Reviews

Alles was ich dir geben will by Dolores Redondo

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anneduff's review against another edition

3.0

I found this to be quite a hard slog. There was enough there to keep me reading to the end but I normally finish a book of this length within about 4 days - it's taken me 14 days to read this one! There seemed to be too much digression that had no bearing on the story. Then, so many theories were presented as to whodunnit that it finally became far too confusing to take in easily. I'm glad I read it but I'm more glad that it's over.

margardenlady's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense 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? No

3.0

Deception, abuse, determination. In this novel we follow a man whose husband has been killed. As he goes to identify the body he learns that his husband has been living a double life, one with him and another in service of a family that had betrayed him as a child. Manuel is devastated by this revelation, but with the assistance of a retired policeman with his own agenda, investigates the circumstances around the death and discovers a nest of lies and manipulations.

golondrina's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

aimora's review against another edition

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4.0

Wow. There were few characters I didn't dislike for the entirety of the book. Very frustrating at times. The ending tied up loose ends but still left me unsatisfied.

veroluli's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

reyes_sf's review against another edition

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1.0

ETA 07/11/19: So months after I finished this book I have decided to lower my rating from 4 to 1 star. This is obviously a huge change of heart, although a very meditated and a very personal one. This is objectively a great book, but the only thing I can remember about it is
Spoiler
the very graphic rape of 8yo Santiago
and while I understand the need to talk about difficult themes in books and movies, I think there are more appropriate ways to do it. This book has broken me to the point that I doubt I'll ever read another book by Dolores Redondo ever again, even though I already own the first 2 books in her previous trilogy. Books really need to come with trigger warnings. Seriously, it's mandatory for movies, why not for books? because it's "less graphic"? because "it's left to your imagination"? Any reader can tell you that both things are categorically not true. I wish I had never read this.

This turned out to be more gothic tale / family saga than a thriller. Seriously, who killed Alvaro was just on the back of my mind, while I was completely engrossed in the Muñiz de Davila family history and Manuel's pain, which was as much a protagonist as Manuel himself. There are very few things about this book I didn't love, namely Nogueira (I'm sorry but I AM NOT OK with the way his story was resolved) and the (read at your own risk, massive spoiler ahead!)

Spoiler

the child abuse. This book should come with a huge warning, and was it really necessary to describe it not once, but twice, with that viciousness?? I almost stopped reading at that point

. The book ends with a hopeful note that is very much needed and welcomed after the heartbreaking, emotionally draining story of Alvaro and his brothers. I read this in the original Spanish, but I hear that the English translation All this I will give to you is brilliant too!. This book will stay with me for a very, very long time.

paulichi's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I'm glad I finished this book. But I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed it. I was interested enough to want to know what happened, and the last third was a little more pacy and interesting. But it wasn't remotely memorable.

On paper, the mystery surrounding Alvaro's death is intriguing. And certainly the drama and emotion ramp up towards the end. But I never connected with the characters (even Manuel), and although I appreciated the rich back stories and side plots, I just never fully engaged with it.

The pace is really slow for most of the book, and I'm not sure if it wanted to market itself as a poetic portrayal of grief or a gripping murder mystery. Ultimately it feels like it was a little of both, or a lot of neither.

Content Warnings

celinececilia's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

4.25

Content Warnings

andreadelval's review against another edition

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4.0

Una novela que cuando empiezas ni te imaginas toda la trama que se va a desarrollar después ni todos los argumentos que van a ir apareciendo. Pero, es por eso por lo que me ha gustado sobre todo, así como también los personajes tan complejos que tiene con tantos claros y oscuros

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