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ericarobyn
Aaron Falk has returned to his hometown, Kiewarra, Australia for his childhood friends funeral. The situation is a nasty one; the town is in the middle of a devastating drought, and it appears that his friend had shot his wife and young son before turning the gun on himself. Falk is only planning to stay in town for as short a time as possible. But when he speaks to the father of the deceased, unresolved mysteries of Falk's past begin to rush back. One thing leads to another, and Falk finds himself helping a local cop with an investigation in a town that cannot let go of the past.
Oh gosh. Where to start with my thoughts on this book...
This book is the type of crime mystery that I will always enjoy. At first, the crime seems so clear cut, but then you see the situation in a new light, and then you can't stop reading until you see the resolution! The storyline had me guessing right up until the very end. When the main reveal was completed, I was shocked. I absolutely did not see it coming! But even then, there was still one more mystery to solve! Needless to say, I was hooked right into this story from the very start and had a very hard time putting it down.
The writing is great; all of the description helps you to really see the landscape and feel the dry heat of the atmosphere. The pacing was constant and even the bits that could be described as "slow" were still so captivating to me. I loved that the storyline of this book had flashbacks set inside each chapter as related to what was currently happening. I also really appreciate that these flashbacks were written up in italics to set them apart from the main storyline. I definitely prefer this method to a book that alternates from one timeline to another in separate chapters.
This book is quite dark. It starts out in very a dark place, which you can see in the book synopsis: "Luke Hadler turns a gun on his wife and child, then himself." Later on, there are other violent and abusive situations. However, the hardest parts for me to read seemed to be the bits where the locals were incredibly close-minded. Their ignorance was incredible, but I loved how Falk dealt with each ridiculous situation.
The characters were all very strong. The author did a wonderful job creating some characters that were very lovable, while others were super creepy or downright horrible. Though I have to admit, I'm not really sure how I felt about the main character, Falk. From the beginning I wasn't sure that I could trust him, and those feelings never really went away. Like I said above, I really liked how he dealt with many situations with the locals. But there were a few other situations where he seemed to be acting out of character (example, approaching one character right after leaving the police station when he knew better than to do so). I also really didn't care for Luke, especially when we learned more about his childhood with Falk.
One final note: I see that this is marked as book number one... I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. As a stand alone, I think this book is perfect. I am slightly interested to see how this could turn into a series... but I'm definitely hesitant. I've read far too many series that should have remained standalones. But on the other hand, I think that the writing and pacing was so well done, that I also want to read more from this author. Very conflicting feelings here! I'll just have to wait and see what book two brings! :)
Favorite passages:
Up ahead, groups of mourners stood out like smudges against the dusty road.
Falk stared at him. The guy had probably been waiting twenty years to feel superior to someone and wasn't about to waste his chance, Falk realized. He opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. It was the very definition of wasted energy.
The past coated him like a layer of grime.
Oh gosh. Where to start with my thoughts on this book...
This book is the type of crime mystery that I will always enjoy. At first, the crime seems so clear cut, but then you see the situation in a new light, and then you can't stop reading until you see the resolution! The storyline had me guessing right up until the very end. When the main reveal was completed, I was shocked. I absolutely did not see it coming! But even then, there was still one more mystery to solve! Needless to say, I was hooked right into this story from the very start and had a very hard time putting it down.
The writing is great; all of the description helps you to really see the landscape and feel the dry heat of the atmosphere. The pacing was constant and even the bits that could be described as "slow" were still so captivating to me. I loved that the storyline of this book had flashbacks set inside each chapter as related to what was currently happening. I also really appreciate that these flashbacks were written up in italics to set them apart from the main storyline. I definitely prefer this method to a book that alternates from one timeline to another in separate chapters.
This book is quite dark. It starts out in very a dark place, which you can see in the book synopsis: "Luke Hadler turns a gun on his wife and child, then himself." Later on, there are other violent and abusive situations. However, the hardest parts for me to read seemed to be the bits where the locals were incredibly close-minded. Their ignorance was incredible, but I loved how Falk dealt with each ridiculous situation.
