Reviews

Im so confused? Who did it? Can someone answer!! This book was a bit of a let down, it was somewhat interesting and kept me reading, especially in the second half, but the characters were bizarre. They were in such strong denial and overlooked so many inappropriate things. I strongly disliked Clare, her unwillingness to get a job and keeping things from her children, how she was with Leo even though she met him three times. The kids were all odd, although I liked Pip! I didn’t like Adele either, she was just so blind and delusional, trying “hard” with her kids but allowing them to run wild. It was just bland and so anticlimactic.

literatureatheart's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

quietsaint_148's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition

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2.0

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell is set in modern day London. Clare Wild and her two daughters, Pip (11) and Clare (12) have just moved into an open plan housing estate. The various buildings all back up onto a private park called Virginia Park (three acres). It is one giant backyard for the children who live in these buildings. The family had to move from their home because their father, Chris set fire to it (luckily no one was home). He wanted to stop the alien rat invasion that had infested their home. He thought he was saving the world (paranoid schizophrenia). Chris is currently in a mental health facility (they are putting him on new meds). Clare and Grace do not want any contact with him, but Pip writes him frequently. Pip is not allowed, though, to tell him where they have moved or any information that will lead Chris to their current whereabouts. Adele and Leo live across the way from the and they have three daughters (Willow, Catkin, and Fern). Grace quickly makes friends with the girls along with Tyler (another girl) and Dylan Maxwell-Reid. Pip is more of an observer. On July 5 (six months after they moved in) there is the Virginia Park Annual Summer Party. It is also Grace’s thirteenth birthday. Pip goes to look for Grace about 10 p.m. and finds her unconscious (and in a state of undress). Grace is in a coma with a broken nose. What happened to Grace in the park? The police are called in and they start questioning the residents. Will they be able to uncover what happened that night in Virginia Park?

I found The Girls in the Garden to be an odd novel. It took me about four tries to get through this book. I have been trying to finish it since June (it was just hard to get into). The book is set up with Pip finding Grace in the park, then there is the “before” section. Grace is found and then we have the “after” section. The writing is satisfactory, but the pace is slow. At first it seems to be from Pip’s perspective, but then it changes to Clare, then Adele (it keeps changing). The letters Pip writes to her father are also included in the book along with childish drawings. I felt the author tried to put too many characters into the books. We have the main characters and then all the strange neighbors (Rhea with her giant rabbit was my favorite). All the various characters just muddles the story and confuses the reader. I give The Girls in the Garden 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). The book contains inappropriate language, large quantities of alcohol, and intimate relations (the majority of this is among the kids). I did not feel any suspense or mystery. The identity of the perpetrator is obvious (in both crimes). The ending is terribly unsatisfying (and very peculiar). This would be a good book for parents to read on how not to raise their children. After I finished the novel, I was just disappointed (and felt I had wasted four hour of my life).

shavanners's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

jewel99's review against another edition

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3.0

I’ve heard a lot of Lisa Jewell books, and overall I enjoy her writing. But I found this book to be really slow, and almost boring in places. It was a bit of a slog to get through, and I would say the best part of the book is the ending, which I guess is a good thing. But it brings me want to take a big break from reading her books for the foreseeable future.

oliviagwynne's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed reading this book but it’s not one where the plot or characters will stick with me once I’m done. Very much a beach or airplane read

It written in 3rd person and jumps between 3 main perspectives, Pip, one of the daughters, Clare, their mom, and Adele, another mom from the neighbourhood.

The plot introduces so many different candidates and possibilities for who could be the one to commit the assault and does so quite quickly and subtly

I wasn’t a huge fan of the device of Pip’s letters to her father. They often recapped information you had just read a few pages before so it felt redundant.

You knew what it was building towards, it just took a while to get there so the pacing in the middle felt a bit slow

The fact that Clare isn’t out hunting daily for a job is WILD to me. How does she plan to support her family? What does she do with her days?

I didn’t really like the conclusion. I enjoyed that there were so many suspects to choose from but I just wasn’t stoked on the final choice

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