A review by chityty
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
If I were nanny in this house I would have gotten the hell our night one. It isn’t until later in the book do we discover some of the motivation behind what seems like nonsensical decision making.
That made it difficult to side with Rowan as things around her seemed to descend into madness. At each turn I yelled at her to leave, to call someone, and each time I was disappointed when she continued on her path.
The final 10 pages or so of this book tied it together. It made all the disparate pieces fall into place and left me with a sense of gloom and despair that these horror/thrillers can tend to do.
All in all a good read but I want to consume some of the material based on the original story “A Turn of the Screw” and it’s Netflix adaptation “Bly Manor” to make better comparisons.
That made it difficult to side with Rowan as things around her seemed to descend into madness. At each turn I yelled at her to leave, to call someone, and each time I was disappointed when she continued on her path.
The final 10 pages or so of this book tied it together. It made all the disparate pieces fall into place and left me with a sense of gloom and despair that these horror/thrillers can tend to do.
All in all a good read but I want to consume some of the material based on the original story “A Turn of the Screw” and it’s Netflix adaptation “Bly Manor” to make better comparisons.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Gaslighting, and Blood