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witchyfingers's review against another edition
1.0
Very pulpy and fluffy so far. A candy read.
Chose not to finish this one, I was just not enjoying it - the language was toooo syrupy and overdone, and the story was meandering and predictable.
Chose not to finish this one, I was just not enjoying it - the language was toooo syrupy and overdone, and the story was meandering and predictable.
sisteray's review against another edition
3.0
The book is filled with a flirty engaging prose that keeps turning on itself, eluding to its meaning successfully while rarely spelling out exactly what is going on. Megan Abbott is adroit in capturing a feeling, or a moment without having to directly describe it. She's a great writer. Sadly, the plotting in this book is just too slow for the content that it delivers. The first 110 pages could have been condensed down to 50 with no loss. Once the action starts the book moves right along, but it was a task to plow through it at the beginning. Had the writing not been so solid, I'd not have continued on to get to the first plot point.
Once things actually start moving along, it was a fair plot, and one that kept me curious, with some entertaining turns. But even then it read like a solid short story.
It is disappointing because of all its wasted potential. I might read another Abbott book, but probably not for a while.
Once things actually start moving along, it was a fair plot, and one that kept me curious, with some entertaining turns. But even then it read like a solid short story.
It is disappointing because of all its wasted potential. I might read another Abbott book, but probably not for a while.
julieh46's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarfow11's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. What a read. It took me a few reads of the synopsis to realize this was about the infamous and gruesome trunk murders of 1931, but this was an incredibly vivid and detailed reimagining of what happened. This writing is phenomenal; a bit of a slow burn at the beginning as I was getting acquainted with all the characters, but things picked up fast. Gore, sex, intrigue...this was a work of literary art. Megan Abbott continues to impress.
lacywolfe's review against another edition
3.0
I actually liked the book more after I finished it and realized it was based on a true story of the Trunk Murderess. Of course it's my fault I didn't know that before hand because I purposely don't read the blurb on the back of the book once I've decided to read it. This was my first book by Abbot, but I'll be sure to read more of her oeuvre.
jerefi's review against another edition
2.0
The book is based on a real life crime during The Jazz Age. One who loves a good crime story, especially one based on something real like Black Dahlia or Zodiac, I was ready to dive in. I was somewhat disappointed overall with the story. It was OK and I read it pretty fast, but I think I would find the books delving into the true crime much more interesting. In the end, there was a note to discuss all the ways she deviated from the original occurrence and I did like the way she changed the ending, but I think it could have been better.
bloodonsnow's review against another edition
5.0
Holy god, I loved this book. Abbott did a great job of making me care about her protagonist, which when one considers what she does over the course of the novel, is no small feat. It read like sex in a back alley feels - fun, dangerous, exciting, scary.
juliemhowe's review against another edition
5.0
This ticks a lot of boxes for me: noir, femme fatales, nursery, passion, true crime, etc, and it did not disappoint. A little long in the end, but the rest went by in a flash. This might be a good read-alike for the Girl on a Train and Gone Girl.
acinthedc's review against another edition
2.0
Based loosely on actual events, this noirish novel is predictable and formulaic. If the author had held the ending a little closer to what really happened, it would have been a slightly more satisfying read.