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sabregirl's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not really sure how to talk about this book. It was a nice and interesting read. It kept me hooked throughout the novel and the ending was a big twist. But the ending was a bit of a problem with me. It seemed, not complete. After Jamie throws herself off the cliff it's all very quick to reveal what happened. That 'Milo' wasn't real, it was Jamie's dual personality that Isa happened to share as well. And that Jamie was just hallucinating Pete after all. I think that was the biggest disappointment in the book for me. I really enjoyed this book, don't get me wrong, but the ending I just felt fell flat and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the novel. The novel itself was wonderful. There were absolutely no hints what so ever (until the last twenty or so pages) about what was really going on and I liked that. I would've liked to have seen toward the end more about Isa, who could be suffering from the same thing that Jamie was diagnosed with at the end. Isa's story just seemed to end without a proper ending. Plus the tie in with Jessie and Pete didn't seem complete either with Jamie keeping the ring. There just seemed to be a big thing missing from this book that left me a bit empty on it.
mallorykjorgensen's review against another edition
2.0
Um….can someone explain what happened for me? Obviously I missed something because I was/am so confused!
carstensena's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this take on Turn of the Screw. Great twist ending.
hauntedvictoria's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
j_yoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kellysmaust's review against another edition
2.0
First of all, I really need contemporary retellings of classic novels to say what they are on the title page or something because nothing makes me feel more ignorant than finishing a book and finding out after the fact that it was based on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. I haven't read the original, was it a ghost story? Yes or no, it at least explains why the protagonist had such an old-timey job and why social class was such a big deal in this story and why most of the characters had nothing more they were responsible for doing than driving around the island and lounging around in the afternoon shade (in retrospect, I should have realized). Of course the inevitable comparison for me is [b:The Wife Upstairs|53137893|The Wife Upstairs|Rachel Hawkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609506208l/53137893._SY75_.jpg|67818991], a Jane Eyre retelling, which I gave a 1-star review and would have given it less if I could have. Tighter's protagonist is better than Jane in The Wife Upstairs in that I didn't immediately want to punch her in the face on page 1, but she's just so indescribably BORING, and also addicted to pills randomly, and takes care of a little girl and drives her around the island under the influence. She doesn't seem to have any plans or aspirations for her life or even any hobbies. Even as I write this review I'm struggling to remember what even happened plot-wise. Just bland and forgettable all around.
hekate24's review against another edition
3.0
I literally can't decide between 2 stars or 3 stars aaargh aaaaaaargh arghhhhhh.
I thought the main character's voice was compelling, and I liked the ending a lot. The problem is, a lot of the subplots seemed really half-baked. Although maybe I'm feeling put out because the Jamie-Isa relationship was the most interesting to me, but it was underdeveloped (and yet supposed to drive a lot of the plot.)
Also I'm so over characters' passwords being some Plot Point Meaningful Word. Also writing out Connie's lisp was incredibly irritating.
I dunno, I dunno. I don't regret reading this one, and a lot of the writing is precise and evocative all at once. I think I just wish I got more out of it.
I thought the main character's voice was compelling, and I liked the ending a lot. The problem is, a lot of the subplots seemed really half-baked. Although maybe I'm feeling put out because the Jamie-Isa relationship was the most interesting to me, but it was underdeveloped (and yet supposed to drive a lot of the plot.)
Also I'm so over characters' passwords being some Plot Point Meaningful Word. Also writing out Connie's lisp was incredibly irritating.
I dunno, I dunno. I don't regret reading this one, and a lot of the writing is precise and evocative all at once. I think I just wish I got more out of it.
emjrasmussen's review against another edition
Little Bly is a postcard picture of sun-bleached sand and blue sky for miles, fresh-fried crab and the smell of sunscreen, beautiful people with windswept hair and sparkling summer mansions. Idyllic and closely-knit, it is the quintessential image of paradise, a town marred by nothing but a hint of upper-class snobbery. Its summer residents are serene and carefree, ensconced in their island's bubble of bliss.
Yes, Little Bly could not be a more enticing vacation destination for the extremely wealthy. But even more so, it could not be a more fitting backdrop for the twisted, thrilling tale that Adele Griffin weaves in Tighter. The island's sunlight and perfection contrast with the story's darkness and grittiness, highlighting every nuance of eeriness.
The setting integrates itself into the mystery, expanding the plot from exposing the details of a girl's death to exposing the details of the island as a whole. As Jamie peels back the layers of the dead girl's story—her tumultuous romances, her free-spirited personality, her shocking death—she also deconstructs Little Bly's flawless image. The island has its share of tragedy and secrets lurking just beneath its exterior, and each new clue proves that its residents are not always as happy and safe as they may seem. Watching Little Bly's gnarled curls of darkness burst through its enameled outer coating will fascinate readers even more than watching the dead girl's mystery unfold.