The characters were all very strong. The author did a wonderful job creating some characters that were very lovable, while others were super creepy or downright horrible. Though I have to admit, I'm not really sure how I felt about the main character, Falk. From the beginning I wasn't sure that I could trust him, and those feelings never really went away. Like I said above, I really liked how he dealt with many situations with the locals. But there were a few other situations where he seemed to be acting out of character (example, approaching one character right after leaving the police station when he knew better than to do so). I also really didn't care for Luke, especially when we learned more about his childhood with Falk.
One final note: I see that this is marked as book number one... I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. As a stand alone, I think this book is perfect. I am slightly interested to see how this could turn into a series... but I'm definitely hesitant. I've read far too many series that should have remained standalones. But on the other hand, I think that the writing and pacing was so well done, that I also want to read more from this author. Very conflicting feelings here! I'll just have to wait and see what book two brings! :)
Favorite passages:
Up ahead, groups of mourners stood out like smudges against the dusty road.
Falk stared at him. The guy had probably been waiting twenty years to feel superior to someone and wasn't about to waste his chance, Falk realized. He opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. It was the very definition of wasted energy.
The past coated him like a layer of grime.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is set in post-World War II England. When we enter the story, Juliet, a writer of a newspaper column during the war which was later turned into a book, is trying to think of a good idea for her second book. When a man named Dawsey from an island called Guernsey writes to her out of the blue after acquiring one of her old books, she may have found her story! A story along with so much more...
When I first started reading this book, I was a bit thrown by the format; it is a series of letters between various characters. To keep each character straight, I had to make some notes that I referred to on and off until I had everyone figured out. I really appreciated that each new letter begins with a note that tells you who the letter is from and to. Example: From Juliet to Sidney. However, this was so beautifully written that it sucked me right in.
Here are my character notes, just incase this helps anyone. Note: there are some slight spoilers ahead. This is NOT the full character list, just the ones I wrote down.
Juliet- main character, author
Sidney- Juliet's publisher and childhood friend
Dawsey- man from Guernsey who acquired one of Juliet’s books.
Sophie- Juliet's childhood friend, her brother (Sidney) owns the publishing firm.
Susan- traveling with Juliet
Markham Reynolds- American publisher
Amelia Maugery- member of the potato peel society, asked to write to Juliet by Dawsey
Eben Ramsey- society member, grandpa to Eli
Clovis Fossey- society member, researched poetry to win over a woman (he married her!)
Adelaide Addison- islander, total party pooper. Tried to stop Juliet from writing to the society.
John Booker- society member, saved from being a drunk by reading, sent to a concentration camp during the war
Will Thisbee- society member, first to suggest that Juliet visit the island
Clara Saussey- was once a society member, she got kicked out when she wouldn't stop reading recipes from her own cookbook.
Eli- society member and wood carved, carves animals for Kit
Isola- society member, adorable, once fell off her chicken coop.
The character development was absolutely incredible. I loved that we got to learn about each person through both what they themselves wrote in letters to Juliet, as well as from what their friends and neighbors what wrote to Juliet about.
I fell in love with the majority of these characters so very quickly. The society members seemed so lovely and real that it was like they were my own small-town neighbors! I loved how willing they all were to write to Juliet to give her information about their society and their lives. Each of their excitement was very clear and I thought it was adorable.
Of course, there two were horrible characters that I wanted to smack quite badly. But even those two were written in a very interesting way.
Juliet was an awesome female main character. I loved her humor, her love of writing and books, and her persistence. I was nervous for her for a short time. But I wanted to cheer when she stood up to Mark when he proposed, saying that she didn’t know him well enough yet because after all, it had only been two months. It was clear from his letters that Mark was pushy. I got super angry when he seemed to simply ignore Juliet’s suggestions to propose his own plans.
