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The Widow
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2016)When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen...
But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.
There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.
Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.
The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…
But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.
There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.
Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.
The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…
324 pages, Hardcover
First published January 14, 2016
About the author
Fiona Barton
9 books3,943 followersMy career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. I have been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where I won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up my job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.
But through it all, a story was cooking in my head.
The worm of this book infected me long ago when, as a national newspaper journalist covering notorious crimes and trials, I found myself wondering what the wives of those accused really knew – or allowed themselves to know.
It took the liberation of my career change to turn that fascination into a tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the man suspected of the crime, the detective leading the hunt, the journalist covering the case and the mother of the victim.
Much to my astonishment and delight, The Widow is available now in the UK, and around the world in the coming months.
However, the sudden silence of my characters feels like a reproach and I am currently working on a second book.
My husband and I are living the good life in south-west France, where I am writing in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is our cockerel, Sparky, crowing.
But through it all, a story was cooking in my head.
The worm of this book infected me long ago when, as a national newspaper journalist covering notorious crimes and trials, I found myself wondering what the wives of those accused really knew – or allowed themselves to know.
It took the liberation of my career change to turn that fascination into a tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the man suspected of the crime, the detective leading the hunt, the journalist covering the case and the mother of the victim.
Much to my astonishment and delight, The Widow is available now in the UK, and around the world in the coming months.
However, the sudden silence of my characters feels like a reproach and I am currently working on a second book.
My husband and I are living the good life in south-west France, where I am writing in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is our cockerel, Sparky, crowing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,432 reviews
March 3, 2016
Does anyone want to start a letter writing campaign or club to ban misleading book jacket summaries? Cause I will provide snacks at all the meetings and get cutsie t-shirts made on my own damn dime.
The book jacket for The Widow by Fiona Barton would have you believe that you are about to read a psychological thriller all about the widow of a man accused and found guilty (in the court of public opinion at least) of kidnapping and murdering a two year old girl who's remains have never been found. She's spent her life covering for him and supporting him but he's dead now and she doesn't have to do that anymore. Reporters and news agencies are desperate to score an interview with her and the police are still sniffing around but she knows the score. She knows they all want the truth and she knows they'll pay to get it and she's such a master of manipulation that she can make them believe anything.
The book jacket says that's what this is about. But the book jacket is a LIE!
This book is about a dishrag of a woman who married a horrible man who's probably a child murdering pedophile. She continues to be a dishrag after he is dead. She's mousy and introverted and has to be told to eat or she'd starve to death. Its about her telling incredibly boring stories about how horrible he was. Its about some reporter trying to get her to tell her story and some cop who shows up repeatedly to get her to tell him where the body is.
It is also boring, boring, boring.
I'd say the biggest problem is there is absolutely no mystery here. You are told whats going on, you already know who did it, and then you get to the end where what you already knew is verified by the characters and (if you are me) you put the book down and stare at it quizzically for a minute thinking "heh?"
Look I'm not saying that every mystery has to have a twist ending but don't sucker me into thinking I'm going to read a book about a woman who's such a master manipulator that she's managed to con a pedophile into marrying her so she can use him as a scapegoat, or a book about a quick witted narcissist who's playing every single person she encounters who think they can get her to do anything when you're really writing some kind of lame character study.
This was honestly a huge waste of time. Its not badly written but there is also absolutely no story. The "plot" is just typical Lifetime Movie tropisms about husband's with secrets (that we already know) and the sad sacks that marry them because they were put under the guy's amazing speeelllll.
The book jacket for The Widow by Fiona Barton would have you believe that you are about to read a psychological thriller all about the widow of a man accused and found guilty (in the court of public opinion at least) of kidnapping and murdering a two year old girl who's remains have never been found. She's spent her life covering for him and supporting him but he's dead now and she doesn't have to do that anymore. Reporters and news agencies are desperate to score an interview with her and the police are still sniffing around but she knows the score. She knows they all want the truth and she knows they'll pay to get it and she's such a master of manipulation that she can make them believe anything.
The book jacket says that's what this is about. But the book jacket is a LIE!
This book is about a dishrag of a woman who married a horrible man who's probably a child murdering pedophile. She continues to be a dishrag after he is dead. She's mousy and introverted and has to be told to eat or she'd starve to death. Its about her telling incredibly boring stories about how horrible he was. Its about some reporter trying to get her to tell her story and some cop who shows up repeatedly to get her to tell him where the body is.
It is also boring, boring, boring.
I'd say the biggest problem is there is absolutely no mystery here. You are told whats going on, you already know who did it, and then you get to the end where what you already knew is verified by the characters and (if you are me) you put the book down and stare at it quizzically for a minute thinking "heh?"
Look I'm not saying that every mystery has to have a twist ending but don't sucker me into thinking I'm going to read a book about a woman who's such a master manipulator that she's managed to con a pedophile into marrying her so she can use him as a scapegoat, or a book about a quick witted narcissist who's playing every single person she encounters who think they can get her to do anything when you're really writing some kind of lame character study.
This was honestly a huge waste of time. Its not badly written but there is also absolutely no story. The "plot" is just typical Lifetime Movie tropisms about husband's with secrets (that we already know) and the sad sacks that marry them because they were put under the guy's amazing speeelllll.
June 20, 2018
congratulations! semifinalist in goodreads' best mystery/thriller category 2016!
The Widow is being set up to be the next Gone Girl and the publisher and reviewers are very excited about it.
so i'm frustrated to be somewhat less enthusiastic than the crowd this time. as a psychological suspense novel, it's very good. factor in the debut author component, and you can add an additional "very" onto that assessment.
but reading this i just never had that moment you have as a reader when a book clobbers you; that hard to pin down sparkle
the thing about Gone Girl that made it noteworthy isn't that it was a great psychological suspense novel. psychological suspense novels, even great psychological suspense novels are a dime a dozen. Gone Girl was a psychological suspense novel that also worked as a funny-sharp cautionary tale; a social satire with a strong voice, a great twist and an ending that lingers in your guts. it's the recognition of "there but for the…" encouraging the reader to take a hard look at themselves and their relationship and questioning whether they (or their partner) had gotten complacent and lazy and could either of them be doing better or giving more in order to avoid resentment and … consequences.
The Girl on the Train was the next big psych suspense hit marketed as Gone Girl and it provided some of the same appeal factors as Gone Girl but it was less ambitious, less surprising, and less lasting. however, it did offer a similar opportunity for reader-insertion - the relatability of daydreaming out a train window and the potential for seeing something alarming.
that possibility is what makes me more likely to experience that elusive sense of immersion into a text. otherwise, it's entertainment at a remove - watching events unfold in which i am not a participant; where i have no stake and no lasting effects afterwards. so while this is an adroitly-written psych suspense novel, it didn't draw me in as much as other books have done because it didn't have that extra ooomph that makes me invested beyond what is happening on the page.
although i'm not foaming at the mouth for it, this book does many things very well. technically, it's a page-turner, but it's a slow and thoughtful page-turner that you'll want to savor more than your average thriller. the titular widow is a woman named jean taylor whose husband glen had, years ago, been the prime suspect in the kidnap and murder of a little girl. jean stood by her man throughout the police investigation and the barrage of reporters; the perfect supportive wife. with glen's sudden death, jean finds herself targeted once more by reporters who want to know everything she's been (presumably) holding back all these years.
the story shifts back and forth in time from the crime in 2006 through to glen's death in 2010 in chapters designated by perspective: The Detective, The Reporter, The Husband, The Mother, and The Widow, which are jean's chapters even before glen's death.
despite the title of the book and the fact that hers are the only chapters written in first person, jean's story was the least interesting to me. maybe it's just a side-effect of having read this just before my holiday present-wrapping rewatch of season 5 of The Wire, but i found the relationship between the police and the media fascinating, and all the behind-the-scenes process and tactics very well-handled.
i particularly enjoyed the portrayal of the journalism angle, with the pressure to entertain and inform and compete with other news and media sources, the frequently ghoulish priorities and the standards by which success is measured in that world.
