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readingwhilemommying 's review for:
The Woman in the Library
by Sulari Gentill
This ultra-meta murder-mystery novel is about a writer writing about a writer writing a murder-mystery novel. See? Super meta!
Winifred "Freddie" McKaid is from Australia, but living in Boston after winning a prestigious writer's fellowship. While researching her current work-in-progress at the Boston Library, she hears a blood curdling scream. Sitting near her are Cain, Whit, and Marigold. After a woman's dead body is discovered in the library, the four patrons form a close friendship as the race to find "whodunit" begins. All three of Freddie's new friends have secrets that take the mystery in interesting directions--most of all Cain, who Freddie starts to fall for. Is she falling for a killer?
Interspersed within this narrative, are letters from Leo, a fan and critic of Australian writer Hannah, who is writing the story about Winifred. Leo's commentary about Hannah's writing starts out observant and constructive, yet as the story within a story unfolds, his letters become more erratic and unhinged. Is there a murder mystery happening with Leo in addition to the murder mystery Hannah is writing about?
If this sounds confusing, it is. As much as I found the structure inventive, it's also convoluted at times. I never really warmed to Freddie, as her character seemed pretty wishy-washy and the romance between her and Cain lacked a significant foundation for the eventual declarations of love. I wasn't too interested in the mastery element either. The storyline definitely have twists and turns, but I felt like a lot of the "clues" were repeated again and again slowing down the overall pace of the story. The Leo/Hannah narrative didn't really serve much purpose, either. Leo's descent into madness seemed to happen rather quickly and seemed more like a whimper than a true "aha moment."
The relationships, mystery, and resolution weren't strong enough to keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for the end. That said, mystery/thrillers aren't my favorite reading genre, so if they are yours, you might enjoy this novel. Please don't discount it based on my reservations.
I will say, though, I listened to part of the audiobook and narrator Katherine LIttrell is wonderful! She switches from an Australian accent to a Southern accent to no accent with amazing ease. Well done!
All in all, I gave this one a 3.5/5. The structure is creative, the characters can be interesting at times, and I did like the idea of a scream in a library being the catalyst for a murder mystery. However, lackluster characters and a so-so mystery kept it from being a keeper for me.
Winifred "Freddie" McKaid is from Australia, but living in Boston after winning a prestigious writer's fellowship. While researching her current work-in-progress at the Boston Library, she hears a blood curdling scream. Sitting near her are Cain, Whit, and Marigold. After a woman's dead body is discovered in the library, the four patrons form a close friendship as the race to find "whodunit" begins. All three of Freddie's new friends have secrets that take the mystery in interesting directions--most of all Cain, who Freddie starts to fall for. Is she falling for a killer?
Interspersed within this narrative, are letters from Leo, a fan and critic of Australian writer Hannah, who is writing the story about Winifred. Leo's commentary about Hannah's writing starts out observant and constructive, yet as the story within a story unfolds, his letters become more erratic and unhinged. Is there a murder mystery happening with Leo in addition to the murder mystery Hannah is writing about?
If this sounds confusing, it is. As much as I found the structure inventive, it's also convoluted at times. I never really warmed to Freddie, as her character seemed pretty wishy-washy and the romance between her and Cain lacked a significant foundation for the eventual declarations of love. I wasn't too interested in the mastery element either. The storyline definitely have twists and turns, but I felt like a lot of the "clues" were repeated again and again slowing down the overall pace of the story. The Leo/Hannah narrative didn't really serve much purpose, either. Leo's descent into madness seemed to happen rather quickly and seemed more like a whimper than a true "aha moment."
The relationships, mystery, and resolution weren't strong enough to keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for the end. That said, mystery/thrillers aren't my favorite reading genre, so if they are yours, you might enjoy this novel. Please don't discount it based on my reservations.
I will say, though, I listened to part of the audiobook and narrator Katherine LIttrell is wonderful! She switches from an Australian accent to a Southern accent to no accent with amazing ease. Well done!
All in all, I gave this one a 3.5/5. The structure is creative, the characters can be interesting at times, and I did like the idea of a scream in a library being the catalyst for a murder mystery. However, lackluster characters and a so-so mystery kept it from being a keeper for me.