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live_and_let_di's review against another edition
3.0
This was a Goodreads Giveaway.
The prologue got me hooked but was disappointed that the story wasn't equally intriguing. I would have preferred a little more suspense and a much more shocking ending. I also, expected the book to be more about Diana, the missing girl but it seemed more focused on the neighbors, none of whom I connected with. But in the end, it was an enjoyable read enough to keep the pages turning.
The prologue got me hooked but was disappointed that the story wasn't equally intriguing. I would have preferred a little more suspense and a much more shocking ending. I also, expected the book to be more about Diana, the missing girl but it seemed more focused on the neighbors, none of whom I connected with. But in the end, it was an enjoyable read enough to keep the pages turning.
pianorunner421's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as I had anticipated, but definitely not a waste of time either
bougainvillea's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how to classify this. It's not a mystery in the sense that who did what to whom is not the most pressing question of the book. It's almost an afterthought. In fact, that aspect of the book really reminded me of [b:Something Might Happen|758688|Something Might Happen|Julie Myerson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178114956s/758688.jpg|744797]. Which is not a bad thing. I'm just not sure why the publisher chose to promote it as a mystery. If I was really in the mood for a mystery and was tricked into reading this, I'd be pissed. On the back cover, it says this book will appeal to fans of [a:Lisa Gardner|18282|Lisa Gardner|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1256576734p2/18282.jpg] and [a:Mary Higgins Clark|99044|Mary Higgins Clark|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1287227564p2/99044.jpg]. Um, no. First of all, those two authors are nothing alike, and second of all, The Neighbors are watching did not remind me of either one of them. Both Gardner and Clark write mysteries, albeit in their own ways.
Ok, having said that, Ginsberg creates some interesting characters and the plot is not bad. I like the whole neighborhood analysis factor. The book was also pretty well written. However, I honestly didn't care about any of the characters. I felt really detached from them, which made it hard to invest in what happened to them. The only exception was the lesbian couple, especially Sam. Towards the end of the book, I became more curious about Dorothy and Allison? became more interesting to me. But, overall, I really didn't care too much about any of them, to the point where I had no interest in the murder or finding out what happened to the victim at the end. And the big reveal seemed really random to me.
One thing I truly enjoyed was the description of the fire. I know nothing about wildfires and the whole description of how it encroached and developed and the soot covering everything... Fascinating.
I don't regret reading this, but I won't run out and read another of her novels, either. I'm actually more interested in her memoirs.
Ok, having said that, Ginsberg creates some interesting characters and the plot is not bad. I like the whole neighborhood analysis factor. The book was also pretty well written. However, I honestly didn't care about any of the characters. I felt really detached from them, which made it hard to invest in what happened to them. The only exception was the lesbian couple, especially Sam. Towards the end of the book, I became more curious about Dorothy and Allison? became more interesting to me. But, overall, I really didn't care too much about any of them, to the point where I had no interest in the murder or finding out what happened to the victim at the end. And the big reveal seemed really random to me.
One thing I truly enjoyed was the description of the fire. I know nothing about wildfires and the whole description of how it encroached and developed and the soot covering everything... Fascinating.
I don't regret reading this, but I won't run out and read another of her novels, either. I'm actually more interested in her memoirs.
pnwpageturner21's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the charclacter developement was genius and seemed surprising but natural reactions for the characters I especially liked the ending.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
4.0
(This review also appears on my blog, posting in its enirety here since I won it through Goodreads First program.)
This book was depressing, uplifting, and makes you think. Isn't that the focus of most great books? There are multiple themes here -- at first the nosiness and judging of neighbors, to end with being sure to watch and know what your neighbors are about. At first sounds conflicting, but the change in perspective makes sense here. The biggest theme really seemed to be with children - through one character being alone, young and pregnant, to another woman who regrets all these years an abortion she had, to a father who never paid attention to having children, to a father who overdominates his child, and to tragic characters who lost their children due to their lifestyles. The pain of all is present through the book, the overwhelming burden of caring for a child, the aching emptiness when they're not there any longer.
You may imagine - and I would guess if hearing this description - that this book would be melodramatic. Fortunately it is not - the author Debra Ginsberg writes it in an almost detached way, yet laying out scenes which are emotionally wrenching, very deep, and very real. It's like looking inside a glass house at something played out, the real emotion of the persons mind and secret suffering played out to you.
There are secrets in the book and the back of the novel plays up on this for the sake of the story, and it's shown how devestating secrets can be, but really this takes a backstory. It's not the secrets that help doom these people, but human selfish nature, even more prevalent than keeping things hidden. While their selfishness is not villain-worthy and one-dimensional, it is realistic and biting. How things could be so different, we see as we read and as we finish the read, had they only lived less in themselves. It's ironic the book starts out with nosy people wanting to pry into others lives, while they keep so much hidden from even their own families. It ends with things exposed and healing but changes from prying for gossip sake to prying for community bonding and emotional support.
