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srimtl's review against another edition
4.0
I picked it up since it was on the 'new' shelf in the library, without expecting a lot from it.
It starts in a rather Paula Hawkins sort of way, but then unexpectedly steers you in a direction that I definitely did not see coming. It's not plot twists, or an unexpected event that rather takes you by surprise, and that's what makes this book quite so unique. Erin does all this just in how she tells the story. The plot is simple, the stories within the characters is much more deeper and tugs at your heart.
To have given voice to all the main characters she builds in the book is something i thought enriched the story. My first Erin Kelly, and now in classic me style, I'll hunt down all of them and devour them.
P.S I read a couple chapters before bed and it did give me a sleepless night.
It starts in a rather Paula Hawkins sort of way, but then unexpectedly steers you in a direction that I definitely did not see coming. It's not plot twists, or an unexpected event that rather takes you by surprise, and that's what makes this book quite so unique. Erin does all this just in how she tells the story. The plot is simple, the stories within the characters is much more deeper and tugs at your heart.
To have given voice to all the main characters she builds in the book is something i thought enriched the story. My first Erin Kelly, and now in classic me style, I'll hunt down all of them and devour them.
P.S I read a couple chapters before bed and it did give me a sleepless night.
bookapotamus's review against another edition
4.0
Ohhh boy do I like me a good book about a mental hospital! It's fascinating and terrifying all the same time what people back in the day were locked up for - for being "insane". Things like laziness, or domestic troubles, even masturbation and jealousy. I went into this book thinking it was going to be one of those thrillers set in a mental hospital with crazy women screaming and frothing at the mouth, fast paced lunacy and hysteria... I mean - perfection in my book! But it wasn't that. BUT - we WILL see some of that delicious madness - but this was one of those slow burn thrillers, that's methodically calculated across decades, slowly weaving tiny snippets of secrets and lies, that one may just kill to keep buried. And it's all centered around the Nazareth Mental Hospital.
Told from after the place has been remodeled into swanky apartments, while it was still in operation housing the insane, and also the in between years, when it was just a sad, scary condemned abandoned building - this place haunts several people and families for years and years, and it seems that it will continue to do for decades to come.
I was super excited for the mental hospital aspect of this. Thinking that's ALL it was. And I actually did have some reservations in the beginning.. wait what? It's apartments now? Get me back to the nutter house!! Who are all these characters and things they are referring to from the past.. I admit the beginning had me a bit frazzled, and overwhelmed and kinda disappointed...
But then I let go of trying to keep everyone and everything straight and just let the story be. And I'm SO glad I did. Every single little bit so cleverly fell into place like an intricately woven mystery, littered with secrets and lies that couldn't have been more haunting. The intensity is slow, but it creeps up on you and just when you think you'd got it all figured out - wham! You don't even see it coming. It's methodical and masterful how Erin Kelly intertwined every last detail and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Told from after the place has been remodeled into swanky apartments, while it was still in operation housing the insane, and also the in between years, when it was just a sad, scary condemned abandoned building - this place haunts several people and families for years and years, and it seems that it will continue to do for decades to come.
I was super excited for the mental hospital aspect of this. Thinking that's ALL it was. And I actually did have some reservations in the beginning.. wait what? It's apartments now? Get me back to the nutter house!! Who are all these characters and things they are referring to from the past.. I admit the beginning had me a bit frazzled, and overwhelmed and kinda disappointed...
But then I let go of trying to keep everyone and everything straight and just let the story be. And I'm SO glad I did. Every single little bit so cleverly fell into place like an intricately woven mystery, littered with secrets and lies that couldn't have been more haunting. The intensity is slow, but it creeps up on you and just when you think you'd got it all figured out - wham! You don't even see it coming. It's methodical and masterful how Erin Kelly intertwined every last detail and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
cloudedsulphur's review against another edition
5.0
This book was beautifully written and engaging. Marianne has secrets about her youth and Nazareth Mental Hospital. She’s not the only one with a secret and the storylines are wonderfully interwoven. The characters are well done, and you can’t help but feel compassion for them, even in their darkest moments. I enjoyed that the story started in current day and moved backward, allowing you to experience several times for the three primary female characters. Well done and I would definitely recommend!
