Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Harpy

Megan Hunter writes absolutely beautiful and compelling prose. All two and a half stars belong to the high quality of Hunter's words. Also, the concept of this book? So enticing. If I see the words "dark fairytale" and "female rage" used to describe a book, it's an insta-read. Unfortunately, though, the execution of The Harpy let me down. There is a whole lot of build-up in this book, all working towards an ending that I found frankly disappointing. Without spoiling too much, Lucy only rarely harnesses her rage. Not only that, but magical realism is another insta-read descriptor of mine that was used by reviewers to describe The Harpy. Honestly, I would barely categorize this as magical realism. There is literally ONE scene that could be described in that way.

How would I summarize this book? Beautifully written but ultimately a lackluster portrait of a sad woman in a sad marriage.

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paperbackinmybackpack's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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toffishay's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

I felt so much for the main character. You are really pulled into her internal world and its very emotionally turbulent. It was pretty intense, but was also more sad too and really explored a woman in a difficult marriage and trapped in her life. The ending went in a direction that I didn't expect too.

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