The romance did not take up much of the book. It was a classic case of shyness, temporary denial, and misunderstanding where I just wanted someone to point out the obvious love interest to the two love birds. However, the scene where love was finally professed was absolutely wonderful. It was so perfect and it made me both laugh out loud and grin.
Of course, being set in post-WWII, there was a lot of discussion about what happened to the islanders during the war. Most of these passages were very difficult to read, but they were also very wonderfully written.
I flew through this book! I thought that everything about it was just so lovely. The storyline was fun, the characters were amazing, and the romance was so well done. I was worried about one romance trope that I absolutely despise, but I was very happy to see it crash and burn.
Favorite passages:
I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be silent with.
Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.
That's what I love about reading: One tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bid there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive- all with no end in sight, and for no other reason then sheer enjoyment.
Your questions regarding that gentleman are very delicate, very subtle, very much like being smacked in the head with a mallet.
Isola reached me first by leaping over a create of lobsters and grabbed me up in a fierce hug that swung me off my feet. “Ah, lovey!” she cried while I dangled.
Wasn’t that dear? All my nervousness was squeezed righto out of me along with my breath.
The sea and the clouds don't stay the same for five minutes running and I'm scared I'll miss something if I stay inside.
I am in a constant state of surprise these days. Actually, now that I calculate, I’ve been betrothed only one full day, but it seems like my whole live has come into being in the last twenty-four hours.
This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.
All my life I thought that the story was over when the hero and heroine were safely engaged- after all, what’s good enough for Jane Austen ought to be good enough for anyone. But it’s a lie. The story is about to begin, and every day will be a new piece of the plot.
When I first started reading this book, I was a bit thrown by the format; it is a series of letters between various characters. To keep each character straight, I had to make some notes that I referred to on and off until I had everyone figured out. I really appreciated that each new letter begins with a note that tells you who the letter is from and to. Example: From Juliet to Sidney. However, this was so beautifully written that it sucked me right in.
Here are my character notes, just incase this helps anyone. Note: there are some slight spoilers ahead. This is NOT the full character list, just the ones I wrote down.
Juliet- main character, author
Sidney- Juliet's publisher and childhood friend
Dawsey- man from Guernsey who acquired one of Juliet’s books.
Sophie- Juliet's childhood friend, her brother (Sidney) owns the publishing firm.
Susan- traveling with Juliet
Markham Reynolds- American publisher
Amelia Maugery- member of the potato peel society, asked to write to Juliet by Dawsey
Eben Ramsey- society member, grandpa to Eli
Clovis Fossey- society member, researched poetry to win over a woman (he married her!)
Adelaide Addison- islander, total party pooper. Tried to stop Juliet from writing to the society.
John Booker- society member, saved from being a drunk by reading, sent to a concentration camp during the war
Will Thisbee- society member, first to suggest that Juliet visit the island
Clara Saussey- was once a society member, she got kicked out when she wouldn't stop reading recipes from her own cookbook.
Eli- society member and wood carved, carves animals for Kit
Isola- society member, adorable, once fell off her chicken coop.
The character development was absolutely incredible. I loved that we got to learn about each person through both what they themselves wrote in letters to Juliet, as well as from what their friends and neighbors what wrote to Juliet about.
I fell in love with the majority of these characters so very quickly. The society members seemed so lovely and real that it was like they were my own small-town neighbors! I loved how willing they all were to write to Juliet to give her information about their society and their lives. Each of their excitement was very clear and I thought it was adorable.
Of course, there two were horrible characters that I wanted to smack quite badly. But even those two were written in a very interesting way.
Juliet was an awesome female main character. I loved her humor, her love of writing and books, and her persistence. I was nervous for her for a short time. But I wanted to cheer when she stood up to Mark when he proposed, saying that she didn’t know him well enough yet because after all, it had only been two months. It was clear from his letters that Mark was pushy. I got super angry when he seemed to simply ignore Juliet’s suggestions to propose his own plans.
