Mollie
3.5
Maybe I've read enough of Beatriz Williams books that I just can kinda see the formula behind them. Don't get me wrong, I still find them to be enjoyable reads. While Nassau in the 1940s is an interesting setting and while some of the true events of the place were weaved in, I was a little soured by it being glamourized at some points. Williams included some of the history that made it more realistic, but considering it was place and time full of nazi sympathizers... it didn't feel like enough.
3.75. Good twists and turns- truly didn't figure out the mystery until it was revealed. Thrilling but not a breakneck pace type of novel, which only adds to the moody, desperate atmosphere of the novel set in a town with running dry. I also read this over the course of some of the hottest days of the year so far... only added to the effect.
Come for the true crime adjacent thriller, stay for the 60s Charm City vibes.
Probably not for everyone with the POV changes, but I liked that aspect of this book. I can see why some people would really dislike the main character, but I found her grounded and real- she certainly is self serving and can be frustrating- but that's how real people can be.
Statistical manipulation abounds! Despite the authors mentioning correlation does not equal causation, most of their assumption rely heavily on it. The authors come off as extremely confident in their claim yet, never offer issues with the statistics or other factors. I think if you have spent time doing data analysis, you'll spot the issues with this book 1,000 miles away.
ALSO WHY ARE THERE NOT IN TEXT CITATIONS??!! I mean for gods sake, at least put them with each chapter. I feel as if they buried the citations at the end just to make it harder to find the actual research (and thus discover issues with the methods or other possible explanations.)
I found myself thinking “I'd rather have read the magazine version of this story” multiple times during the reading.
It just felt long and arduous (which in part may be reflective of my own reading rut.) I found the author's attitude and lack of grace for any other human in this story hard to swallow at times. If it was anger from an adolescent, I'd understand, but she's in her 50s. By this point she should surely know that humans are fallible and complicated, and our parents are not omnipotent beings but humans just like ourselves.
Do not get me wrong- it would certainly be shocking to find out what she did.
I felt like this book started out strongly, but fizzled for me. I really liked the narrator at first and felt like she was articulately and heartbreakingly describing her addiction. I really struggled with the second half though- I was put off by her discussions of religion and weight. I felt like she gave addiction a lot of empathy but couldn't find that same empathy with other topics that certainly deserve empathy, too. I just kinda soured it for me.
If you are the type of person who is fascinated by Everest and the dichotomy between human perseverance and the worst things a human can do, then this is a book you'll enjoy. I thought I had a pretty good knowledge of how messed up things are on that mountain, but turns out it is way worse than I even understood. I wish there was an update to cover the last few years since this book was published.
I really thought this book had a strong start, but to me fizzled out a bit. I felt like the first third felt so grounded and realistic, but the second half seemed too clean and tidy. It also began to feel rushed to me- the pacing of the book from the first part to the second are just vastly different in a jarring manner. The romance develops way too fast and just doesn't feel realistic either.
The characters feel made out of cardboard and the parents are more like ideas than actual beings. Also- they own a lot of property in NEW YORK CITY of all places yet feel downtrodden? Like yeah, the business might be tough and failing but at the end of the day, they have a huge asset. 2nd Also- how do you get a culinary scholarship with no ability/interest in cooking at all? Too many plot holes.
3.5.
I found this one overall a fun read, mixed with some serious moments and important issues. It felt a little short to me- especially the end, it just felt like she skipped over kind of a lot of years. I enjoyed getting to know her better though and appreciated her candor and honesty, even at points where it did not put her in the best light. It is extremely conversational, which at some turns is great and at other times can be distracting.
I have a hard time rating this (why do I find myself saying this so often) because I had serious issues with the structure of the book which detracted from its searing eloquence about grief.
The topic is incredibly important and sometimes the author would pen a sentence so poignant that it would rouse deep sadness and anger for me about the state of this country. The section on her brother is heartbreaking and beautifully written in its sorrow. However, I really struggled understanding the timeline of the other sections and wish it the novel occurred on one solid timeline versus jumping back and forth.
I have been going back and forth on whether I feel like this is a 3 or 4, so I'll just go with 3.5 for now, even though I'm not fully convinced on that rating, either.
I have never read a book quite like this. It's utterly unique and twisted and sometimes funny and othertimes sad. I am having a hard time distilling it down to a meaningful review. It's a quick read that I'll remember for a long time.
Closer to 4.5 for me.
This one was a slow burn, the desperation of the setting and the lifestyle seeping in slowly until I felt fully immersed in the sadness of this story.
It's heartbreaking and raw and honest and hits on notes that are often hard to put into words. The writing is really impeccable.
The only qualm I had with this book was that I often spent time while reading trying to guess what year it was. In the ‘present' part of the book, Cat is in her 30s (making her roughly 5-8 years older than me) but in the past she was 15. If we consider the book to be set in present time at publishing (2017) then that would make the past roughly around 2000... which can't be right considering how the kids all have cell phones and text each other. Maybe it's obvious to others that the forward date is beyond 2017, but I found myself constantly doing math to try to figure out what years the book was set in. Maybe it's because I would have likely been a teen in the same timeframe, so my memory wanted to search for common denominators. A lot of the music and fashion references do not quite line up for me either- I feel like the book probably is aiming to be set in the late 2000s, but it felt incosistent. Despite this, I still really loved it and it still affected me deeply. I'll be thinking about Cat & Marlena for awhile.
2.5. I have mixed feelings on this one. It is very clearly based off of the crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, yet the author NEVER mentions this fact.... which really rubs me the wrong way. Kinda feels like the author is profiting from a very, very real and horrific events. I think they at least needed to note the connection.
Just like the character in this book, Karla accepted a plea and said she was forced into the murders by her abusive partner, but later video evidence showed otherwise... she is alive and free to this day, and just like the character in this book- has children. These similiarites are far to0 convienent and yet the author just brushes through it as pure fiction. 3 women are dead at the hands of those horrific killers- those three victims shouldn't be fodder for a thriller plot so clearly derived from their stories.
Aside, this is not written poorly and it did build the suspense well, but the end did seem too fast and had some loose ends that I felt were brushed over.