There is way too much to unpack with The Housemaid, so I will offer the goods and bads, and leave the gray areas to the professional reviewers.
FreidaThere is way too much to unpack with The Housemaid, so I will offer the goods and bads, and leave the gray areas to the professional reviewers.
Freida McFadden writes a fun thriller that I believe would be best enjoyed by either a much older readership or a much younger readership. Older because there were so many oddities regarding technology, I kept wondering if it was taking place in the 1980s. And younger because the writing…well, it just feels immature somehow. Obviously, we must place some responsibility on the editors, but there were so many repetitive sentences, phrases, and words, they actually stopped me a LOT while reading. And a few verb agreement typos made my teeth hurt.
The story is told in two perspectives. When I got to the second one halfway through the book (I was excited about the POV switch, by the way) I found that–UGH–the voices were nearly identical. I had a hard time telling the two narrators apart. Just so you know, I let little annoyances like these drift away when the author is self-published, because I understand how hard it is to write a book without the backing of a publishing team, all those extra eyes checking and double checking. But this book is traditionally pubbed, so I am surprised by the lack of clean-up. The writer does have a knack with writing in the thriller genre, that is for sure, and I can tell she enjoys it as well. But I found myself laughing out loud regarding the lack of reasons behind certain choices, and was disappointed the total lack of emotion in character development. For all of the above reasons and more, this book gets a 3.5 from me.
WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD: I was angry that Nina didn’t have anyone set up cameras in the house or put a tracking device on her husband’s phone. I was shocked that no one thought to break the attic window and scream for help. Or sneak in a flashlight or a second phone, or whatever. I never understood the reasons the daughter was such a bitch (though there was a weak throw-away line regarding this.) There just weren’t enough realistic reasons behind bad choices, or regarding the lack of better choices. And what about Nina’s friends prior to Andrew? Did she ever have one girlfriend she could confide in? Just one? In all her life? It all seemed a little too convenient and easy for the husband to do to his wife (and Millie) what he did. And there should have been way more with the mother. That would have been an easy addition to the story.
Honestly, I think this book had so much going for it, and even though I did enjoy it–it really is a fun book–I didn’t get so much of the reasoning behind the choices that the story ended up being a bit of a let-down for me. I do know that others have loved–and will continue to love–this author’s style. And who knows? Maybe I’ll even read another one of McFadden’s books to see if she can turn me around. One day. Maybe....more
This psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, was recommended to me by some readers on Goodreads, so I thought I’d take a chance. After reading VerThis psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, was recommended to me by some readers on Goodreads, so I thought I’d take a chance. After reading Verity, I was a little hand-shy, as so many books in this genre tend to be over the top, so much so that I find myself rolling my eyes a lot. Outlandishness doesn’t mean the book isn’t fun, but sometimes I like a bit more realism with my thrillers. In any case, The Silent Patient is a bit over the top, and the author, Alex Michaelides, is probably a better literary writer than he is a thriller writer…it was the writing style alone that made me stick with the book. Even though I figured out the twist about halfway through, it was still an enjoyable read. The story is fun and fast-paced, and offers great cliffhangers at each chapter’s end. From what I understand, the book has been adapted into a film and has been in production for a few years, so we will have to see how that pans out. In any case, if you are looking for a unique thriller that merges mythology with art, and is steeped in professional psychiatry, this book is for you....more
Sometimes I read a book, and it is so different from anything I’ve read before that I need a week or so to digest before reviewing. Glimpses, by LewisSometimes I read a book, and it is so different from anything I’ve read before that I need a week or so to digest before reviewing. Glimpses, by Lewis Shiner, is one such book. I just happened to stumble across a review on Goodreads, and it struck me as interesting. I’m so glad I stumbled!
Let me start by saying that I am a music lover, born in 1963, living long enough to see music morph over and over again as it takes on the ideas and ideals of each era. Shiner shares that there is “something about the thought of life without music, and that would truly be hell.” And I agree. I could not live without music of today, or music of yesterday. But what if we could go back in time and change moments in musical history that could affect the world and, ultimately, our own lives?
Glimpses is time travel with a twist: A nearly middle-aged man who fixes stereos for a living– partly because he adores rock and roll and partly because he missed his own opportunity to be in a successful band– is listening to an old recording of a famous band. As the song ends, something strange happens, catapulting Ray into a past world of 60’s and 70’s music icons. The story, obviously, does not end there, as the main character finds himself dealing with the death of a loved one, a stagnant marriage, and his somewhat obsessive ideas of mortality. Ray is searching for answers but tries to find them through the lives of dead (and living) musicians. Ray gets to “meet” some of these icons, and in so doing decides he is going to help them, thereby helping to resolve his own issues. Glimpses (aptly titled, I will add) is a book filled with common metaphors about life, but the author has an original way of sharing these metaphors. It discusses how we are always wishing to go back again, but this is an impossibility, and even if we could, what could we really change? And if we had the power to change the past, why would we, really? Would we be doing it for the world? Or would we be doing it for our own selfish reasons?
Here is one of my favorite Glimpses quotes with regards to music from the sixties: “The problem was greed and hatred. The answer was peace and love. The way to get there was music and drugs. We knew we could change the world.” But that was not to be the case. “[By the end of 1970] It was hope and promise turned to ashes, grass and LSD turned to coke and heroin, heavy music and acid rock come to mean songs that weighed you down and burned to the touch…What happened to us? Where did we go wrong?” He then goes on to say, “Music is easy, it isn’t even that important what the words say. The real meaning is in the guitars and drums, the way a record sounds. It’s a feeling that’s bigger than words could ever be.”