Ginsberg has created a neighborhood of characters that are very real and, even when they're not traveling moral streets, their actions make sense without having to display much backstory and reasoning. It's just the way it is. Pacing is a little slow as it's more of a character introspection type story. Despite the back blurb and the cover, this not a suspsense novel and is most definitely a top-notch drama. There is a mystery of what happens but it takes a back story to the tragedy of that mystery.
I have given four stars rather than five due to a bit too much detachment for my taste the first quarter of the book. I feel it could have grabbed more of my attention had it delved further into the characters with a unity which would befit it. The middle and end shone, however, with worthy points, extreme emotion, and the last page splashes on humans being able to change with uplifting clarity.
Definitely recommended for any reader of any genre.
This book was depressing, uplifting, and makes you think. Isn't that the focus of most great books? There are multiple themes here -- at first the nosiness and judging of neighbors, to end with being sure to watch and know what your neighbors are about. At first sounds conflicting, but the change in perspective makes sense here. The biggest theme really seemed to be with children - through one character being alone, young and pregnant, to another woman who regrets all these years an abortion she had, to a father who never paid attention to having children, to a father who overdominates his child, and to tragic characters who lost their children due to their lifestyles. The pain of all is present through the book, the overwhelming burden of caring for a child, the aching emptiness when they're not there any longer.
You may imagine - and I would guess if hearing this description - that this book would be melodramatic. Fortunately it is not - the author Debra Ginsberg writes it in an almost detached way, yet laying out scenes which are emotionally wrenching, very deep, and very real. It's like looking inside a glass house at something played out, the real emotion of the persons mind and secret suffering played out to you.
There are secrets in the book and the back of the novel plays up on this for the sake of the story, and it's shown how devestating secrets can be, but really this takes a backstory. It's not the secrets that help doom these people, but human selfish nature, even more prevalent than keeping things hidden. While their selfishness is not villain-worthy and one-dimensional, it is realistic and biting. How things could be so different, we see as we read and as we finish the read, had they only lived less in themselves. It's ironic the book starts out with nosy people wanting to pry into others lives, while they keep so much hidden from even their own families. It ends with things exposed and healing but changes from prying for gossip sake to prying for community bonding and emotional support.
Ginsberg has created a neighborhood of characters that are very real and, even when they're not traveling moral streets, their actions make sense without having to display much backstory and reasoning. It's just the way it is. Pacing is a little slow as it's more of a character introspection type story. Despite the back blurb and the cover, this not a suspsense novel and is most definitely a top-notch drama. There is a mystery of what happens but it takes a back story to the tragedy of that mystery.
I have given four stars rather than five due to a bit too much detachment for my taste the first quarter of the book. I feel it could have grabbed more of my attention had it delved further into the characters with a unity which would befit it. The middle and end shone, however, with worthy points, extreme emotion, and the last page splashes on humans being able to change with uplifting clarity.
Definitely recommended for any reader of any genre.
em_beddedinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
against all odds, I somehow liked this family melodrama involving a pregnant teen who comes to live with the father she had never met, his shocked wife, who never knew about the daughter and a neighbourhood of curious people of varying attitudes. The events steam up when the girl disappears in the chaos caused by an uncontrolled forest fire which requires immediate evacuation. This event is after the birth of a cute daughter. The clueless father, the girl's mother, his current estranged wifr and interfering neighbours are all caught up in the events that follow.
katyjean81's review against another edition
4.0
Great mystery! Different than anything I've read in a while with twists that just kept making me go "OH"!
virtuallori's review against another edition
4.0
Debra Ginsberg always comes up with an unusual story and tells it well, and she's done so again in The Neighbors Are Watching. Her characters are real people with real flaws, and it's a treat to see how they interact from their different points of view and how their neighbors' assumptions can prove to be so wrong.
I enjoy Ms. Ginsberg's writing style and characterizations, and her willingness to tell an atypical story, and I'm eager to see what she comes up with next.
(Some of the lower ratings this has received seem to be based on the expectation that this was supposed to be a mystery or thriller — it's not, although I can see how one might get that impression from the cover design. Unsettling things happen, some questions remain unresolved, and not all the endings are happy, but this is at heart a character-based drama, not an action-packed whodunit.)
I enjoy Ms. Ginsberg's writing style and characterizations, and her willingness to tell an atypical story, and I'm eager to see what she comes up with next.
(Some of the lower ratings this has received seem to be based on the expectation that this was supposed to be a mystery or thriller — it's not, although I can see how one might get that impression from the cover design. Unsettling things happen, some questions remain unresolved, and not all the endings are happy, but this is at heart a character-based drama, not an action-packed whodunit.)
jules72653's review against another edition
3.0
Everyone is hiding something and no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.