The romance did not take up much of the book. It was a classic case of shyness, temporary denial, and misunderstanding where I just wanted someone to point out the obvious love interest to the two love birds. However, the scene where love was finally professed was absolutely wonderful. It was so perfect and it made me both laugh out loud and grin.
Of course, being set in post-WWII, there was a lot of discussion about what happened to the islanders during the war. Most of these passages were very difficult to read, but they were also very wonderfully written.
I flew through this book! I thought that everything about it was just so lovely. The storyline was fun, the characters were amazing, and the romance was so well done. I was worried about one romance trope that I absolutely despise, but I was very happy to see it crash and burn.
Favorite passages:
I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be silent with.
Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.
That's what I love about reading: One tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bid there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive- all with no end in sight, and for no other reason then sheer enjoyment.
Your questions regarding that gentleman are very delicate, very subtle, very much like being smacked in the head with a mallet.
Isola reached me first by leaping over a create of lobsters and grabbed me up in a fierce hug that swung me off my feet. “Ah, lovey!” she cried while I dangled.
Wasn’t that dear? All my nervousness was squeezed righto out of me along with my breath.
The sea and the clouds don't stay the same for five minutes running and I'm scared I'll miss something if I stay inside.
I am in a constant state of surprise these days. Actually, now that I calculate, I’ve been betrothed only one full day, but it seems like my whole live has come into being in the last twenty-four hours.
This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.
All my life I thought that the story was over when the hero and heroine were safely engaged- after all, what’s good enough for Jane Austen ought to be good enough for anyone. But it’s a lie. The story is about to begin, and every day will be a new piece of the plot.
The Red Notebook was an adorable little romance. I read it in just a couple of hours and I loved every second of it.
The book begins with a woman named Laure walking up to her front door late one night. Before she could make it inside, someone attacks her and steals her purse. While still dazed from the attack, she realizes that her head is bleeding, but she doesn’t know how serious her head wound is. Because she cannot get into her apartment, she wanders across the street to stay at a hotel for the night.
The next morning, a man named Laurent is walking to his bookstore when he sees a purse abandoned in a trash bin. He tries to turn the purse into police, but ends up taking it home. When he looks through the purse to try to figure out who the owner is, he stumbles across a red notebook.
As the book continues, we follow storylines for both Laure and Laurent.
I thought Laurent was a wonderful main character! I loved that he was so determined to reunite the mystery woman with her purse. There was only one thing that he did that really irked me, but hey, it added to the drama! I also really liked Laure, and really enjoyed learning more about her at the same time that Laurent did until she awoke from her coma.
The romance was definitely one that I was rooting for and the trope of the mystery woman was absolutely lovely. The ending was excellent. I thought the summarizing method the author used to tie up loose ends was very clever!
The book layout was a bit strange to me. The chapters didn’t have numbers or any kind of indication of which character was the narrator of that section. So you just had to dive in. Though the authors writing was so perfect that you could always tell which character it was very quickly. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the very short chapters, many which I thought could have been combined. But I didn’t feel that these two things took away from the story at all, it was just more of a personal irk.
My favorite passages:
It took only a second for fear to travel through her veins all the way to her heart where it burst into an icy rain.
Laure looked around. The road was empty. The man was clearly not coming back, but it was difficult to control her fear, and it's hard to distinguish between the irrational and the possible at almost two o'clock in the morning.
How many things do we feel obliged to do for the sake of it, or for appearances, or because we are trained to do them, but which weigh us down and don’t in fact achieve anything?
That sentence was so unexpected and it's still lingering in my mind, bouncing around inside my head like that ancient video game with two lines either side of the screen and a dot going back and forth between them.
The book begins with a woman named Laure walking up to her front door late one night. Before she could make it inside, someone attacks her and steals her purse. While still dazed from the attack, she realizes that her head is bleeding, but she doesn’t know how serious her head wound is. Because she cannot get into her apartment, she wanders across the street to stay at a hotel for the night.
The next morning, a man named Laurent is walking to his bookstore when he sees a purse abandoned in a trash bin. He tries to turn the purse into police, but ends up taking it home. When he looks through the purse to try to figure out who the owner is, he stumbles across a red notebook.
