was unsatisfying to me. I enjoyed The Lovely Bones until the main character's sister discovers the truth about her death, then felt that everything that came after that was beside the point, and an odd message about redemption in the afterlife. I think this novel also has an end problem that is similarly unsatisfying in what is to be our ultimate understanding of why and how these events transpired.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 STARS
"For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others: to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate." (From Amazon)
Maybe I like my mom too much but I could not get into this story at all and only finished it because it was written by Alice Sebold.
"For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others: to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate." (From Amazon)
Maybe I like my mom too much but I could not get into this story at all and only finished it because it was written by Alice Sebold.
alldaffer's review against another edition
Starts out bad, and gets worse. I put it down about page 80, when the main character starts having sex with someone's child.
nglofile's review against another edition
I was aware of the disturbing premise, but that with other developments just became unbearable.
audiobook note: Joan Allen is excellent, probably the only reason I stayed with it as long as I did.
audiobook note: Joan Allen is excellent, probably the only reason I stayed with it as long as I did.
evawhite's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
thewrappedupreader13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
it’s a very dark and twisted novel. the main character is a very troubled woman, and the book focuses on her strained relationship with her family, particularly her mother. as the book goes on, it’s very clear that both the main character and her mother suffer from serious mental health struggles. they don’t learn to deal with these struggles, however. it’s very weird, and very creepy, and i was not ready for it at all. i wouldn’t want to read it again.