Even more eerie than the mystery is the protagonist's narration; true to her signature style, Adele Griffin creates a dangerously unreliable narrator. Perpetually laced with prescription drugs and prone to visions of the dead, Jamie's consciousness cannot be trusted. Each page will have readers guessing whether they can rely on the clues she finds or the conclusions she draws—and if anything she sees or says is real. The setting emphasizes Jamie's visions and paranoia; against a backdrop of tranquil vacationers, her anything-but-relaxed mental state seems exceptionally harsh and abnormal.
The thrilling mystery and haunting narration combine to create a story that, when overlaid with the setting's whimsical façade, seems like something out of a Brothers Grimm fairytale—a dangerous version of a well-known, lighthearted story. Thanks to its masterful play between light and dark, Tighter may be the best Griffin book I have read to date. Its mystery enticed me, its setting entranced me, and now neither one will let me go.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
Yes, Little Bly could not be a more enticing vacation destination for the extremely wealthy. But even more so, it could not be a more fitting backdrop for the twisted, thrilling tale that Adele Griffin weaves in Tighter. The island's sunlight and perfection contrast with the story's darkness and grittiness, highlighting every nuance of eeriness.
The setting integrates itself into the mystery, expanding the plot from exposing the details of a girl's death to exposing the details of the island as a whole. As Jamie peels back the layers of the dead girl's story—her tumultuous romances, her free-spirited personality, her shocking death—she also deconstructs Little Bly's flawless image. The island has its share of tragedy and secrets lurking just beneath its exterior, and each new clue proves that its residents are not always as happy and safe as they may seem. Watching Little Bly's gnarled curls of darkness burst through its enameled outer coating will fascinate readers even more than watching the dead girl's mystery unfold.
Even more eerie than the mystery is the protagonist's narration; true to her signature style, Adele Griffin creates a dangerously unreliable narrator. Perpetually laced with prescription drugs and prone to visions of the dead, Jamie's consciousness cannot be trusted. Each page will have readers guessing whether they can rely on the clues she finds or the conclusions she draws—and if anything she sees or says is real. The setting emphasizes Jamie's visions and paranoia; against a backdrop of tranquil vacationers, her anything-but-relaxed mental state seems exceptionally harsh and abnormal.
The thrilling mystery and haunting narration combine to create a story that, when overlaid with the setting's whimsical façade, seems like something out of a Brothers Grimm fairytale—a dangerous version of a well-known, lighthearted story. Thanks to its masterful play between light and dark, Tighter may be the best Griffin book I have read to date. Its mystery enticed me, its setting entranced me, and now neither one will let me go.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
lisaluvsliterature's review against another edition
3.0
I borrowed this book from my friend Kim, who won it from a contest here on Goodreads. I actually saw this book before then on the shelf at the bookstore where I work, and blogged about it in one of my Hazards of Working at a Bookstore entries. So I was very excited she won it and I got to borrow it.
I'm going to start with what I didn't like. I didn't like the drugs part. I totally understand why the character was taking them, well, I understand based on what the author wrote it as. But I guess I'm just a goody-goody in that I don't like that she couldn't overcome the drugs even when things seemed to be looking up for her.
Okay, on to the good stuff. The main character is Jamie, and she is spending the summer as an au pair on this little island. She gets to go live in this huge house and take care of the little girl. She doesn't learn till she gets there that the au pair from the year before died tragically. She also doesn't know that the little girl's big brother will end up hanging out with them all summer. Weird things start to happen. Jamie also finds out that she looks eerily similar to the au pair from the year before, and as has become something that haunts her at home, she is seeing the girl's ghost, along with the boy that she died with. The story was really good, one I didn't want to put down while I was reading, and the twist at the end was so good, I needed to go back in the book and try to see why I hadn't figured it out earlier. Not a spooky ghost story to me, but an intriguing one.
I'm going to start with what I didn't like. I didn't like the drugs part. I totally understand why the character was taking them, well, I understand based on what the author wrote it as. But I guess I'm just a goody-goody in that I don't like that she couldn't overcome the drugs even when things seemed to be looking up for her.
Okay, on to the good stuff. The main character is Jamie, and she is spending the summer as an au pair on this little island. She gets to go live in this huge house and take care of the little girl. She doesn't learn till she gets there that the au pair from the year before died tragically. She also doesn't know that the little girl's big brother will end up hanging out with them all summer. Weird things start to happen. Jamie also finds out that she looks eerily similar to the au pair from the year before, and as has become something that haunts her at home, she is seeing the girl's ghost, along with the boy that she died with. The story was really good, one I didn't want to put down while I was reading, and the twist at the end was so good, I needed to go back in the book and try to see why I hadn't figured it out earlier. Not a spooky ghost story to me, but an intriguing one.
pwbalto's review
3.0
http://somethingwickedcomesofage.tumblr.com/post/107142522070/tighter-by-adele-griffin