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
2.0
This was a disappointing miss for me - I felt it was extremely slow moving and I had to push myself to finish. These aren’t the phrases I want to use when I’m describing a thriller/psychological suspense.
From the beginning, we know that Marianne has some secrets in her past - things she would do just about anything to keep her husband and daughter from learning. We go on to slowly learn what happened in the past.
The story is told from different perspectives and timelines - filling in details of what happened in the past and coming back to current day. I don’t want to say much more as it would be spoilers - but I recommend passing on this one.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
From the beginning, we know that Marianne has some secrets in her past - things she would do just about anything to keep her husband and daughter from learning. We go on to slowly learn what happened in the past.
The story is told from different perspectives and timelines - filling in details of what happened in the past and coming back to current day. I don’t want to say much more as it would be spoilers - but I recommend passing on this one.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
momwrex's review against another edition
3.0
1st half is a trudge. Helen's part is much more engaging.
cpriley401's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
skaarke's review against another edition
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review Stone Mothers. I loved the synopsis of this story so I jumped on it. Sadly, I found it so slow and hard to get into. Some characters seemed underdeveloped for my taste and the ending left me wanting more. While this is the first book by Erin Kelly I have read, I had heard many positive things about her other books so wanted to give this one a try. Sadly, it fell a little short. A story about an insane asylum and blackmail, it had all the promises of a great read.
booksintheirnaturalhabitat's review against another edition
3.0
Stone Mothers is told in three different parts, each a different point of view. Marianne returns home as an adult many years later as responsibilities sometimes require in that phase of life. She had built a new life elsewhere to escape from her past, and now it's threatening to resurface... something that would surely upend her family. Everyone has their secrets, but no one knows the entire truth of what happened with an old mental hospital at the base of it all. Perhaps there others with a lot to lose as well.
I was excited when I read the premise of this book. Mental health and the inner psyche is something that I'm always intrigued by however I didn't feel like the book fully delivered. There was build up to what I thought would be a huge reveal and I felt let down when it either didn't occur in that moment or the reveal didn't seem quite built or intense enough. The book, however, did continue to have creepy undertones throughout and some moments of resentment. Jesse was so irritating that I had to try not to get worked up; I can't stand ignorant POS's like him.
All in all, it was just a middle of the roads, not quite standout book for me. It had potential but in my eyes didn't fully fulfill its potential.
I was excited when I read the premise of this book. Mental health and the inner psyche is something that I'm always intrigued by however I didn't feel like the book fully delivered. There was build up to what I thought would be a huge reveal and I felt let down when it either didn't occur in that moment or the reveal didn't seem quite built or intense enough. The book, however, did continue to have creepy undertones throughout and some moments of resentment. Jesse was so irritating that I had to try not to get worked up; I can't stand ignorant POS's like him.
All in all, it was just a middle of the roads, not quite standout book for me. It had potential but in my eyes didn't fully fulfill its potential.
lisaeirene's review against another edition
4.0
Marianne is accomplished in her career, married with an adult daughter, living a posh life in London. Then she goes back home to her rundown town to help care for her mother who is suffering from dementia. She is faced with the dark secrets she left behind.
Her husband surprises her by buying a flat in a newly renovated building that used to be the insane asylum in her hometown. He thinks this is a good thing since they are going to be there for awhile taking care of her ailing mother. But Marianne is suddenly faced with her secret past and everything is threatening to be revealed and ruin her life.
The book was told in a very interesting way. I enjoyed it a lot and liked the unique writing style. The book starts slow but picks up the pace and get pretty good.