It was journalism at its most powerful, hammering home the message with a mallet, inciting reaction, and the readers responded. The comment sections on the website were filled with unthinking, screaming vitriol, foulmouthed opinion, and calls for the death penalty to be reinstated. "The usual nutters," the news editor summed up in morning conference. "But lots of them."
even just judging by the other early reviews on here, this book is for sure going to sell a zillion copies and be a big hit with readers and everyone will cry, "oh karen, why are you so wrong all the time???" and that's fine - i'm glad to be wrong every once in a while, and i absolutely enjoyed this book, just not to the point of tru luv 4-eva. i unflinchingly hold up my 3.5 stars that - frankly - would probably have been rounded up to four
at any rate, it's a good read and i will most definitely be waiting to see what she comes out with next.
come to my blog!
The Widow is being set up to be the next Gone Girl and the publisher and reviewers are very excited about it.
so i'm frustrated to be somewhat less enthusiastic than the crowd this time. as a psychological suspense novel, it's very good. factor in the debut author component, and you can add an additional "very" onto that assessment.
but reading this i just never had that moment you have as a reader when a book clobbers you; that hard to pin down sparkle
the thing about Gone Girl that made it noteworthy isn't that it was a great psychological suspense novel. psychological suspense novels, even great psychological suspense novels are a dime a dozen. Gone Girl was a psychological suspense novel that also worked as a funny-sharp cautionary tale; a social satire with a strong voice, a great twist and an ending that lingers in your guts. it's the recognition of "there but for the…" encouraging the reader to take a hard look at themselves and their relationship and questioning whether they (or their partner) had gotten complacent and lazy and could either of them be doing better or giving more in order to avoid resentment and … consequences.
The Girl on the Train was the next big psych suspense hit marketed as Gone Girl and it provided some of the same appeal factors as Gone Girl but it was less ambitious, less surprising, and less lasting. however, it did offer a similar opportunity for reader-insertion - the relatability of daydreaming out a train window and the potential for seeing something alarming.
that possibility is what makes me more likely to experience that elusive sense of immersion into a text. otherwise, it's entertainment at a remove - watching events unfold in which i am not a participant; where i have no stake and no lasting effects afterwards. so while this is an adroitly-written psych suspense novel, it didn't draw me in as much as other books have done because it didn't have that extra ooomph that makes me invested beyond what is happening on the page.
although i'm not foaming at the mouth for it, this book does many things very well. technically, it's a page-turner, but it's a slow and thoughtful page-turner that you'll want to savor more than your average thriller. the titular widow is a woman named jean taylor whose husband glen had, years ago, been the prime suspect in the kidnap and murder of a little girl. jean stood by her man throughout the police investigation and the barrage of reporters; the perfect supportive wife. with glen's sudden death, jean finds herself targeted once more by reporters who want to know everything she's been (presumably) holding back all these years.
the story shifts back and forth in time from the crime in 2006 through to glen's death in 2010 in chapters designated by perspective: The Detective, The Reporter, The Husband, The Mother, and The Widow, which are jean's chapters even before glen's death.
despite the title of the book and the fact that hers are the only chapters written in first person, jean's story was the least interesting to me. maybe it's just a side-effect of having read this just before my holiday present-wrapping rewatch of season 5 of The Wire, but i found the relationship between the police and the media fascinating, and all the behind-the-scenes process and tactics very well-handled.
i particularly enjoyed the portrayal of the journalism angle, with the pressure to entertain and inform and compete with other news and media sources, the frequently ghoulish priorities and the standards by which success is measured in that world.
It was journalism at its most powerful, hammering home the message with a mallet, inciting reaction, and the readers responded. The comment sections on the website were filled with unthinking, screaming vitriol, foulmouthed opinion, and calls for the death penalty to be reinstated. "The usual nutters," the news editor summed up in morning conference. "But lots of them."
even just judging by the other early reviews on here, this book is for sure going to sell a zillion copies and be a big hit with readers and everyone will cry, "oh karen, why are you so wrong all the time???" and that's fine - i'm glad to be wrong every once in a while, and i absolutely enjoyed this book, just not to the point of tru luv 4-eva. i unflinchingly hold up my 3.5 stars that - frankly - would probably have been rounded up to four
at any rate, it's a good read and i will most definitely be waiting to see what she comes out with next.
come to my blog!
February 24, 2016
Meh. This is...fine, but not particularly outstanding as thriller, as character study, or as dissection of a marriage; really, it feels like it just doesn't have much to say. It doesn't take long for readers to know one of the primary narrators is seriously unhinged, but even that POV didn't provide much interest--and it should have. (You could have lost the frequency of some of those other POVs without much impact, too.) It's also remarkable how lacking in tension this felt, and how facile the emotions and plot machinations. And given how serious the crimes were, the writing style and glossing over of certain scenarios or lack of detail often felt like a cop-out.
There's something about the slightly arch, knowing tone that rubs me the wrong way for this story, too. I don't mind and have enjoyed humorous or facetious treatment in other crime novels, but when you're dealing with a child who's in serious danger, much of my tolerance for that sort of thing goes out the window. (TAMPA and I HUNT KILLERS being among the rare exceptions to that statement.) Were you not supposed to care about the victims at all? Was this supposed to feel distant/occasionally humorous? On the one hand, it does work in the plot's withholding-key-information/half-unreliable narrator thing. But on the other hand, it's kind of sad I can't tell.
I dunno. This one's gotten a lot of rave reviews thus far and is apparently poised to be a runaway hit. Go ahead on without me, book. I like being surprised by thrillers, not checking constantly to see how many more pages there are until things are wrapped up.
There's something about the slightly arch, knowing tone that rubs me the wrong way for this story, too. I don't mind and have enjoyed humorous or facetious treatment in other crime novels, but when you're dealing with a child who's in serious danger, much of my tolerance for that sort of thing goes out the window. (TAMPA and I HUNT KILLERS being among the rare exceptions to that statement.) Were you not supposed to care about the victims at all? Was this supposed to feel distant/occasionally humorous? On the one hand, it does work in the plot's withholding-key-information/half-unreliable narrator thing. But on the other hand, it's kind of sad I can't tell.
I dunno. This one's gotten a lot of rave reviews thus far and is apparently poised to be a runaway hit. Go ahead on without me, book. I like being surprised by thrillers, not checking constantly to see how many more pages there are until things are wrapped up.
December 5, 2017
3.5 Stars
I've now listened to a quite a few audio-books and I'm starting to enjoy them more and more. There have been one or two that I didn't care for, but that may have been the same if I had read the book.