There were some quibbles I have with this book, and for these reasons I give it 4.5 instead of 5 stars. The author does a little too much info dumping in some places; Ray is down in the dumps through the entire story, which gets a little tiring; and the book felt like a sort of diary, or more like an atonement, which dragged the story down a tad. Those minor things aside, Glimpses is a reminder that music is what every human needs. It brings back a mood, a memory, a time; a kind of hope that if we drop ourselves into the music of our past, we can find happiness–as if everything in the past was perfect. And maybe it was.
I compare Glimpses to Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” and the movie “Yesterday.” And if I were to give the book a theme song, it would be Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street,” from the lyrics all the way down to the sad bluesy saxophone for its hopeful message but sad undertone.
If you are looking for something different, or if you enjoy a little fantasy mixed with realism, then Glimpses might be the book for you. It is an interesting perspective on music, self-love, and mortality, and gives the reader much to think about....more
This is a sweet, well-written book with a timeless topic: What would happen if we could choose another life? It may even be an overdone topic, but MatThis is a sweet, well-written book with a timeless topic: What would happen if we could choose another life? It may even be an overdone topic, but Matt Haig does a lovely job at keeping us rooting for the main character, Nora, as she tries to decide whether to live or die, or remain in the in-between worlds of “what if?” Nora is a likable character even though she feels sorry for herself. I think she’s a great example of many people like her who feel like they have let others–and themselves–down. That their life has been for naught. If you like the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” or enjoyed the book “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” I think you will appreciate this adult fairy tale. It reminds all of us that no matter how many lives we get the opportunity to live, it is THIS life in which we must try to make a difference. And even if those differences seem irrelevant to us, they always make a difference to others. This is the reason for living–to affect others. In the midnight library, Nora must learn–before it’s too late–that to choose other lives over the one she was given might not be the smartest choice....more
This is the first book by Colleen Hoover that I've read. Because I jump from author to author, and from genre to genre, I may or may not pick up anothThis is the first book by Colleen Hoover that I've read. Because I jump from author to author, and from genre to genre, I may or may not pick up another one of her books. That said, Verity's plot was interesting, at least enough to hold my attention. Did I fall in love with the characters? Not one. Did I like them? One or two were okay, but not enough to do lunch. I think I liked Verity best, but I won't say why due to spoilers. Did I like the writing style? In parts. Every once in a while, Hoover drops a beautifully constructed sentence, but mostly the paragraphs are written to propel the story forward, not have the reader linger on the prose. And as a thriller, this is the best way to write, so it worked. I found myself laughing out loud a few times, mainly at the over-the-topness of it all. That said, I have three quibbles: Firstly, it is so over the top, that I nearly put the book down a few times. Secondly, I guessed the ending a third of the way through. Not sure how; maybe it's all the Netflix I watch! And thirdly, OMG, the headboard! I won't explain that one. You can read it for yourself and share what you think.
So. Would I recommend Verity? If you are looking for a plot-forward story with some mysterious elements and explicit sexual scenes, then this book is for you. Maybe read it on a crappy rainy day when you aren't in the mood for Netflix. That's what I did! : )...more
I am trying my hardest to get through some Pulitzer Prize winning novels this year. Sometimes it isn't easy, mainly because I have very limited readinI am trying my hardest to get through some Pulitzer Prize winning novels this year. Sometimes it isn't easy, mainly because I have very limited reading-for-pleasure time, but also because some of these books are difficult to get through, either because they are incredibly depressing, or because they are too high brow. I read Nickel Boys in one month (not unusual for me) as I only read an hour or so a week, and I am not a fast reader. This book became a bit of a conundrum for me, as it was an easy and difficult read at the same time, and yet I can't put my finger on why. The story itself is a depressing one, but one I believe should be told. I believe all stories of unjust worlds must be shared, whether in a book or a movie or a painting. This is how we keep the past from (supposedly) happening again. So I knew going in that the plot would be sad, and maybe even painstakingly slow, if only to make the reader feel like they are simmering in the same sad world as these boys/men. All of that worked for me. But here is where I have to depart from the opinions of some other readers: I got lost. A lot. The author said "he" in different perspectives, and I had to re-read over and over again some paragraphs to understand who "he" was. Sometimes we were in different characters' heads, and I wasn't sure whose. I normally love books that go back and forth between characters and time frames. One of my own novels does this, separating the voices by chapters and flashbacks. But these characters' perceptions would pop in unexpectedly, and I'd have to back track, believing I'd missed something in the telling. Please know that Whitehead can turn an individual sentence into music. He really is a poet. But often his paragraphs hold so many ideas from so many people, it's a bit exhausting to follow. This author definitely has a gift for telling a tale, especially one I could tell is close to his heart. I only wish it had been told a bit more succinctly, or perhaps even linearly, as that may have helped. Or maybe it's just me. That is highly possible!
I do plan to read The Underground Railroad, another of Whitehead's books, and another Pulitzer winner. So I have not given up on him at all. And The Nickel Boys needed to be told. I'm glad he was the one to do it. But I will go into the next book more prepared for his unique writing style. ...more
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