As the book continues, we follow storylines for both Laure and Laurent.
I thought Laurent was a wonderful main character! I loved that he was so determined to reunite the mystery woman with her purse. There was only one thing that he did that really irked me, but hey, it added to the drama! I also really liked Laure, and really enjoyed learning more about her at the same time that Laurent did until she awoke from her coma.
The romance was definitely one that I was rooting for and the trope of the mystery woman was absolutely lovely. The ending was excellent. I thought the summarizing method the author used to tie up loose ends was very clever!
The book layout was a bit strange to me. The chapters didn’t have numbers or any kind of indication of which character was the narrator of that section. So you just had to dive in. Though the authors writing was so perfect that you could always tell which character it was very quickly. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the very short chapters, many which I thought could have been combined. But I didn’t feel that these two things took away from the story at all, it was just more of a personal irk.
My favorite passages:
It took only a second for fear to travel through her veins all the way to her heart where it burst into an icy rain.
Laure looked around. The road was empty. The man was clearly not coming back, but it was difficult to control her fear, and it's hard to distinguish between the irrational and the possible at almost two o'clock in the morning.
How many things do we feel obliged to do for the sake of it, or for appearances, or because we are trained to do them, but which weigh us down and don’t in fact achieve anything?
That sentence was so unexpected and it's still lingering in my mind, bouncing around inside my head like that ancient video game with two lines either side of the screen and a dot going back and forth between them.
Overall a very captivating collection! Mark Haddon is an incredible writer. Each story totally sucked me in and didn't let me go until the last sentence. The themes varied but I felt an underlying horror vibe in each.
**SPOILERS**
Wow. I was NOT expecting that. Before you read the first story, prepare yourself for an intense reading experience. Perhaps pour yourself some wine and snuggle up to a loved one. Seriously. The first short story hit me really hard...
The Pier Falls
5/5
WOW! This story was so horrifying it actually made me feel a bit sick. It was so intense and sad! I’m sure this story is going to stick with me for a long time!
The Island
3/5
This story started strong with a terrifying theme of abandonment. I enjoyed the flashbacks to learn about how she ended up on the island. The ending though threw me for a loop.
Bunny
4/5
This story made me uncomfortable. The suffering and description of what was happening to Bunny as he ate himself to death was hard to read. However, when I finished it, I realized how much of a love story it was rather than a story about suffering.
Wodow
4/5
Phew! This story is about a dysfunctional family that gets together for Christmas when a strange man appears out in the snow. What happens next shakes the family and sends them each on a course for the roughest year of their lives.
The Gun
3/4
Another creepy one! A story about two kids that take an older brothers gun and mess around in the woods.
The Woodpecker and the Wolf
5/5
This one seems like it could be a full book, and I would love to read it!
“The desire to be somewhere else, which is never satisfied by being somewhere else, however far you go, though you have to go a very long way indeed to figure that one out.”
Breathe
2/5
Not sure I understood this one... the story seemed to drag and then the ending confused me.
The Boys Who Left Home To Learn Fear
4/5
This story seemed a bit slower than the rest, but still a great read! It was about a group that went on an expedition through the jungle to find another group that had gone missing. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
The Weir
4/5
A great short story to end this series!
**SPOILERS**
Wow. I was NOT expecting that. Before you read the first story, prepare yourself for an intense reading experience. Perhaps pour yourself some wine and snuggle up to a loved one. Seriously. The first short story hit me really hard...
The Pier Falls
5/5
WOW! This story was so horrifying it actually made me feel a bit sick. It was so intense and sad! I’m sure this story is going to stick with me for a long time!
The Island
3/5
This story started strong with a terrifying theme of abandonment. I enjoyed the flashbacks to learn about how she ended up on the island. The ending though threw me for a loop.
Bunny
4/5
This story made me uncomfortable. The suffering and description of what was happening to Bunny as he ate himself to death was hard to read. However, when I finished it, I realized how much of a love story it was rather than a story about suffering.
