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brytnii's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
janedreader's review against another edition
2.0
Awful, what a slog! I skimmed several parts. I kept waiting for it to get interesting. I’d say 10% of the book was mildly interesting. Never again.
ridgewaygirl's review
2.0
Sophie Hannah writes intense, convoluted novels centered around a woman who is involved in a crime (as a witness or participant or victim) but from an odd angle that make her seem delusional. Her main characters are often unpleasant or frantic, often doing things to make it hard for anyone to believe them. Here Hannah sticks to this blueprint, but she has done away with her usual counterpoint of the point of view of the detectives investigating the case.
Justine has left her fast-paced career and moved her family to rural Devon, hoping to do nothing but putter around the beautiful estate they've purchased, Speedwell House, while her husband travels and her daughter attends school. But even on the way to their new home, Justine is struck by an affinity for an unattractive house along a busy road. Soon after arriving, her daughter becomes distressed by the expulsion of another pupil and Justine begins receiving threatening phone calls from a woman who thinks Justine is called "Sandie."
A Game for All the Family is certainly as complex and odd as any of Hannah's other books. Justine is an unlikeable character, being arrogant and high-handed in her dealings with others. She's also prone to not doing basic things that most people would do in her circumstances, while reacting strongly to much smaller events. It's a stand-alone novel, with out the usual detectives to do the work of solving the crimes and puzzles, and this is a weakness. Since the only view the reader has is from the inside of a biased and erratic narrator, there's no way to ground the story in any sort of objectivity. And Justine is consumed with her own opinions and personal bugbears that I'm still not entirely certain what happened. And some of the reactions of the people around the main character make very little sense.
Still, this is a rare misfire by an author who has so far been reliable in her crime novels. I look forward to reading the next one, which I am relieved to see is once again balanced by the usual detectives.
Justine has left her fast-paced career and moved her family to rural Devon, hoping to do nothing but putter around the beautiful estate they've purchased, Speedwell House, while her husband travels and her daughter attends school. But even on the way to their new home, Justine is struck by an affinity for an unattractive house along a busy road. Soon after arriving, her daughter becomes distressed by the expulsion of another pupil and Justine begins receiving threatening phone calls from a woman who thinks Justine is called "Sandie."
A Game for All the Family is certainly as complex and odd as any of Hannah's other books. Justine is an unlikeable character, being arrogant and high-handed in her dealings with others. She's also prone to not doing basic things that most people would do in her circumstances, while reacting strongly to much smaller events. It's a stand-alone novel, with out the usual detectives to do the work of solving the crimes and puzzles, and this is a weakness. Since the only view the reader has is from the inside of a biased and erratic narrator, there's no way to ground the story in any sort of objectivity. And Justine is consumed with her own opinions and personal bugbears that I'm still not entirely certain what happened. And some of the reactions of the people around the main character make very little sense.
Still, this is a rare misfire by an author who has so far been reliable in her crime novels. I look forward to reading the next one, which I am relieved to see is once again balanced by the usual detectives.
aoibhrua's review
3.0
★★★☆☆
SPOILERS
Review originally posted on Aoibh Reads
Justine Merrison has left her London life behind as she moves to Devon with her husband, Alex, and their daughter Ellen.
Finally, she gets the peaceful life she wanted. But after reading the beginning of a story Ellen is writing for school, Justine can't rid the feeling of something being wrong.
When Ellen's best friend George gets expelled from school, she spirals into despair. But when Justine goes to discuss George's expulsion with the school, George's existence is denied.
Being plagued with anonymous phone-calls from a woman who promises to kill Justine and her family if they don't leave, Justine's world is thrown upside down.
Who is the caller?
Does George really exist? And if so, why is the school lying about him?
And where did Ellen get the material for her murder mystery story?
Can Justine get to the bottom of things before she and her family come face to face with the real danger?
This is the second novel by Sophie Hannah that I've read, so I did have relatively high hopes. Ultimately, I felt let down though. I kept waiting for everything to fall into place and click and just make sense, but it never did. It all read like one crazy train and never really making much sense for the reader...
Characters: I didn't really like or connect with any of the characters in this. Justine was just crazy from the start and a little neurotic. Ellen was a brat. Alex was dull. George was an oddball and to me, didn't fit the personality of a child in his position. School teachers were not at all authoritative. Just completely all over the place! Justine was so easily spooked and it didn't seem like she had a back-bone at all in regards to dealing with her family, but this was the same person who forced her way into a school and spoke down to the principal? And this same person was later capable of murder without a shadow of guilt or shame? None of it fits!
