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scrollingbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book but it promised more than it delivered.
The story is a fictional account of matters arising after a true Victorian crime, the grisly Edgware Road murder. The plot concerns the questionable conviction of Sarah Gale, as an accomplice to murder and the subsequent appeal into her conviction, by Edmund Fleetwood. The blurb promises twists and turns and family secrets, which all sound jolly promising.
In reality, this is a well-written, atmospheric book, but for me, it lacked real tension. That Sarah appears to be withholding the truth (not a plot spoiler, this is the assumption from the start) begins to wear thin after a while and I began to lose sympathy because of her stubbornness. To be prepared to hang to protect the secret, must make it a pretty spectacular one...and when the revelation comes, for me it falls flat on its face. Yes, the arguments are sound as to why Sarah would keep quiet, but the author had failed to make me care about the relevant parties and so it was a bit of a 'blah' moment.
I have been spoiled recently by some awesome reads written with poetic prose. Whilst well-written, this book lacked enchanting language, so much so that I don't think I hightlighted a single sentence. Don't get me wrong, a worthwhile read (3.5 stars) but it doesnt rip up any bridges and I was glad to finish it.
The story is a fictional account of matters arising after a true Victorian crime, the grisly Edgware Road murder. The plot concerns the questionable conviction of Sarah Gale, as an accomplice to murder and the subsequent appeal into her conviction, by Edmund Fleetwood. The blurb promises twists and turns and family secrets, which all sound jolly promising.
In reality, this is a well-written, atmospheric book, but for me, it lacked real tension. That Sarah appears to be withholding the truth (not a plot spoiler, this is the assumption from the start) begins to wear thin after a while and I began to lose sympathy because of her stubbornness. To be prepared to hang to protect the secret, must make it a pretty spectacular one...and when the revelation comes, for me it falls flat on its face. Yes, the arguments are sound as to why Sarah would keep quiet, but the author had failed to make me care about the relevant parties and so it was a bit of a 'blah' moment.
I have been spoiled recently by some awesome reads written with poetic prose. Whilst well-written, this book lacked enchanting language, so much so that I don't think I hightlighted a single sentence. Don't get me wrong, a worthwhile read (3.5 stars) but it doesnt rip up any bridges and I was glad to finish it.
ohsnaplez's review against another edition
2.0
This read like a blurry tracing of a Sarah Waters novel, with build-a-book characters slotted into what could have been a very strong reimagination of a true crime.
bookytaunton's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
geegee_74's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't quite live up to its promise for me. There were constant hints of the supernatural throughout, but it ended up being a retelling of an historical murder case which wasn't quite what I was expecting.
danielborg's review
dark
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
3.75
kncloherty's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.5
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
In 1836, James Greenacre and his lover Sarah Gale were found guilty of murdering Hannah Brown in London. This actual event is the starting point for Mazzola's novel. She has created the character of Edmund Fleetwood, a lawyer who is assign to review Sarah's conviction and decide if the death penalty should apply. Contrary to his expectations, given that she has a young son and her life is at stake, he finds her uncooperative and reluctant to open up to him.
This is a clever and intriguing story. It develops slightly slowly but its deceptively simple and you gradually realise that the author is playing tricks on you. I didn't realise until the book's end that it is a fictional story woven around real events and that all the court statements and newspaper reports are in fact actual quotes from the time. It's very cleverly done and I'm impressed by the amount of research that the author did and the way she incorporated it so seamlessly.
This is a clever and intriguing story. It develops slightly slowly but its deceptively simple and you gradually realise that the author is playing tricks on you. I didn't realise until the book's end that it is a fictional story woven around real events and that all the court statements and newspaper reports are in fact actual quotes from the time. It's very cleverly done and I'm impressed by the amount of research that the author did and the way she incorporated it so seamlessly.
mwgerard's review against another edition
4.0
Please read my full review here: http://mwgerard.com/review-the-unseeing/
theciz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
A historical thriller I picked up because a friend had enjoyed it and lent it to me. Based on a real case, the Victorian London setting is very well done, even if it does the cliche thing of all the "bad" characters having period opinions and our protagonists having mostly modern ones. The discussion about the justice system in the 1830s is also interesting, if a bit heavy handed at times.
The problem, really, is the characters. Edmund is a complete mark, Sarah herself is all over the place (and for me largely unsympathetic when clearly intended to be otherwise) and other characters are pretty thin. The pacing also suffers, and the story feels increasingly drawn out for no reason nearer the end, only for things to be concluded pretty briefly. The resolution to the mystery is also very "8pm procedural murder of the week". Mazzola clearly discovered the story of Hannah Brown’s murder and worked backwards from there for the book, and unfortunately it shows, as a lot of the framing is pretty flimsy. Ultimately it just made me want to reread Alias Grace, which does a similar thing in a much more complex, interesting way.
The problem, really, is the characters. Edmund is a complete mark, Sarah herself is all over the place (and for me largely unsympathetic when clearly intended to be otherwise) and other characters are pretty thin. The pacing also suffers, and the story feels increasingly drawn out for no reason nearer the end, only for things to be concluded pretty briefly. The resolution to the mystery is also very "8pm procedural murder of the week". Mazzola clearly discovered the story of Hannah Brown’s murder and worked backwards from there for the book, and unfortunately it shows, as a lot of the framing is pretty flimsy. Ultimately it just made me want to reread Alias Grace, which does a similar thing in a much more complex, interesting way.