I was intrigued when I read the description for this book. However, of course it had to be touted as the next GONE GIRL or GIRL ON A TRAIN (I really hope they stop doing that). I guess I should just be happy that the title didn't have the word GIRL in it. I thought it sounded pretty interesting.
"an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife"
I wouldn't say that I was electrified but I enjoyed this audio. I was very impressed by the multiple narrators, they were all very easy on the ears. I also liked how it was clear who was speaking and what date it was. This was really helpful as the story alternates back and forth from 2006 to 2010. Told from the viewpoints of The Widow (Jean), The Detective, The Reporter, The Husband (Glenn), and The Mother. So although there were many different characters, I found it easy to keep track of whose point of view it was, even with the time shift.
The majority of the story is told from Jean/Jeanie Taylor's (The Widow) point of view. Jean's husband Glenn was just killed in a freak bus accident. We find out that prior to the accident Glenn was accused of kidnapping a two-year-old child, named Bella. Jeannie has stood by Glenn. She may have been a bit concerned about his online actions that she calls "his nonsense" but he can't possibly have committed such a heinous crime because as Jeannie says "Glenn loves children".
“The simple lies are the hardest, funnily enough. The big ones seem to just fall off the tongue"
Overall, this was an enjoyable psychological suspense novel. I really enjoyed hearing the story from all the different perspectives. While this may not have been an extremely twisty-turny read, it had a good plot and flowed along at a steady pace, holding my interest right up until the very end.
I look forward to more from Fiona Barton
I've now listened to a quite a few audio-books and I'm starting to enjoy them more and more. There have been one or two that I didn't care for, but that may have been the same if I had read the book.
I was intrigued when I read the description for this book. However, of course it had to be touted as the next GONE GIRL or GIRL ON A TRAIN (I really hope they stop doing that). I guess I should just be happy that the title didn't have the word GIRL in it. I thought it sounded pretty interesting.
"an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife"
I wouldn't say that I was electrified but I enjoyed this audio. I was very impressed by the multiple narrators, they were all very easy on the ears. I also liked how it was clear who was speaking and what date it was. This was really helpful as the story alternates back and forth from 2006 to 2010. Told from the viewpoints of The Widow (Jean), The Detective, The Reporter, The Husband (Glenn), and The Mother. So although there were many different characters, I found it easy to keep track of whose point of view it was, even with the time shift.
The majority of the story is told from Jean/Jeanie Taylor's (The Widow) point of view. Jean's husband Glenn was just killed in a freak bus accident. We find out that prior to the accident Glenn was accused of kidnapping a two-year-old child, named Bella. Jeannie has stood by Glenn. She may have been a bit concerned about his online actions that she calls "his nonsense" but he can't possibly have committed such a heinous crime because as Jeannie says "Glenn loves children".
“The simple lies are the hardest, funnily enough. The big ones seem to just fall off the tongue"
Overall, this was an enjoyable psychological suspense novel. I really enjoyed hearing the story from all the different perspectives. While this may not have been an extremely twisty-turny read, it had a good plot and flowed along at a steady pace, holding my interest right up until the very end.
I look forward to more from Fiona Barton
February 5, 2016
Firstly let me say that I am beginning to tire of publishers who pump out books with the following description, as it seems to come with every new Thriller on the market of late. My opinion is that if a blurb is good enough a book will sell regardless and doesn't need the hype of Gone Girl or Girl on the Train in the description.
Example: For fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife.
I enjoyed this fast paced thriller and it was an easy and at the same time well written thriller.
I found myself looking forward to picking up this book and I was eager to turn the pages and get inside the heads of the characters.
The plot is fast paced but not full of twists or turns or big revels that I prefer in psychological thrillers and I felt that some of the chapters were a little fleshed out at times.
An entertaining read and well deserved 3 stars.
Example: For fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, an electrifying thriller that will take you into the dark spaces that exist between a husband and a wife.
I enjoyed this fast paced thriller and it was an easy and at the same time well written thriller.
I found myself looking forward to picking up this book and I was eager to turn the pages and get inside the heads of the characters.
The plot is fast paced but not full of twists or turns or big revels that I prefer in psychological thrillers and I felt that some of the chapters were a little fleshed out at times.
An entertaining read and well deserved 3 stars.
December 15, 2015
Oh dear. I SO wanted to love this one. The one everyone's going to be talking about apparently. Well yes, that's actually entirely possible - it is a novel of the type very much in the public eye at the moment, domestic noir, unreliable narrator, girls, sisters, daughters, wives or whatever and secrets.
Fiona Barton writes extremely well in places, I have no problem whatsoever with that, knows how to pull you into a story yes, pootles around the reveals yes - The Widow has a high readability factor in many ways. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd read this book twice a month on average this year I might even be raving about it. Might. And it's definitely not a bad book in that sense - I'm sure it will gain a lot of fans, and within it's market is bound to do well.
But then...
I came out of it feeling fairly bored by the whole affair ultimately. I could have read the first and last chapters (in fact I probably didn't need to read the last one to be honest I had that ending down around page 4)and filled in the rest for myself whilst doing something else. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading it because I did - It just didn't feel like an actual requirement to finding out what The Widow knew. And for me....
The Widow herself was inordinately whiny and annoying. On top of that the police were stupid. I mean STUPID. Not "oops we missed this it happens sometimes" errors but completely and utterly stupid. If I were a policeman reading this book I'd be grinding my teeth and throwing shoes at people. I find it highly unlikely actually that an investigation of this nature would have so many glaring holes in it - to the point of wondering if perhaps the investigative team in this story had actually been replaced after a page or two by the three stooges and you'd just missed that part.
The one thing I will say is that Fiona Barton does bring a deep authenticity to the subject she knows - that of Journalism. That's not to say the Press were not also a bit annoying but only in their normal must have the story press fashion and in fact the "Reporter" elements of the narrative were the ones I enjoyed the most. Kate was one of the few characters who was not either stupid or annoying. Kate and Eileen - the detectives wife who gets about 4 sentences in the entire novel and yet somehow manages to have more savvy and common sense than the rest of the cast put together - were people I could get behind.
The trouble is that I am overloaded with these types of novels perhaps. My problems with The Widow are similar to the problems a lot of readers had with The Girl on a Train and Disclaimer (two books that actually I loved so there's your reading mantra, we all see things differently) And it's nothing new. Its not even improved in my opinion. It just is what it is - a reasonable readable example of its thing - it didn't blow me away with a killer ending like The Sisters, it didn't do anything particularly insightful really, and there was kind of an emotional disconnect when it came to the thing that SHOULD have really gotten to me - the fact that a child was missing.
Bella. She was kind of secondary to the whole thing. Even the lead detective's angst about being unable to find her and his obsession with the case fell flat for me because I've seen it all before, and he was kind of one dimensional.
Burnt Paper Sky - a novel that deals with a lot of similar themes (The press, the internet, looking at it from a specific point of view in that case the Mother of the missing child rather than the widow of the accused) has done all this but better. With a real depth of emotion and a real feel for the subject material. In this readers opinion, The Widow, whilst it does have the edge on the Press point of view and has some fascinating engagement there - has done this genre by numbers and given us another book that has the same basic story as too many others that have been released in the last two years. Therefore unless it has something particularly special (and it CAN still be done believe me) it is not going to get my heart pumping.
