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maxinefloyd's review
4.0
SPOILERS. I enjoyed this book, but it took me until about halfway through to really get into it. I really liked certain aspects of the theme, but felt there was a lot of extra fluff added that wasn’t necessary and caused the book to drag at times. I also felt there were other aspects of the story I would have loved the author to go into more detail on, for example, how Jimmy ended up meeting his wife. I do love the ending of the book, as I really started to loathe Dolly, and couldn’t believe she could go from her character as a young woman to the type of mother Laurel described her as. I thought parts were predictable (what was going on between Vivian and her husband), but never would have predicted the ending. Overall I liked this book a lot. I might give it 4.5 stars if GoodReads allowed half stars (I think they should!!). The deduction was mostly because I thought the book had a lot of superfluous detail.
rose_64's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ninasbooks57's review against another edition
4.0
Great story- lots of unexpected twists! The only thing is the author got kind of wordy- it was long and could have been condensed some! Worth plowing through those parts though!!!
kellygoesgeocaching's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a twist!!!! As I got further and further into the book, I was hoping it wouldn't disappoint me with the ending but wow! I really didn't see it coming!!! I'll definitely be recommending this book to other people.
My only gripe would be the scene-setting in Australia. I was in a bit of pain with the number of cliches squeezed in to describe the atmosphere. "Sank like a macadamia nut" "a kookaburra chortling" and on and on. It felt a little like the author had been busting to write about the Queensland region she came from and just got too excited.
I will admit I laughed out loud at a death scene in there - you'll know which one when you get to it. I reckon the author had been wanting to write a death by ..... for a long time and finally managed to get it in print.
Amazingly, I wasn't put off by the book having significant parts set during WWII; usually stories, movies or even news articles about that time really upset me and give me nightmares. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere of London during the Blitz but it reinforced how awful that time was, how scary human nature can be and how I never ever want that to happen again.
A brilliant book, just like the previous Kate Morton I'd read. I'll be hunting down the third one and any more she publishes in the future.
My only gripe would be the scene-setting in Australia. I was in a bit of pain with the number of cliches squeezed in to describe the atmosphere. "Sank like a macadamia nut" "a kookaburra chortling" and on and on. It felt a little like the author had been busting to write about the Queensland region she came from and just got too excited.
I will admit I laughed out loud at a death scene in there - you'll know which one when you get to it. I reckon the author had been wanting to write a death by ..... for a long time and finally managed to get it in print.
Amazingly, I wasn't put off by the book having significant parts set during WWII; usually stories, movies or even news articles about that time really upset me and give me nightmares. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere of London during the Blitz but it reinforced how awful that time was, how scary human nature can be and how I never ever want that to happen again.
A brilliant book, just like the previous Kate Morton I'd read. I'll be hunting down the third one and any more she publishes in the future.
soportas's review
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.0
gmat's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
taylor394's review
5.0
The last 200 pages of this book were breathtaking. Kate Morton is the master of satisfying endings. I love Kate Morton so much that I ended up hating her for how well she crafted the ... lies ... in this book.
I'll be honest, the first 200 pages of the book were fair (I'm talking 3.5 stars fair); I found myself not particularly liking any of the characters, but my goodness, does Morton really know how to turn a story over on it's head until you realize all of it was a secret. I can't properly describe the experience I had reading this book without giving away spoilers; but I went from thinking the novel was fair, to being absolutely blown away and astonished by Morton's ability to weave a tale and keep a few secrets herself. This is definitely one of Morton's darker, intriguing mysteries, and I didn't even know I was reading 'that' type of mystery (she says cryptically).
I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction or mysteries.
I will leave you with an interesting thought (clue?): perspective and narrative are a very important thing, don't you think?
I'll be honest, the first 200 pages of the book were fair (I'm talking 3.5 stars fair); I found myself not particularly liking any of the characters, but my goodness, does Morton really know how to turn a story over on it's head until you realize all of it was a secret. I can't properly describe the experience I had reading this book without giving away spoilers; but I went from thinking the novel was fair, to being absolutely blown away and astonished by Morton's ability to weave a tale and keep a few secrets herself. This is definitely one of Morton's darker, intriguing mysteries, and I didn't even know I was reading 'that' type of mystery (she says cryptically).
I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction or mysteries.
I will leave you with an interesting thought (clue?): perspective and narrative are a very important thing, don't you think?
svershon's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Domestic abuse
Moderate: War