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missknown's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Right before I pick up Lullaby I gave a quick glance over the reviews and a lot of people were complaining this is not a thriller, that the story is more of a character study. And they were right! This is NOT A THRILLER!! I'm going even a step further and say this is not even a mystery. You won't be on the edge of your seat while reading, you won't be trying to uncover what the characters are hiding because for the reader everything is laid out on the page.
Louise is a nanny of two little kids and the children are dead. Louise killed them. Then, the story goes back to when everything started and present the characters and their personalities. There isn't a tipping point when everything starts to go wrong or dark secrets are being hidden.
The story constructs itself on these characters. Their actions, their thoughts. As readers we see everything. And in the end, Louise is not seen as a victim in any way shape or form. She's still a killer, now a killer with a story.
As I was reading I was questioning myself in what genre this book should fall into. The story is slow to medium paced, there isn't any romance, no mystery, no thrilling, no drama. It's purely a story about characters. Although those characters represent the worst in humans. Not a single character is loveable. Some are just egotistical and others are abusers. But all of them represent a horrifying side of humans. And because of that and other small moments throughout the story, I would put this in the horror genre. In the mild side of horror, but in the genre nonetheless.
The gruesomeness of the crime, what some characters have gone through, some of the thoughts they all have, and the final line - which made my heart skip a bit! - all construct this horrible view of what people are capable of. So it's not the story itself that is scary in any way, instead are the characters actions that create this evil world that sadly exists. So it's almost a psychological horror without fully being one. This is a very complicated book to define!
Overall, I usually don't enjoy a character-based story, I prefer a plot-moved book that is always more fast-paced. Although the chapters are short and not numbered, which gives a continuity feeling I really liked, it doesn't lose much time describing settings or characters leaving their actions and thoughts to do that over time. And because of that, the story is always moving forward. It doesn't feel like nothing is happening.
I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. And if you like books about horrible people, don't mind getting a little freaked out, enjoy the psychological aspect that goes behind committing a crime, this can be the story for you. Although I can't stress enough... THIS IS NOT A THRILLER!
Louise is a nanny of two little kids and the children are dead. Louise killed them. Then, the story goes back to when everything started and present the characters and their personalities. There isn't a tipping point when everything starts to go wrong or dark secrets are being hidden.
The story constructs itself on these characters. Their actions, their thoughts. As readers we see everything. And in the end, Louise is not seen as a victim in any way shape or form. She's still a killer, now a killer with a story.
As I was reading I was questioning myself in what genre this book should fall into. The story is slow to medium paced, there isn't any romance, no mystery, no thrilling, no drama. It's purely a story about characters. Although those characters represent the worst in humans. Not a single character is loveable. Some are just egotistical and others are abusers. But all of them represent a horrifying side of humans. And because of that and other small moments throughout the story, I would put this in the horror genre. In the mild side of horror, but in the genre nonetheless.
The gruesomeness of the crime, what some characters have gone through, some of the thoughts they all have, and the final line - which made my heart skip a bit! - all construct this horrible view of what people are capable of. So it's not the story itself that is scary in any way, instead are the characters actions that create this evil world that sadly exists. So it's almost a psychological horror without fully being one. This is a very complicated book to define!
Overall, I usually don't enjoy a character-based story, I prefer a plot-moved book that is always more fast-paced. Although the chapters are short and not numbered, which gives a continuity feeling I really liked, it doesn't lose much time describing settings or characters leaving their actions and thoughts to do that over time. And because of that, the story is always moving forward. It doesn't feel like nothing is happening.
I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. And if you like books about horrible people, don't mind getting a little freaked out, enjoy the psychological aspect that goes behind committing a crime, this can be the story for you. Although I can't stress enough... THIS IS NOT A THRILLER!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Xenophobia
The character Louise has a mental health illness never specified that can be seen through her actions and thoughts. And all the characters in the book are bad people, either egotistical, shallow, entitled, abusers...sabrina_the_alien's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
fedelikeslego's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
È stato bello leggerlo, ma speravo in qualcosa di più nel finale. Un climax per poi arrivare al niente. L’autrice si è basata su un fatto vero di cronaca però speravo in qualcosa di più che un libro che risultata essere esclusivamente di cronaca. Do 3 perché è comunque intrigante, forse sono state le varie recensioni che ho letto a definirlo con un genere sbagliato, perché appunto più che mistero e thriller risulta essere una cronaca. L’avessi letto con quell’idea l’avrei apprezzato di più.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Rape
the_literarylinguist's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer and Eating disorder
lani's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
nicoleh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Blood
salomongirl77's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Blood, and Murder
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Lullaby by Leïla Slimani 🔪
🌟🌟🌟
-
I finished this one before work this morning - overall a quick and engaging read but not one that fully captivated me!
-
🔪 The plot: Louise has always seemed like the perfect nanny. She is quiet and efficient and transforms the lives of the families she works for for the better - until the day that she snaps and brutally murders the two children in her care. The novel assembles a fractured picture of the events leading up to the murders; of Louise herself, her employers, and the people drifting on the outskirts of the tragedy, trying to understand what happened.