The Gone Girl Wagon trail. It's a long and winding one it seems.
2* and a very subjective review.
Happy Reading Folks.
Fiona Barton writes extremely well in places, I have no problem whatsoever with that, knows how to pull you into a story yes, pootles around the reveals yes - The Widow has a high readability factor in many ways. If it wasn't for the fact that I'd read this book twice a month on average this year I might even be raving about it. Might. And it's definitely not a bad book in that sense - I'm sure it will gain a lot of fans, and within it's market is bound to do well.
But then...
I came out of it feeling fairly bored by the whole affair ultimately. I could have read the first and last chapters (in fact I probably didn't need to read the last one to be honest I had that ending down around page 4)and filled in the rest for myself whilst doing something else. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading it because I did - It just didn't feel like an actual requirement to finding out what The Widow knew. And for me....
The Widow herself was inordinately whiny and annoying. On top of that the police were stupid. I mean STUPID. Not "oops we missed this it happens sometimes" errors but completely and utterly stupid. If I were a policeman reading this book I'd be grinding my teeth and throwing shoes at people. I find it highly unlikely actually that an investigation of this nature would have so many glaring holes in it - to the point of wondering if perhaps the investigative team in this story had actually been replaced after a page or two by the three stooges and you'd just missed that part.
The one thing I will say is that Fiona Barton does bring a deep authenticity to the subject she knows - that of Journalism. That's not to say the Press were not also a bit annoying but only in their normal must have the story press fashion and in fact the "Reporter" elements of the narrative were the ones I enjoyed the most. Kate was one of the few characters who was not either stupid or annoying. Kate and Eileen - the detectives wife who gets about 4 sentences in the entire novel and yet somehow manages to have more savvy and common sense than the rest of the cast put together - were people I could get behind.
The trouble is that I am overloaded with these types of novels perhaps. My problems with The Widow are similar to the problems a lot of readers had with The Girl on a Train and Disclaimer (two books that actually I loved so there's your reading mantra, we all see things differently) And it's nothing new. Its not even improved in my opinion. It just is what it is - a reasonable readable example of its thing - it didn't blow me away with a killer ending like The Sisters, it didn't do anything particularly insightful really, and there was kind of an emotional disconnect when it came to the thing that SHOULD have really gotten to me - the fact that a child was missing.
Bella. She was kind of secondary to the whole thing. Even the lead detective's angst about being unable to find her and his obsession with the case fell flat for me because I've seen it all before, and he was kind of one dimensional.
Burnt Paper Sky - a novel that deals with a lot of similar themes (The press, the internet, looking at it from a specific point of view in that case the Mother of the missing child rather than the widow of the accused) has done all this but better. With a real depth of emotion and a real feel for the subject material. In this readers opinion, The Widow, whilst it does have the edge on the Press point of view and has some fascinating engagement there - has done this genre by numbers and given us another book that has the same basic story as too many others that have been released in the last two years. Therefore unless it has something particularly special (and it CAN still be done believe me) it is not going to get my heart pumping.
The Gone Girl Wagon trail. It's a long and winding one it seems.
2* and a very subjective review.
Happy Reading Folks.
February 9, 2017
THE WIDOW by Fiona Barton is a gripping debut psychological thriller that deals with the premise of the story-How much does the widow of a suspected kidnapper/ paedophile know about what he is alleged to have done?
What secrets are hidden inside a marriage? When one is suspected of a crime, can the other person really not know what was going on?
The story opens with a 'Dear Reader' section before the story has even begun. Fiona Barton talks about her past as a journalist and how this career, which involves a lot of observing people, inspired this story.
This is the story told by the point of view of five different people, regarding the abduction of a 2-year-old little girl. They include:
(1) A single Mother, Dawn, who has her 2-year-old child abducted.
(2) The Husband, Glen-the main suspect, but no proof. Could he have done this?
(3) The Widow, Jean, is a complex character and I found I wanted to get right in her head, to see what she knew…and could I trust her?
(4) The Reporter, Kate, is like a dog with a bone. She knows there is so much else to this story…and she wants to know…she wants the story.
(5) The Policeman, Bob, stays with the case until the end.
The story starts with Glen’s death, after being hit by a bus. Glen had been accused of kidnapping and murdering Bella, Dawn's young daughter, 4 years ago. Even though he wasn’t found guilty…many believe he did it!
BUT WHAT EXACTLY DID THE WIDOW KNOW? WHAT IS HER STORY…NOW THAT HER HUSBAND HAS GONE! LET THE TRUTH COME OUT!
The chapters alternate between these main characters, each one remembering their recollection from the time of the abduction until Glen's death.
Such a gripping debut novel…all I wanted to know was the truth! So many lies and secrets kept over the years. The ending was a real climax!
A brilliant debut and an author I'd certainly like to read more of in the future!
Many thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group - NAL and NetGalley who provided me with a digital copy.
What secrets are hidden inside a marriage? When one is suspected of a crime, can the other person really not know what was going on?
The story opens with a 'Dear Reader' section before the story has even begun. Fiona Barton talks about her past as a journalist and how this career, which involves a lot of observing people, inspired this story.
This is the story told by the point of view of five different people, regarding the abduction of a 2-year-old little girl. They include:
(1) A single Mother, Dawn, who has her 2-year-old child abducted.
(2) The Husband, Glen-the main suspect, but no proof. Could he have done this?
(3) The Widow, Jean, is a complex character and I found I wanted to get right in her head, to see what she knew…and could I trust her?
(4) The Reporter, Kate, is like a dog with a bone. She knows there is so much else to this story…and she wants to know…she wants the story.
(5) The Policeman, Bob, stays with the case until the end.
The story starts with Glen’s death, after being hit by a bus. Glen had been accused of kidnapping and murdering Bella, Dawn's young daughter, 4 years ago. Even though he wasn’t found guilty…many believe he did it!
BUT WHAT EXACTLY DID THE WIDOW KNOW? WHAT IS HER STORY…NOW THAT HER HUSBAND HAS GONE! LET THE TRUTH COME OUT!
The chapters alternate between these main characters, each one remembering their recollection from the time of the abduction until Glen's death.
Such a gripping debut novel…all I wanted to know was the truth! So many lies and secrets kept over the years. The ending was a real climax!
A brilliant debut and an author I'd certainly like to read more of in the future!
Many thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group - NAL and NetGalley who provided me with a digital copy.
December 21, 2015
A porn addict who has cybersex with strangers dressed as children.....a child killer?
or just kinky?
Jeanie stood by her husband Glen from the day he was accused of Bella's murder
because she believed in him. She never once thought of him as a barbarian beast monster.....
However,
Jeanie said she couldn't live with a man who looked at pictures of children the
way he does.
"It's not real, Jeanie. Our experts said in court that they're women who look really young and dress up as kids for a living. Some of them are really in their thirties."
"But they look like children, they do it for people who want to see children and men doing those things." Jeanie Taylor accepts that her husband is just a bloke doing his
nonsense.
Jeanie and Glen bond tighter together after the little girl Bella went missing. Jeanie loves her husband ... and he knows her weakness. They both have secrets ... and Jeanie keeps her husband's secrets because she feels she caused their troubles with her own obsession. Aren't you curious what Jeanie's obsession was?