Wodow
4/5
Phew! This story is about a dysfunctional family that gets together for Christmas when a strange man appears out in the snow. What happens next shakes the family and sends them each on a course for the roughest year of their lives.
The Gun
3/4
Another creepy one! A story about two kids that take an older brothers gun and mess around in the woods.
The Woodpecker and the Wolf
5/5
This one seems like it could be a full book, and I would love to read it!
“The desire to be somewhere else, which is never satisfied by being somewhere else, however far you go, though you have to go a very long way indeed to figure that one out.”
Breathe
2/5
Not sure I understood this one... the story seemed to drag and then the ending confused me.
The Boys Who Left Home To Learn Fear
4/5
This story seemed a bit slower than the rest, but still a great read! It was about a group that went on an expedition through the jungle to find another group that had gone missing. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
The Weir
4/5
A great short story to end this series!
I REALLY enjoyed this book! The storyline was interesting- at times it was funny (I literally laughed out loud quite a few times), other moments it was anxiety filled, some were sad enough for me to get a little misty. The characters were awesome (the furry ones as well!). The romance was alright-nothing intense, just reasonable and believable. And the pace that it moved along was perfect for the storyline.
My only real issue with this book was the dialogue- it's not labeled YA, but the dialogue made it seem like the characters were in their late teens/early 20's. Though I think they were supposed to be in their 30s/40's? I'm not totally sure there. It may have been mentioned in the book and I just missed it. Regardless, for two government type people and a teacher, they seemed very immature. Example: "I can't rely on muscle, so I rely on brains. It appears you have the opposite problem.”
I thought that the beginning was a bit slow, but once the main character approaches her target on the train, I was hooked. I mean, I read all 500+ pages in 4 days (which were full with work and other activities) and that hardly ever happens!
Sure it was a little predictable (specifically at the beginning), but it was still an awesome read.
Highly recommended.
Favorite passages:
Don't let it go to you're head and impair your judgement. Don't let hope make you stupid.
Barnaby said she needed to take a mental break now and then. Have some fun, or what was the point of living?
Just living, she had decided. Just living was all she asked. And so she out in the mental effort needed to make that possible.
"When he wakes up," Daniel murmured gently, "I'm going to punch him in the throat."
Well, that was one way to process it.
Kevin started laughing. She could imagine how she looked.
“Who’s chained to the floor now?” he asked.
“Still you,” Daniel murmured.
"I've never been drawn to someone the way I am to you, and I have been from the first moment I met you. It's like the difference between...between reading about gravity and the falling for the first time."
My only real issue with this book was the dialogue- it's not labeled YA, but the dialogue made it seem like the characters were in their late teens/early 20's. Though I think they were supposed to be in their 30s/40's? I'm not totally sure there. It may have been mentioned in the book and I just missed it. Regardless, for two government type people and a teacher, they seemed very immature. Example: "I can't rely on muscle, so I rely on brains. It appears you have the opposite problem.”
I thought that the beginning was a bit slow, but once the main character approaches her target on the train, I was hooked. I mean, I read all 500+ pages in 4 days (which were full with work and other activities) and that hardly ever happens!
Sure it was a little predictable (specifically at the beginning), but it was still an awesome read.
Highly recommended.
Favorite passages:
Don't let it go to you're head and impair your judgement. Don't let hope make you stupid.
Barnaby said she needed to take a mental break now and then. Have some fun, or what was the point of living?
Just living, she had decided. Just living was all she asked. And so she out in the mental effort needed to make that possible.
"When he wakes up," Daniel murmured gently, "I'm going to punch him in the throat."
Well, that was one way to process it.
Kevin started laughing. She could imagine how she looked.
“Who’s chained to the floor now?” he asked.
“Still you,” Daniel murmured.
"I've never been drawn to someone the way I am to you, and I have been from the first moment I met you. It's like the difference between...between reading about gravity and the falling for the first time."