-
I’m usually a big fan of a mystery told backwards. It’s fun to know the destination but have no idea how you got there, and Lullaby is exceptional in its unravelling of the psychological webs that are woven between the characters. But what undoes this story for me is its ending. It took me by surprise how quickly it seemed to wrap up, and although I love some poignant ambiguity at the end of my novels, I don’t feel like the reader gets a satisfying answer for what drives Louise to such an atrocity. My lasting impression is of a sort of amorphous bleakness - it’s moving in its own way, but not especially satisfying.
-
That said, there were lots of things I thought were masterful here. Slimani is completely unflinching in her portrayal of the power dynamics between employer and employee: the parents’ simultaneous admiration of Louise and their bourgeois disdain for her. There’s something sickening about all of the characters, but they all provoke pathos too, which is a really engaging thing for a thriller like this to do.
-
👩👧👦 Read it if you like character-driven novels that are a bit on the dark side, and aren’t averse to some real open endings.
-
🚫 Avoid it if you like your thrillers to be pacey and have a killer ending (no pun intended).
🌟🌟🌟
-
I finished this one before work this morning - overall a quick and engaging read but not one that fully captivated me!
-
🔪 The plot: Louise has always seemed like the perfect nanny. She is quiet and efficient and transforms the lives of the families she works for for the better - until the day that she snaps and brutally murders the two children in her care. The novel assembles a fractured picture of the events leading up to the murders; of Louise herself, her employers, and the people drifting on the outskirts of the tragedy, trying to understand what happened.
-
I’m usually a big fan of a mystery told backwards. It’s fun to know the destination but have no idea how you got there, and Lullaby is exceptional in its unravelling of the psychological webs that are woven between the characters. But what undoes this story for me is its ending. It took me by surprise how quickly it seemed to wrap up, and although I love some poignant ambiguity at the end of my novels, I don’t feel like the reader gets a satisfying answer for what drives Louise to such an atrocity. My lasting impression is of a sort of amorphous bleakness - it’s moving in its own way, but not especially satisfying.
-
That said, there were lots of things I thought were masterful here. Slimani is completely unflinching in her portrayal of the power dynamics between employer and employee: the parents’ simultaneous admiration of Louise and their bourgeois disdain for her. There’s something sickening about all of the characters, but they all provoke pathos too, which is a really engaging thing for a thriller like this to do.
-
👩👧👦 Read it if you like character-driven novels that are a bit on the dark side, and aren’t averse to some real open endings.
-
🚫 Avoid it if you like your thrillers to be pacey and have a killer ending (no pun intended).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide
angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The novel has a compelling premise and a hooking opening. It's also very well written and is layered with an incredible amount of detailed subtext all of which I enjoyed. Slimani has also done a great job of evoking the right emotions throughout the text and in a way that’s not overly dramatic. I also enjoyed seeing the theme of societal division of work which appeared in the novel as well as reading about Moroccan immigrants in France as it’s not something I’ve read much about before, particularly in thrillers. There is also some intriguing social commentary embedded within the text and also some subtle explorations of racial tensions within France. The disturbing character of the nanny, Louise, is inspired by the real-life story of the murder of the Krim siblings which I discovered after reading and found this fact really fascinating. Slimani really does a great job in the portrayal of the character of Louise throughout the narrative which is a huge positive point as the novel is character-driven as opposed to being driven by plot.
It’s important to keep in mind that this novel is a translation so there is always the possibility that the novel could be read quite differently if you were to read it in French. I haven’t read much translated fiction yet but I did think this one was done well although it did read slightly clunky in places. I didn’t find the novel particularly thrilling or suspenseful as I was expecting, considering it’s described as a thriller, but rather quite eerie and slightly unnerving so overall I felt a little underwhelmed. That being said, it is more of a domestic thriller and so the more subtle eerie atmosphere created is somewhat realistic. Additionally, I did find the pacing to be quite slow and the majority of the other characters quite unremarkable which isn’t much of a surprise seeing as the novel centres mostly around daily life and the interactions between the various characters. I would also like to add here that we, the readers, are also left to draw many of our own conclusions at the end of narrative which isn’t so much a personal criticism but rather something worth pointing out to potential readers as it can be more of a specific preference.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
It’s important to keep in mind that this novel is a translation so there is always the possibility that the novel could be read quite differently if you were to read it in French. I haven’t read much translated fiction yet but I did think this one was done well although it did read slightly clunky in places. I didn’t find the novel particularly thrilling or suspenseful as I was expecting, considering it’s described as a thriller, but rather quite eerie and slightly unnerving so overall I felt a little underwhelmed. That being said, it is more of a domestic thriller and so the more subtle eerie atmosphere created is somewhat realistic. Additionally, I did find the pacing to be quite slow and the majority of the other characters quite unremarkable which isn’t much of a surprise seeing as the novel centres mostly around daily life and the interactions between the various characters. I would also like to add here that we, the readers, are also left to draw many of our own conclusions at the end of narrative which isn’t so much a personal criticism but rather something worth pointing out to potential readers as it can be more of a specific preference.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror and Blood
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