I'm not passing out spoilers... but this is one twisty - mother - frickin - crazy -thought-provoking story.
Fiona Barton, ( debut novelist), brought 'freshness' to the genre of psychological suspense stories. Both husband and wife are placed under scrutiny ...
A question lingers in the minds of readers..."why be a secret-keeper of 'any' crime?
Especially 'this' crime? What's type of character are we dealing with?
There was a line I liked a lot... "having a cup of coffee with gossip". ( I laughed - smiled- thought about all the many ways that line could be interpreted)... oh, and I could have been friends with Kate, ( the journalist). She was awesome.
VERY GOOD FIRST NOVEL!!! cheers to Fiona Barton ( great name). I'll read her books again!
"Widow" kept me reading most of the night cozy under my covers in Calistoga -on vacation with the lovely sound of rain! :)
Thank You Berkley Publishing, Netgalley, and Fiona Barton
or just kinky?
Jeanie stood by her husband Glen from the day he was accused of Bella's murder
because she believed in him. She never once thought of him as a barbarian beast monster.....
However,
Jeanie said she couldn't live with a man who looked at pictures of children the
way he does.
"It's not real, Jeanie. Our experts said in court that they're women who look really young and dress up as kids for a living. Some of them are really in their thirties."
"But they look like children, they do it for people who want to see children and men doing those things." Jeanie Taylor accepts that her husband is just a bloke doing his
nonsense.
Jeanie and Glen bond tighter together after the little girl Bella went missing. Jeanie loves her husband ... and he knows her weakness. They both have secrets ... and Jeanie keeps her husband's secrets because she feels she caused their troubles with her own obsession. Aren't you curious what Jeanie's obsession was?
I'm not passing out spoilers... but this is one twisty - mother - frickin - crazy -thought-provoking story.
Fiona Barton, ( debut novelist), brought 'freshness' to the genre of psychological suspense stories. Both husband and wife are placed under scrutiny ...
A question lingers in the minds of readers..."why be a secret-keeper of 'any' crime?
Especially 'this' crime? What's type of character are we dealing with?
There was a line I liked a lot... "having a cup of coffee with gossip". ( I laughed - smiled- thought about all the many ways that line could be interpreted)... oh, and I could have been friends with Kate, ( the journalist). She was awesome.
VERY GOOD FIRST NOVEL!!! cheers to Fiona Barton ( great name). I'll read her books again!
"Widow" kept me reading most of the night cozy under my covers in Calistoga -on vacation with the lovely sound of rain! :)
Thank You Berkley Publishing, Netgalley, and Fiona Barton
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2017
The Widow is a psychological suspense novel about Jean whose husband has died recently and now she has to decide how much to reveal about the crimes he was being investigated for. The books is a good read for when you just want something light and it kept my attention but it wasn't anything special. The characters were okay and you kind of know where the story is going to go as soon as you start reading it. There aren't really any surprises.
October 9, 2018
Jean Taylor's husband was accused of a crime... and for a while she wasn't sure if he was guilty or not and has to pretend that she doesn't suspect him and doesn't notice his strange behavior. Then she finds out the truth. When he is gone for good, she no longer has to pretend and she can tell the truth to the press or make up her own version.
Unfortunately, I wasn't grabbed by the story, didn't find it suspenseful, immediately grasped what Jeans' husband's "nonsense" was and was not invested in the characters. I gave it 3 stars however, because the writing was good and the characters were well developed.
Unfortunately, I wasn't grabbed by the story, didn't find it suspenseful, immediately grasped what Jeans' husband's "nonsense" was and was not invested in the characters. I gave it 3 stars however, because the writing was good and the characters were well developed.
September 27, 2017
It came as a surprise to me that this book was the author's first. Despite the flaws, I think there are promising signs. The writing was assured and each character voice had its own positives, even if the people were quite unremarkable. I'm certainly not convinced I'd like the police in this novel to investigate my disappearance. I'd give them 2/10 for intelligence and effort.
The plot came from a very interesting concept and, as a hook, really made me think the book was going to offer something surprising. Barton's note at the beginning was intriguing- who are those people that stand behind the men/women who are branded a 'monster' for their crimes? Now that's a question I want answered. After reading, I still do.
However, it didn't quite live up to its promise. I was excited that, three quarters through, I still wasn't completely sure who the killer was or who was/wasn't telling the truth/what else people were hiding. This was because I wasn't accepting anything at face value and was waiting for the moment of surprise. Which wasn't there. Maybe if I hadn't been banking on that twist, I might have been less disappointed, but in the end, the book was just ok. When stacked against some of the other psychological thrillers out there, it doesn't really cut it.
Many thanks to Fiona Barton, Random House, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
The plot came from a very interesting concept and, as a hook, really made me think the book was going to offer something surprising. Barton's note at the beginning was intriguing- who are those people that stand behind the men/women who are branded a 'monster' for their crimes? Now that's a question I want answered. After reading, I still do.
However, it didn't quite live up to its promise. I was excited that, three quarters through, I still wasn't completely sure who the killer was or who was/wasn't telling the truth/what else people were hiding. This was because I wasn't accepting anything at face value and was waiting for the moment of surprise. Which wasn't there. Maybe if I hadn't been banking on that twist, I might have been less disappointed, but in the end, the book was just ok. When stacked against some of the other psychological thrillers out there, it doesn't really cut it.
Many thanks to Fiona Barton, Random House, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2018
The Widow is not a book filled with twists & turns so I wouldn't consider it a thriller. The Widow just has a simmering sense of dread through out the entire book. The reason I didn't give it 4 stars is because the characters weren't very deep. I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters in the book. The one character I felt closest to is Bella and we never actually get to meet her.
If you like psychological thrillers I would recommend it but there are way better ones out there.
If you like psychological thrillers I would recommend it but there are way better ones out there.
May 15, 2018
This debut novel hit the ground running. No doubt the packing, publicity and (yet again) comparison to Gone Girl—I mean, how many Gone Girls can there be! (But I guess we do keep falling for it, so it works)—have helped to propel it onto the NYT. It’s often a bit like watching a toddler on a tricycle when you buy one of those novels, you know. It’s like, can the work ride on its own right out of the gate, or will it be wobbly on the training wheels that the publisher and public expectations have placed on it, needing them as props? Will it fall over altogether? I’m happy to say that this one held its own!
The Widow had an excellent start that immediately grabbed me. It was consistent in its format, if not always fluid in the reading of it, and had an element of creepiness to it that warranted its label “psychological” thriller when used. Some may not like “creepy” or the way that it was offered here, but I LOVE it because it’s so much harder to pull off than “scary” or “gross.” “Creepy” toys with the mind in its subtlety. Honestly, I felt chills and echoes from “The Yellow Wallpaper,” one of my all-time favorite short stories, so this one had me from the start, and it was up to Barton to keep me hooked all the way through. She did.
Control is a major theme in this one, and I loved that because it takes control of the author’s hand to be able to portray that in the way intended and in all of the different ways that it came up here. Here you have a ditsy housewife—who maybe isn’t so ditsy—who’s controlled by her husband (to an alarming and almost sinister extent), by the reporter and the media, by everyone in her world, really. Until. And it’s that until that shapes the novel in a lot of ways. The Widow is not a novel where the crime is revealed up front, thankfully. In fact, for the majority of the novel, you’re not really sure of what happened, and in what sequence and why. That’s the “thrill” of it; it allowed for a wonderful building of subtle tension.
