A review by knkoch
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Ahh, I think this will end up being the last Lucy Foley book I read. Her style seems pretty consistent to me, from The Guest List to this, but her whole oeuvre is just not for me. I liked the structure of this mystery slightly more than in The Guest List, but otherwise, I had a lot of issues with this book which in general aren’t worth outlining extensively.
The main issue is that I find her characters are near universally grim, shallow, and slimy. They’re the sorts of people I don’t want to understand better. And none are clever! None of them show presence of mind, resourcefulness, or intelligence. I found myself almost rooting against positive outcomes for any of them because it would have been more interesting than watching them slowly plod towards the truth.
I think what drew me to these books were the settings, emphasized by gorgeous cover design. But that’s not enough to sustain a whole story, unfortunately.
The main issue is that I find her characters are near universally grim, shallow, and slimy. They’re the sorts of people I don’t want to understand better. And none are clever! None of them show presence of mind, resourcefulness, or intelligence. I found myself almost rooting against positive outcomes for any of them because it would have been more interesting than watching them slowly plod towards the truth.
I think what drew me to these books were the settings, emphasized by gorgeous cover design. But that’s not enough to sustain a whole story, unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Trafficking, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Addiction
There are lots of other CWs to note for this book, but the casual ranging to obsessive alcohol consumption bothered me particularly.