sandro_reads's reviews
102 reviews

The setup is intriguing: a nanny telling her story through letters to her lawyer as she stands accused of murdering one of the children in her care. It was also promising to see technology play a modern part in this familiar tale. But, the intrigue wears off quickly and the reader is left with nothing but a few bumps in the night. 

Newson fully roots this coming-of-age tale in 1980s New York during AIDS activism through the use of historical figures, places and organizations - all wonderfully detailed in footnotes. However, just when Trey’s story kicks in, the book abruptly ends leaving the reader to wonder what happened?

The premise of multiple points of view from the residents within one apartment building was promising but the plot goes nowhere for much of the book before springing a ridiculous twist upon us. 

This book will grab you from the onset with twists and turns that shock but gets increasingly far-fetched. It’s also brutally disturbing with detailed descriptions of torture (which I am told is the author’s trademark) before stalling in the last quarter.

Evelyn’s journey through making it in old Hollywood and the men who aided that ambition make for a fun read. The book falters a bit with a twist regarding Monique, her chosen reporter to tell her story, who adds little to the narrative. 

A dash of murder mystery, a sprinkle of romance but mostly reads as a nature novel. Where the Crawdads Sing works best when the focus is on Kya’s life in the marsh and the beautiful descriptions of the life found within but, the reader will have to suspend their disbelief with just how a child survived this life alone. 

A gothic thriller set in Victorian England, The Poison Thread has a truly unique premise - is Ruth capable of killing people simply through her sewing? It explores poverty with some quite gory passages and is a fascinating read. 

I should confess that I have never read The Iliad so, this retelling was a new-ish story to me. I love Greek mythology and the first half of the book sets up the love affair between Patroclus and Achilles beautifully. But, the second half, much like the Trojan War itself, drags on. 

It’s hard to review A Little Life. On one hand, the prose is beautiful and the deeply conceived character of Jude stays with you. However, there does come a point when the countless brutalities feel exploitative especially when contrasted with the extreme success this group of friends all achieve in their chosen fields - which just does not ring believable. 

The familiar gothic thriller tropes worked well for the first half of the book: a crumbling mansion at risk of falling off its cliff and woman sent to care for a bedridden patient accused of killing her family but never convicted. However, there were just too many twists at the end which ruined the whole book for me.