There are splashes of humor and pondering from Jean’s thoughts that often border on disturbing when not surprisingly clear and aware. I even liked that the chapters skipped around, never in chronological order. It made the read a little more “thrilling,” not know which voice or occurrence would happen next, until the end when it got a bit jumbled for me for some reason. Navi followers know that I’m a stickler for voice and dialogue, and The Widow had that in its own right. It’s not that the voices were particularly unique to each other, though Jean and Glen’s were, but that they were all so deeply embedded in a place (London) that the novel had a true concept of setting.
I picked this one up not sure of what expectations to have, this being a debut and all, and that’s a delicious thing in itself: being able to go into something clean of prejudice or bias. The Widow had resonance. It offered those shards of thought, of dialogue, of wit that ring so true that they’re undeniable and, to some, possibly even a little off-putting. This was a great debut from Barton, and her experience in journalism came through. She offered insight into the world of breaking news media with a naturalness that can only come from a creature in their own element. You can always tell a fish out of water when they write about things they’re really not familiar with, and this novel did not have that issue. I thoroughly enjoyed this work and would read another from her. This novel is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants thrill ride; hint, that’s why they put the word “psychological” in there. I will say that I wouldn’t mind a bit more closure on this one, though; that’s all I’ll say about that. Easily four stars. ****
*Big shout out to the author, Fiona Barton, for liking and re-tweeting this review on Twitter!!!*
The Navi Review | Twitter | Instagram
The Widow had an excellent start that immediately grabbed me. It was consistent in its format, if not always fluid in the reading of it, and had an element of creepiness to it that warranted its label “psychological” thriller when used. Some may not like “creepy” or the way that it was offered here, but I LOVE it because it’s so much harder to pull off than “scary” or “gross.” “Creepy” toys with the mind in its subtlety. Honestly, I felt chills and echoes from “The Yellow Wallpaper,” one of my all-time favorite short stories, so this one had me from the start, and it was up to Barton to keep me hooked all the way through. She did.
Control is a major theme in this one, and I loved that because it takes control of the author’s hand to be able to portray that in the way intended and in all of the different ways that it came up here. Here you have a ditsy housewife—who maybe isn’t so ditsy—who’s controlled by her husband (to an alarming and almost sinister extent), by the reporter and the media, by everyone in her world, really. Until. And it’s that until that shapes the novel in a lot of ways. The Widow is not a novel where the crime is revealed up front, thankfully. In fact, for the majority of the novel, you’re not really sure of what happened, and in what sequence and why. That’s the “thrill” of it; it allowed for a wonderful building of subtle tension.
There are splashes of humor and pondering from Jean’s thoughts that often border on disturbing when not surprisingly clear and aware. I even liked that the chapters skipped around, never in chronological order. It made the read a little more “thrilling,” not know which voice or occurrence would happen next, until the end when it got a bit jumbled for me for some reason. Navi followers know that I’m a stickler for voice and dialogue, and The Widow had that in its own right. It’s not that the voices were particularly unique to each other, though Jean and Glen’s were, but that they were all so deeply embedded in a place (London) that the novel had a true concept of setting.
I picked this one up not sure of what expectations to have, this being a debut and all, and that’s a delicious thing in itself: being able to go into something clean of prejudice or bias. The Widow had resonance. It offered those shards of thought, of dialogue, of wit that ring so true that they’re undeniable and, to some, possibly even a little off-putting. This was a great debut from Barton, and her experience in journalism came through. She offered insight into the world of breaking news media with a naturalness that can only come from a creature in their own element. You can always tell a fish out of water when they write about things they’re really not familiar with, and this novel did not have that issue. I thoroughly enjoyed this work and would read another from her. This novel is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants thrill ride; hint, that’s why they put the word “psychological” in there. I will say that I wouldn’t mind a bit more closure on this one, though; that’s all I’ll say about that. Easily four stars. ****
*Big shout out to the author, Fiona Barton, for liking and re-tweeting this review on Twitter!!!*
The Navi Review | Twitter | Instagram
August 23, 2018
EXCERPT:....."He was there one minute giving me grief about what sort of cereal I should've bought, and the next, dead on the road.....Not much blood though. He would've been glad. He didn't like any sort of mess."
ABOUT THIS BOOK:When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen...
But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.
There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.
Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.
The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…
MY THOUGHTS: Put simply - I loved this book!
Jean's husband Glen, a cold controlling man with a penchant for porn, is accused of abducting Bella
Elliot the gorgeous toddler daughter of Donna. Jean, ever the dutiful wife, stands by her man despite the things she discovers about him along the way.
After Glen's death, everyone wants to talk to 'the widow', sure she knows more than she let on, hopeful that she will reveal all now that Glen is not there to control her.
The dispassionate style of writing only serves to emphasise the awfulness of what has happened. All the time I was reading I could feel a sinister undercurrent - like there was something going on that I was unaware of; that Jean (or Jeanie as she is sometimes), knew or had done something that she wasn't telling us about. But until the end, I had no idea what it was. I became immersed in this book, totally. I wanted to get to the end to find out what happens, but I wanted it never to end.
This is a beautifully written debut book and I look forward to reading more from Fiona Barton.
THE AUTHOR: My career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. I have been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where I won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up my job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.
But through it all, a story was cooking in my head.
The worm of this book infected me long ago when, as a national newspaper journalist covering notorious crimes and trials, I found myself wondering what the wives of those accused really knew – or allowed themselves to know.
It took the liberation of my career change to turn that fascination into a tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the man suspected of the crime, the detective leading the hunt, the journalist covering the case and the mother of the victim.
Much to my astonishment and delight, The Widow is available now in the UK, and around the world in the coming months.
However, the sudden silence of my characters feels like a reproach and I am currently working on a second book.
My husband and I are living the good life in south-west France, where I am writing in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is our cockerel, Sparky, crowing.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press for providing an ARC of this book for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
ABOUT THIS BOOK:When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen...
But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.
There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.
Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.
The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…
MY THOUGHTS: Put simply - I loved this book!
Jean's husband Glen, a cold controlling man with a penchant for porn, is accused of abducting Bella
Elliot the gorgeous toddler daughter of Donna. Jean, ever the dutiful wife, stands by her man despite the things she discovers about him along the way.
After Glen's death, everyone wants to talk to 'the widow', sure she knows more than she let on, hopeful that she will reveal all now that Glen is not there to control her.
The dispassionate style of writing only serves to emphasise the awfulness of what has happened. All the time I was reading I could feel a sinister undercurrent - like there was something going on that I was unaware of; that Jean (or Jeanie as she is sometimes), knew or had done something that she wasn't telling us about. But until the end, I had no idea what it was. I became immersed in this book, totally. I wanted to get to the end to find out what happens, but I wanted it never to end.
This is a beautifully written debut book and I look forward to reading more from Fiona Barton.
THE AUTHOR: My career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. I have been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where I won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up my job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.
But through it all, a story was cooking in my head.
The worm of this book infected me long ago when, as a national newspaper journalist covering notorious crimes and trials, I found myself wondering what the wives of those accused really knew – or allowed themselves to know.
