Didn’t do much for me. I’ve read any number of runaway/sexual abuse/spunky damaged girl on adventure/cheap motels and hair dye stories and the podcastDidn’t do much for me. I’ve read any number of runaway/sexual abuse/spunky damaged girl on adventure/cheap motels and hair dye stories and the podcast format didn’t do much to elevate this one beyond the usual. ...more
As a depiction of how the mental health system has treated women over the last century, the lengths some mothers will go to to protect their children,As a depiction of how the mental health system has treated women over the last century, the lengths some mothers will go to to protect their children, economic pressure on working class communities. and the destructive legacy of young passion, this was a compelling read. But the thriller aspects didn’t entirely work for me — I felt the first 100 or so pages were too deliberately opaque, to keep the mysteries mysterious. The later unfolding then seemed rushed. I did like the telling of the story from a variety of perspectives, one of which was truly surprising and compelling. ...more
An orphaned, impoverished, and clever teenager goes to live with her wealthy cousins in a place called Mansfield. Charming cads, snooty socialites, afAn orphaned, impoverished, and clever teenager goes to live with her wealthy cousins in a place called Mansfield. Charming cads, snooty socialites, affairs, engagements, romantic intrigue, and fancy dance parties ensue. Sounds familiar? Well, if you think you know this story, author Jacqueline Firkins takes the literary roots of romantic comedy to new, witty, and thoughtful places in this charming novel about first love, first heartbreak, and the endurance of friendship.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen was the godmother of modern romantic comedy, but few contemporary novelists can match her knack for creating telling a compelling story of romance with a sharp eye for the social context, true wit, and a lot of heart. Firkins does just that in this fresh take, and while the allusions to classic novels are there to be seen, Edie, the young protagonist of Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things, is breathtakingly real and contemporary, struggling with grief, shyness, guilt, embarrassment, and the discovery of her own yearnings.
Edie isn't just in love with the boy next door, her cherished companion from childhood, but is genuinely attracted to his rival, the handsome Henry. This attention to nuanced emotional states and motivations infuses the novel - nobody is purely conniving or purely good. Kind people do hurtful things, and self-absorbed queen bees make gestures of true kindness. Combined with a frank acknowledgement of teens' desires and experimentation with the adult roles they will soon take on (and Firkins quietly models how good consent to sexuality can take place even on prom night), Edie's exploration of love and loss feels real and compelling. Though the novel is filled with first kisses, love tokens, and stolen moments in the moonlight, it is above all a story of the enduring bonds of friendship, family, and commitment.
I was delighted to receive this review copy, and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Edie's company....more
Cormoran Strike is your classic private eye -- damaged (he lost a leg in Afghanistan), sleeping in his office, jilted, in debt and with few client proCormoran Strike is your classic private eye -- damaged (he lost a leg in Afghanistan), sleeping in his office, jilted, in debt and with few client prospects, but that doesn't last long. First, a lovely young temporary secretary, who has "recurring character" written all over her from page one, barrels into his office and for reasons that never become entirely clear, decides she loves the job despite Strike's precariousness and her fiance's rather well-reasoned misgivings. Suddenly, Strike is engaged for a huge fee to investigate the apparent suicide of a hard-partying supermodel, by the model's adoptive brother who is convinced that there must have been foul play. Strike launches into his investigation, and though in some ways he's like a bull in a china shop as he visits couture ateliers, mansions, and tony shops, he's also rather weirdly given the backstory of being the illegitimate son of a rock star and a "supergroupie" -- and thus apparently has some kind of glamor DNA that allows him to fit in even if he barely ever met his rock royalty relatives.
As with the Harry Potter books, this is most effective when Galbraith/Rowling is describing a detailed world and the customs and characters inhabiting it, but less strong on sound plotting and the unfolding of the denouement. Yes, I suppose all the clues were sprinkled about at regular intervals, but the way Strike reveals the solution by engaging in a pages-long monologue directed at the culprit, a physical vulnerability noted at the start to clue you in that there will, of course, be some kind of final showdown, really kills the momentum and suspense. Suspenseless, too, is the question of whether Strike's secretary, Robin, will or won't throw in her lot with the scrappy P.I.'s office.
Enjoyable enough, but not really a primo example of the detective genre....more
Damn, I was sad to come to the end of this book. Set in the rather fascinating milieu of 1970s Britain, a bright Anglican bishop's daughter gets a matDamn, I was sad to come to the end of this book. Set in the rather fascinating milieu of 1970s Britain, a bright Anglican bishop's daughter gets a math degree at Cambridge, has an affair with a much older professor, and is recruited for an entry-level position at MI-5. There, she makes friends, has flirtations, and is asked to go undercover as a literary foundation agent to recruit and manage a promising novelist who will unwittingly be paid by the security service to help wage cultural Cold War. I don't think it's giving much away to reveal that they become lovers. With layers of deception and literary invention, the story spools out in ways that will be familiar to readers of McEwan, but even that predictability doesn't detract from the cleverness and the sheer joy of the prose. ...more
Tana French is one of the best mystery writers out there, full stop, and Broken Harbor displays her skills at their peak the story is taut, psychologiTana French is one of the best mystery writers out there, full stop, and Broken Harbor displays her skills at their peak the story is taut, psychologically astute, and always suspenseful. ...more
Better than her first and as good as her third. This one is a out Libby, the very damaged young woman who was e lone survivor of a purportedly SatanicBetter than her first and as good as her third. This one is a out Libby, the very damaged young woman who was e lone survivor of a purportedly Satanic-ritual-fueled massacre of her mother and sisters, for which her older brother, Ben, was convicted. Libby gave testimony at age 7, claiming she saw her brother commit the crime, but even she knew she only heard the slaughter. When Libby meets a club of "fans" obsessed with the murders and securing her brother's freedom, Libby starts investigating, partly out of a need to know and partly because she's broke and the club will pay her for access to key witnesses. With chapters told from the point of view of Libby, Ben, and their mother, the pieces start to fall into place until the truth is revealed.
This is pretty gripping and recalls any number of sad cases involving unhappy teenagers and, satanic panic, Gillian Flynn has a knack for evoking the squalor of a certain kind of American life in a persuasive way, but after mainlining all three of her books at once, I'm a little sick from reading her descriptions of horrible rotten smells. Most of her characters are people I would drive all day not to meet, so spending all this time in their presence isn't exactly pleasurable. Still, she's a sharp writer and her mysteries are well wrought. The clues are all there but they're not totally obvious. ...more
A gothic thriller concerning a young reporter who revisits her home town to cover the murders of two young girls. All but the final twist was telegrapA gothic thriller concerning a young reporter who revisits her home town to cover the murders of two young girls. All but the final twist was telegraphed at about page 30. The characters are so obviously sick and twisted that it's more like Flowers in the Attic than The Silence of the Lambs. ...more
Juicy thriller about a missing wife and the husband who looks guilty as hell. But things are not what they seem o any level, so many enjoyable twists Juicy thriller about a missing wife and the husband who looks guilty as hell. But things are not what they seem o any level, so many enjoyable twists and turns. ...more
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