So first things first...after reading the first three pages, I came verrrrry close to adding this book to my DNF list.
However, I decided to continue on and I am very glad that I did because I really enjoyed this book! In fact, I read it in one sitting. I wasn't "hooked" per say, but I did enjoy it so much that I didn't want to go to sleep until I had finished it.
The story wasn't anything magical. The writing didn't really move me. But it was a quick read. The storyline was decent and I really enjoyed the characters, even though they all seemed to be a bit immature.
I would recommend this book.
However, I decided to continue on and I am very glad that I did because I really enjoyed this book! In fact, I read it in one sitting. I wasn't "hooked" per say, but I did enjoy it so much that I didn't want to go to sleep until I had finished it.
The story wasn't anything magical. The writing didn't really move me. But it was a quick read. The storyline was decent and I really enjoyed the characters, even though they all seemed to be a bit immature.
I would recommend this book.
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Three and a half stars.
I preordered this book long before it came out. When there were issues with shipping from Amazon, I began hearing all of the backlash so I cancelled my order and requested it from the library instead. Because I had time to hear so much backlash and such, my expectations going into this were extremely low. Still, before I started reading, I made sure to get in the right mindset- totally open mind, not expecting much, etc.
Obviously, there were some issues.
It most definitely felt like a fan fiction more than a piece of work from J.K. Rowling. From time to time, I also felt that there were just so many things that were overlooked that this seemed almost like a rough draft, like it was very rushed. So I had issues with flow and the things just didn’t line up with the original series... They were all things that Rowling should have caught and fixed...Examples:
Using magic on Platform 9 3/4 in his third year- did they lower the age of magic outside of school grounds? Or does the platform count as school grounds?
Suddenly having Polyjuice potion available rather than taking the month to brew- Was that a mistake? Did potions improve so it was available faster? Why wasn’t that explained if so?
How they were in the library and then seemed to go straight to the girls bathroom, but suddenly Albus has Gillyweed…they must have made an off-stage stop. And Albus didn’t tell Scorpius what he was getting..?
Also, some of the dialogue wording seemed a little off, like there were words missing in some sentences.
There were also a handful of weird things that didn't line up with the characters. Like how simply Hermione hid an item that she knew was very dangerous in the wrong hands (she's brilliant, shouldn't she have hidden it better?!) I also really didn't like how Ron was portrayed the majority of the time... Sometimes he was good old goofy Ron, but others he seemed like too much of a doofus.
I also don’t understand the Part 1 and Part 2…was this play seen on two different days? The break between Part 1 and Part 2 doesn’t make sense…unless that marked the intermission of the play? But why title the book that way as well?
I straight up HATE that it is being called “Harry Potter Eight” “The Eighth Story”. Why couldn’t it just be a one off? Why did it have to be merged with the series? It’s not the same. If this was an actual novel that was fully written, I could see it being called book eight…but no. It’s a play and it was written by different people. It really seemed like Rowling only provided a weak outline.
All that said….I tried to take this as it was and not think to much about it. So overall, I actually really enjoyed this play! I believe that if I had read this when it first came out, my thoughts would have been a bit different. But I thought it was exciting, I enjoyed the characters (LOVED SCORPIUS!) , and I could really see the play coming to life. I wish I could have seen this preformed in London!
I would recommend this book, but I would urge readers to keep an open mind and go into like I did- with very low expectations.
I preordered this book long before it came out. When there were issues with shipping from Amazon, I began hearing all of the backlash so I cancelled my order and requested it from the library instead. Because I had time to hear so much backlash and such, my expectations going into this were extremely low. Still, before I started reading, I made sure to get in the right mindset- totally open mind, not expecting much, etc.
Obviously, there were some issues.
It most definitely felt like a fan fiction more than a piece of work from J.K. Rowling. From time to time, I also felt that there were just so many things that were overlooked that this seemed almost like a rough draft, like it was very rushed. So I had issues with flow and the things just didn’t line up with the original series... They were all things that Rowling should have caught and fixed...Examples:
Using magic on Platform 9 3/4 in his third year- did they lower the age of magic outside of school grounds? Or does the platform count as school grounds?
