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utahmomreads's review against another edition
4.0
Read my review here : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2013/11/after-her-book-review.html
emerygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Read this book based on a Real Simple magazine recommendation. I had no idea what it was about. While a mystery, a serial killer is on the loose, the book is more about relationships. As a woman with two sisters as my best friends, I loved the relationship between Patty and Rachel. There adventures reminded me of my sisters and my adventures, although their adventures were on a much grander scale (Huntington never had a serial killer on the loose).
mcearl12's review against another edition
4.0
A good read. Made me want to read more from this author.
ilaurin's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very different book than I expected, mor fiction then thriller, but an enjoyable story. The book is very much about 2 teenage sisters, left for the most part on their own, and the strong bond they have with each other. It is also a coming of age book for the older sister. There is a serial killer and an adulated cop father, but the story is about the older sister.
kristenfh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
cmhknitz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I absolutely love the way Joyce Maynard writes!
k8hd9's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
carolpk's review against another edition
Good
William Morrow Publishing, c.2014 – e-book, 338 p.
The Hook 2106 Reading Plan – An in-between book, one I purchased on sale in e-book format based on the publisher’s review.
The Line ”It was the place we found out about everything, that mountain.”
The Sinker – Maynard takes a great deal of time setting up the mystery presented here. Her protagonist begins the story in a look back of events thirty years past. The narrator, the forty plus Rachel initially alludes to an encounter with a serial murderer killing young women “on the mountain”, the mountain in Marin County that is the playground of she and her sister Patty.
The sisters are the children of a broken marriage. The mother who has custody is rarely available mentally or physically for the girls, too many problems of her own. Their larger then life father, Detective Anthony Torricelli, has little time for his daughters as the demands of his job keep him busy, even more so when he becomes in charge of the serial killer case. Lacking a TV but sporting one heck of an imagination, Rachel and Patty spend their days outdoors in their neighborhood, making up stories and dreaming up crazy schemes. After all
All we had was time.”
Rachel dreams of being a writer and it is this that fuels her theories and “visions” of the strangled women and their killer. If she kept her speculations private all might be well but when they involve not only her sister but interfere with her father’s investigation, repercussions ensue.
There were times when Rachel’s antics seemed unrealistic but they brought back memories of my own childhood, those growing up years, so different than today. Without computers and limited TV, we spent a great deal of our time outdoors roaming the neighborhood, playing games and seeking adventures that used our vivid imaginations. The time I spent with one good friend in particular brings back memories of some weird things we did. We even had our own murder of a young girl that touched off fear in our lives. Some of the stuff we did was unbelievable now and it’s a miracle we didn’t get in more trouble than we did. This, the closeness of the sisters and their curiosity and creativity for play were what made After Her for me.
More than a murder mystery After Her is a story of the close bonds of sisters, wanting to fit in, first love, blossoming womanhood, all that is the angst of growing up. It is also a look at our perceptions of parents, how we see them as heroes or villains, often without really knowing them. Don’t expect a fast pace. It may build too slowly for some readers. I liked it for the reasons I mention.
In her acknowledgments the author gives a nod to the two women who gave her the idea that inspired this story. Janet Cubley and Laura Xerogneanes shared their remembrances of growing up with divorced parents near Mount Ramalpais in Marin County. Their father Detective Robert Gaddini was head of Marin County homicide during a time when a serial killer known as The Trailside Killer was at large. The sister’s gave their blessings to Maynard to write the story and change what she wished. She did.
Maynard also mentions the playlist in her mind as she writes. In this case she knew that the one song that captured the mood for this book was My Sharona”a deceptively simple and utterly seductive anthem, and one that crystallizes, as well as any rock-and-roll song ever has, maybe, the pounding, driving insistence of a sexual obsession.” You can find it on youtube including lyrics. Interesting.
William Morrow Publishing, c.2014 – e-book, 338 p.
The Hook 2106 Reading Plan – An in-between book, one I purchased on sale in e-book format based on the publisher’s review.
The Line ”It was the place we found out about everything, that mountain.”
The Sinker – Maynard takes a great deal of time setting up the mystery presented here. Her protagonist begins the story in a look back of events thirty years past. The narrator, the forty plus Rachel initially alludes to an encounter with a serial murderer killing young women “on the mountain”, the mountain in Marin County that is the playground of she and her sister Patty.
The sisters are the children of a broken marriage. The mother who has custody is rarely available mentally or physically for the girls, too many problems of her own. Their larger then life father, Detective Anthony Torricelli, has little time for his daughters as the demands of his job keep him busy, even more so when he becomes in charge of the serial killer case. Lacking a TV but sporting one heck of an imagination, Rachel and Patty spend their days outdoors in their neighborhood, making up stories and dreaming up crazy schemes. After all
All we had was time.”
Rachel dreams of being a writer and it is this that fuels her theories and “visions” of the strangled women and their killer. If she kept her speculations private all might be well but when they involve not only her sister but interfere with her father’s investigation, repercussions ensue.
There were times when Rachel’s antics seemed unrealistic but they brought back memories of my own childhood, those growing up years, so different than today. Without computers and limited TV, we spent a great deal of our time outdoors roaming the neighborhood, playing games and seeking adventures that used our vivid imaginations. The time I spent with one good friend in particular brings back memories of some weird things we did. We even had our own murder of a young girl that touched off fear in our lives. Some of the stuff we did was unbelievable now and it’s a miracle we didn’t get in more trouble than we did. This, the closeness of the sisters and their curiosity and creativity for play were what made After Her for me.
More than a murder mystery After Her is a story of the close bonds of sisters, wanting to fit in, first love, blossoming womanhood, all that is the angst of growing up. It is also a look at our perceptions of parents, how we see them as heroes or villains, often without really knowing them. Don’t expect a fast pace. It may build too slowly for some readers. I liked it for the reasons I mention.
In her acknowledgments the author gives a nod to the two women who gave her the idea that inspired this story. Janet Cubley and Laura Xerogneanes shared their remembrances of growing up with divorced parents near Mount Ramalpais in Marin County. Their father Detective Robert Gaddini was head of Marin County homicide during a time when a serial killer known as The Trailside Killer was at large. The sister’s gave their blessings to Maynard to write the story and change what she wished. She did.
Maynard also mentions the playlist in her mind as she writes. In this case she knew that the one song that captured the mood for this book was My Sharona”a deceptively simple and utterly seductive anthem, and one that crystallizes, as well as any rock-and-roll song ever has, maybe, the pounding, driving insistence of a sexual obsession.” You can find it on youtube including lyrics. Interesting.
dizzybell06's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this book and I almost stopped reading it completely. In the end I am happy I finished it, but there was a lot of background information that did not seem necessary. It sort of felt like nothing was happening and then everything was happening. I'm not sure where I stand with this book.