Mystery: This is meant to be a story of suspense, to keep the reader on the edge of their seats and be scared, like the main character. But it was dull. My attention wasn't held to want to get to the bottom of Perrine's murder, the anonymous calls, the truth about George, the alleged unhinged Anne. I didn't feel the threat behind the calls either and the reader should've been scared for Justine- especially after she falls into a grave that has been dug! But nope, I didn't care. I ended up just skim reading just to be able to finish the book.
Story: All over the place. From the start... As they're driving to Devon the story is all haphazard. They're arguing in the car and Justine is overwhelmed after seeing a particular house. Then dealing with a crazy stalker and everything being intertwined with the story Ellen was writing -more interesting than Justine's story but equally as ridiculous - it was like the reader was meant to be sent on a mind f*ck journey but truth being told, the train never even left the station. Things did pick up pace towards the end, but I felt like we were still left without answers. The conclusion was so far-fetched and out there, I was left wondering "did I really just read what I think I read?" Hrm...
Overall:
I'm quite undecided with this book. I really enjoyed the other book by Sophie Hannah and this sounded equally as mysterious - but I guess the story just wasn't for me. I did keep going and read through the whole thing, so it can't have been so bad!
See more of my reviews here
SPOILERS
Review originally posted on Aoibh Reads
Justine Merrison has left her London life behind as she moves to Devon with her husband, Alex, and their daughter Ellen.
Finally, she gets the peaceful life she wanted. But after reading the beginning of a story Ellen is writing for school, Justine can't rid the feeling of something being wrong.
When Ellen's best friend George gets expelled from school, she spirals into despair. But when Justine goes to discuss George's expulsion with the school, George's existence is denied.
Being plagued with anonymous phone-calls from a woman who promises to kill Justine and her family if they don't leave, Justine's world is thrown upside down.
Who is the caller?
Does George really exist? And if so, why is the school lying about him?
And where did Ellen get the material for her murder mystery story?
Can Justine get to the bottom of things before she and her family come face to face with the real danger?
This is the second novel by Sophie Hannah that I've read, so I did have relatively high hopes. Ultimately, I felt let down though. I kept waiting for everything to fall into place and click and just make sense, but it never did. It all read like one crazy train and never really making much sense for the reader...
Characters: I didn't really like or connect with any of the characters in this. Justine was just crazy from the start and a little neurotic. Ellen was a brat. Alex was dull. George was an oddball and to me, didn't fit the personality of a child in his position. School teachers were not at all authoritative. Just completely all over the place! Justine was so easily spooked and it didn't seem like she had a back-bone at all in regards to dealing with her family, but this was the same person who forced her way into a school and spoke down to the principal? And this same person was later capable of murder without a shadow of guilt or shame? None of it fits!
Mystery: This is meant to be a story of suspense, to keep the reader on the edge of their seats and be scared, like the main character. But it was dull. My attention wasn't held to want to get to the bottom of Perrine's murder, the anonymous calls, the truth about George, the alleged unhinged Anne. I didn't feel the threat behind the calls either and the reader should've been scared for Justine- especially after she falls into a grave that has been dug! But nope, I didn't care. I ended up just skim reading just to be able to finish the book.
Story: All over the place. From the start... As they're driving to Devon the story is all haphazard. They're arguing in the car and Justine is overwhelmed after seeing a particular house. Then dealing with a crazy stalker and everything being intertwined with the story Ellen was writing -more interesting than Justine's story but equally as ridiculous - it was like the reader was meant to be sent on a mind f*ck journey but truth being told, the train never even left the station. Things did pick up pace towards the end, but I felt like we were still left without answers. The conclusion was so far-fetched and out there, I was left wondering "did I really just read what I think I read?" Hrm...
Overall:
I'm quite undecided with this book. I really enjoyed the other book by Sophie Hannah and this sounded equally as mysterious - but I guess the story just wasn't for me. I did keep going and read through the whole thing, so it can't have been so bad!
See more of my reviews here
robinmbucci's review
3.0
Good - but left me wanting more
Interesting read, definitely keeps you hooked. But I found myself not entirely satisfied by the ending. It definitely left me wanting just a little bit more.
Interesting read, definitely keeps you hooked. But I found myself not entirely satisfied by the ending. It definitely left me wanting just a little bit more.
sarahhyatt's review
2.0
It was interesting until almost the end, and then it suddenly wasn't. What a letdown.
emjay2021's review
3.0
Absolutely preposterous and wildly entertaining. I enjoyed this greatly and thought it held together quite well until the last, oh, 15% of the book. Then it went gloriously off the rails. But what a fun (though ridiculous) ride. I liked the audiobook narrator a lot. Will definitely read/listen to more Sophie Hannah, even though I didn’t think this was as good as Perfect Little Children.