It took the liberation of my career change to turn that fascination into a tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the man suspected of the crime, the detective leading the hunt, the journalist covering the case and the mother of the victim.
Much to my astonishment and delight, The Widow is available now in the UK, and around the world in the coming months.
However, the sudden silence of my characters feels like a reproach and I am currently working on a second book.
My husband and I are living the good life in south-west France, where I am writing in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is our cockerel, Sparky, crowing.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press for providing an ARC of this book for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
February 16, 2016
3.5 stars
This was a mixed bag for me....sometimes I loved it, other times not so much. Giving it 4 stars versus 3 though, so that says something.
First, there is the ever annoying references to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I really wish publishers would stop doing this. Yes, it piques my interest, but I find myself looking for the correlation and it's typically lacking like in this case. This is a good read, but really not comparable to those two.
Second, I didn't like one single character in the whole story. Not even the hard working detective who's soul got sucked away by this case.
Third, I found the jumping around between chapters to be confusing. Each chapter was dated, and often would jump from present time to the past. I had to go back to the start of each chapter many times to confirm which time frame it was in.
But...there was a lot of good in this book that I did like, for example:
-It certainly kept me guessing! I changed my mind about who was involved several times.
-I liked the way the author played with my emotions. First I was sympathetic, then I was frustrated, then angry, etc.
-While I didn't like any of the characters, I have to say the author certainly made them memorable with unique quirks and flaws.
-I'm waffling on the ending...at first I thought it was brilliant, now I'm wanting more closure.
I think it's a worthy read and I do recommend-the author has a unique voice, and I will be looking for more of her work.
ARC provided by Netgalley-many thanks!
This was a mixed bag for me....sometimes I loved it, other times not so much. Giving it 4 stars versus 3 though, so that says something.
First, there is the ever annoying references to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I really wish publishers would stop doing this. Yes, it piques my interest, but I find myself looking for the correlation and it's typically lacking like in this case. This is a good read, but really not comparable to those two.
Second, I didn't like one single character in the whole story. Not even the hard working detective who's soul got sucked away by this case.
Third, I found the jumping around between chapters to be confusing. Each chapter was dated, and often would jump from present time to the past. I had to go back to the start of each chapter many times to confirm which time frame it was in.
But...there was a lot of good in this book that I did like, for example:
-It certainly kept me guessing! I changed my mind about who was involved several times.
-I liked the way the author played with my emotions. First I was sympathetic, then I was frustrated, then angry, etc.
-While I didn't like any of the characters, I have to say the author certainly made them memorable with unique quirks and flaws.
-I'm waffling on the ending...at first I thought it was brilliant, now I'm wanting more closure.
I think it's a worthy read and I do recommend-the author has a unique voice, and I will be looking for more of her work.
ARC provided by Netgalley-many thanks!
April 14, 2017
This book touched me so deeply that I simply cannot talk about it. Anything I say will destroy the feelings I am left with.
I don't even want to fall back on clichés such as magnificent, wonderful, brilliant, unbelievable
My emotional reaction to this book astounds me.
I urgently need to take a walk ...
Later then.
I don't even want to fall back on clichés such as magnificent, wonderful, brilliant, unbelievable
My emotional reaction to this book astounds me.
I urgently need to take a walk ...
Later then.
June 18, 2018
Toddler Bella Elliott goes missing from the front yard of her home on an otherwise uneventful day. When the ensuing investigation leads to a seemingly unlikely suspect, everyone involved is put on display in the search for the truth and the missing child. And to say much of it is unflattering is an understatement, especially after the primary suspect is killed in a bizarre accident.
The story is told in alternating points of view from the lead detective, a key reporter, the mother and the wife of the suspect (there are a couple of others who only have one scene). It's also presented using flashbacks, a device I normally enjoy but here it was confusing, primarily because of the multiple points of view and it didn't follow a coherent path. In spite of this, I found the story interesting and many of the characters equally disagreeable and compelling. The role of the media in these circumstances is also an important part of the plot, leaving the reader to decide the merits of what they do.
The narration was very well done and I found the use of multiple performers essential, especially given the alternating points of view and flashbacks. Each performer seemed to perfectly capture his/her character and helped me digest the story more easily. I think my experience would have been less enjoyable if I'd read the book.
This was an interesting and disturbing story, not just because of the subject matter but the disappointing behaviors of most of those involved. It cuts too closely to reality. 3.5 stars
(I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
The story is told in alternating points of view from the lead detective, a key reporter, the mother and the wife of the suspect (there are a couple of others who only have one scene). It's also presented using flashbacks, a device I normally enjoy but here it was confusing, primarily because of the multiple points of view and it didn't follow a coherent path. In spite of this, I found the story interesting and many of the characters equally disagreeable and compelling. The role of the media in these circumstances is also an important part of the plot, leaving the reader to decide the merits of what they do.
The narration was very well done and I found the use of multiple performers essential, especially given the alternating points of view and flashbacks. Each performer seemed to perfectly capture his/her character and helped me digest the story more easily. I think my experience would have been less enjoyable if I'd read the book.
This was an interesting and disturbing story, not just because of the subject matter but the disappointing behaviors of most of those involved. It cuts too closely to reality. 3.5 stars
(I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
February 4, 2016
2 1/2 stars. So I’ve already written a review recently about the bumper crop of child abduction themed books I’ve read in the last year. And here’s another one. I swear that I didn’t know that The Widow focused on another disappearing child. I probably should have read the blurb more carefully, but the title in fairness does not suggest child abduction. Anyways, as I point out in my review of What She Knew, I’ve quite enjoyed some of these books although I swear it’s not a theme I seek out. But that means that The Widow was up against some pretty stiff competition. The Widow was okay, but I must admit that I found it a tad dull – especially compared to What She Knew or What Was Mine – and creepy in not a particularly good way. The Widow is told primarily from Jean Taylor’s point of view. Her husband Glenn has recently been run over by a bus, and the narrative recounts the events leading up to the accident. From early on, we find out that Glenn has been accused of abducting 2 year old Bella. The story jumps around in time from Bella’s abduction to Glen’s death, slowly revealing what happened and Jean’s perspective on the whole thing. Occasionally, we also see things through the eyes of an eager journalist and a frustrated police officer. As I said, I found it kind of flat – the reveal at the end felt more like a fizzle than a dramatic finish. And it was all a bit "get under your skin" creepy – I didn’t feel much sympathy toward Jean although I suspect that I was meant to. On the plus side, there is no explicit violence. True fans of the suspense genre might enjoy this one more than I did – I’m just a fickle dabbler. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
February 17, 2016
Once I finished this book, I had to let it settle in my mind for a little while. Now that I‘ve had time to reflect on it all, I believe the plot is well written and very crafty. It’s a stinging rebuke, an accurate illustration of society and its underbelly, but is also a clever mystery. The characterizations are so vivid, they are hard to accept at times, and no, you probably won’t care for most of the characters, except perhaps the detectives working the case, although they too have their foibles.
So, in conclusion, I would strongly urge those fans of suspense and psychological thrillers, to approach this book with an open mind, and allow it to stand on its own merits, which it is quite capable of doing without further comparisons.
This review is the copyrighted property of Night Owl Reviews. To read the review in full, click on this link: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Re...