Suddenly having Polyjuice potion available rather than taking the month to brew- Was that a mistake? Did potions improve so it was available faster? Why wasn’t that explained if so?
How they were in the library and then seemed to go straight to the girls bathroom, but suddenly Albus has Gillyweed…they must have made an off-stage stop. And Albus didn’t tell Scorpius what he was getting..?
Also, some of the dialogue wording seemed a little off, like there were words missing in some sentences.
There were also a handful of weird things that didn't line up with the characters. Like how simply Hermione hid an item that she knew was very dangerous in the wrong hands (she's brilliant, shouldn't she have hidden it better?!) I also really didn't like how Ron was portrayed the majority of the time... Sometimes he was good old goofy Ron, but others he seemed like too much of a doofus.
I also don’t understand the Part 1 and Part 2…was this play seen on two different days? The break between Part 1 and Part 2 doesn’t make sense…unless that marked the intermission of the play? But why title the book that way as well?
I straight up HATE that it is being called “Harry Potter Eight” “The Eighth Story”. Why couldn’t it just be a one off? Why did it have to be merged with the series? It’s not the same. If this was an actual novel that was fully written, I could see it being called book eight…but no. It’s a play and it was written by different people. It really seemed like Rowling only provided a weak outline.
All that said….I tried to take this as it was and not think to much about it. So overall, I actually really enjoyed this play! I believe that if I had read this when it first came out, my thoughts would have been a bit different. But I thought it was exciting, I enjoyed the characters (LOVED SCORPIUS!) , and I could really see the play coming to life. I wish I could have seen this preformed in London!
I would recommend this book, but I would urge readers to keep an open mind and go into like I did- with very low expectations.
I absolutely loved Rat Queens Vol. 1, and I could not wait to get my hands on the next one. Unfortunately, this second volume was a total let down for me.
First of all, the artwork was incredibly inconsistent, which is my main irk with comics. And it's not that the switch was bad, necessarily, I just felt that the second half really lacked the oomph that the beginning of the comic had. Turns out, Roc Upchurch stopped illustrating the series after issue 8 and then Stjepan Šejić took over. I definitely prefer the look and tone that Roc's artwork had. Stjepan's work just seems too soft to me and the characters definitely lost their intensity.
Second, the storyline didn't seem very organized. While I did appreciate the flashbacks to help us get to know the characters a bit more, the transitions were just so jarring. I needed just a little something more to keep the storyline together...
Third, all of the humor and the excitement I had for volume one was totally gone in this second volume. There was only one time that I chuckled. I found myself bored through most of this collection.
And fourth, I really didn't care about the storyline. It seemed like it all happened so quickly. Then when it was over, I had to stop and think- wait, what actually happened in this one?
Needless to say, I would not recommend this volume. I will be reading volume three simply because I already checked it out from the library.
First of all, the artwork was incredibly inconsistent, which is my main irk with comics. And it's not that the switch was bad, necessarily, I just felt that the second half really lacked the oomph that the beginning of the comic had. Turns out, Roc Upchurch stopped illustrating the series after issue 8 and then Stjepan Šejić took over. I definitely prefer the look and tone that Roc's artwork had. Stjepan's work just seems too soft to me and the characters definitely lost their intensity.
Second, the storyline didn't seem very organized. While I did appreciate the flashbacks to help us get to know the characters a bit more, the transitions were just so jarring. I needed just a little something more to keep the storyline together...
Third, all of the humor and the excitement I had for volume one was totally gone in this second volume. There was only one time that I chuckled. I found myself bored through most of this collection.
And fourth, I really didn't care about the storyline. It seemed like it all happened so quickly. Then when it was over, I had to stop and think- wait, what actually happened in this one?
Needless to say, I would not recommend this volume. I will be reading volume three simply because I already checked it out from the library.