So, in conclusion, I would strongly urge those fans of suspense and psychological thrillers, to approach this book with an open mind, and allow it to stand on its own merits, which it is quite capable of doing without further comparisons.
This review is the copyrighted property of Night Owl Reviews. To read the review in full, click on this link: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Re...
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July 12, 2016The Hook I believe the publisher compared The Widow to The Girl on the Train and of course, in turn, to Gone Girl.
Do not expect either.
What convinced me I wanted to read or listen to in this case was the question of how a person can stay in a marriage when the spouse has committed an unspeakable, appalling act.
The Line(s) “The simple lies are the hardest, funnily enough. The big ones seem to just fall off the tongue:”
The Sinker – 2 year-old Bella disappears. Jeanie, do not call her Jean, has to face the possibility that her husband Glen in addition to being guilty of viewing internet pornography may also be the pedophile that abducted and possibly murdered Bella. There is no body and Jeanie hopes and prays that Bella will be found. After all Jeanie and Glen can’t have children and Jeanie would give anything to have a beautiful child like Bella. Can Jeanie continue to swear allegiance to Glen when she’s certain he has looked at pictures of women dressed as children, what she comes to term as his nonsense? Can she stay married to a man who might have abducted a child and done something horrible to her? But Glen loves children.
We eventually learn what truly happened using a plot development told in shifting time frames and the five character narratives of The Widow, The Detective, The Reporter, The Husband, and The Mother.
What stood out for me was the tug of war that Glen’s deeds caused Jeanie. Could she believe Glen that he was not responsible for Bella’s disappearance? Could she continue to stand by him knowing that he might have done just that?
The Widow is not fast paced but a good psychological study and surprised me in the end, satisfying this reader.
Penguin Random House’s multi-cast production of The Widow is expertly narrated by Hannah Curtis as The Widow, Nicolas Guy Smith as The Detective, Mandy Williams as The Reporter, reading the three main roles. Steve West as The Husband and Jayne Entwistle, The Mother, read smaller, but key parts to flesh out the rest of the story.
The Widow stands on well it's own merits. It was an enjoyable book and a really good listen.
Do not expect either.
What convinced me I wanted to read or listen to in this case was the question of how a person can stay in a marriage when the spouse has committed an unspeakable, appalling act.
The Line(s) “The simple lies are the hardest, funnily enough. The big ones seem to just fall off the tongue:”
The Sinker – 2 year-old Bella disappears. Jeanie, do not call her Jean, has to face the possibility that her husband Glen in addition to being guilty of viewing internet pornography may also be the pedophile that abducted and possibly murdered Bella. There is no body and Jeanie hopes and prays that Bella will be found. After all Jeanie and Glen can’t have children and Jeanie would give anything to have a beautiful child like Bella. Can Jeanie continue to swear allegiance to Glen when she’s certain he has looked at pictures of women dressed as children, what she comes to term as his nonsense? Can she stay married to a man who might have abducted a child and done something horrible to her? But Glen loves children.
We eventually learn what truly happened using a plot development told in shifting time frames and the five character narratives of The Widow, The Detective, The Reporter, The Husband, and The Mother.
What stood out for me was the tug of war that Glen’s deeds caused Jeanie. Could she believe Glen that he was not responsible for Bella’s disappearance? Could she continue to stand by him knowing that he might have done just that?
The Widow is not fast paced but a good psychological study and surprised me in the end, satisfying this reader.
Penguin Random House’s multi-cast production of The Widow is expertly narrated by Hannah Curtis as The Widow, Nicolas Guy Smith as The Detective, Mandy Williams as The Reporter, reading the three main roles. Steve West as The Husband and Jayne Entwistle, The Mother, read smaller, but key parts to flesh out the rest of the story.
The Widow stands on well it's own merits. It was an enjoyable book and a really good listen.
October 25, 2018
3.5 stars
I jumped at the chance to read an arc of the third book in this series, The Suspect, even though I hadn't read the previous books in the series. Fiona Barton has been one of those authors I have wanted to read for awhile. I really enjoyed the third book and decided to go back and catch up on what I missed. Definitely love her writing style and can't wait to read the second book.
Jean Taylor and her husband were thrust into the spotlight after Glen was suspected of committing a crime. Despite all of the harassment the couple received, Jean stood by her husband. Now that he is dead, she's thinking about telling her story. Will reporter Kate Waters finally uncover the truth?
There are things that happen in this book that are briefly mentioned in the third book so I did have a basic idea going in how the story was going to go. So yes, it is a bit of a different reading experience when you are reading books in a series out of order. For that reason, I obviously enjoyed the story more for the characters rather than the mystery or suspense elements. I do enjoy how the author uses multiple characters to tell the story rather than just one.
Definitely recommend as a solid read.
I jumped at the chance to read an arc of the third book in this series, The Suspect, even though I hadn't read the previous books in the series. Fiona Barton has been one of those authors I have wanted to read for awhile. I really enjoyed the third book and decided to go back and catch up on what I missed. Definitely love her writing style and can't wait to read the second book.
Jean Taylor and her husband were thrust into the spotlight after Glen was suspected of committing a crime. Despite all of the harassment the couple received, Jean stood by her husband. Now that he is dead, she's thinking about telling her story. Will reporter Kate Waters finally uncover the truth?
There are things that happen in this book that are briefly mentioned in the third book so I did have a basic idea going in how the story was going to go. So yes, it is a bit of a different reading experience when you are reading books in a series out of order. For that reason, I obviously enjoyed the story more for the characters rather than the mystery or suspense elements. I do enjoy how the author uses multiple characters to tell the story rather than just one.
Definitely recommend as a solid read.
October 23, 2021
3.5 stars
As the story opens fortyish Glen Taylor has recently been killed when he tripped in front of an oncoming bus.
As it happens Glen was the prime suspect in the disappearance of a two-year-old girl, Bella Elliot, who was kidnapped from an English suburb several years ago (and never found). Arrested and tried at the time, Glen got off because of a flawed police investigation. Glen's death reminds the public of his alleged misdeeds and his widow, Jean Taylor, is once again hounded by the press. Jean agrees to be interviewed by reporter Kate Waters, who's thrilled to be getting the scoop.
The story is told from rotating points of view including the widow; the reporter; the detective, Bob Sparks; and Bella's mother, Dawn Elliot.
As the tale unfolds we learn that Glen was addicted to online porn, especially images of child abuse (or pretend child abuse, with women dressed as underage girls). Glen was also a manipulative, narcissistic husband who seemed able to con his wife into thinking he was a decent guy who had her best interests at heart...despite all kinds of evidence to the contrary.
Jean seems to be incredibly naïve and self-effacing. She realizes Glen's doing something not quite kosher when he shuts himself up with his computer, but she calls it "Glen's nonsense" and pushes it out of her mind. Jean is desperate to have a baby, but tests reveal that Glen is sterile - and he won't even consider adoption. Given Jean's obsession with children one would think she'd insist Glen change his mind or get lost, but Jean just makes excuses for her husband and hangs in there. Throughout the police investigation and trial....and its aftermath...Jean apparently believes in her husband's innocence and supports him.
Detective Bob Sparks is convinced Glen is guilty though there are some other possible suspects. Bob is crushed by Glen's acquittal, is haunted by the mystery of Bella's disappearance, and - despite instructions from his superiors - can't let go of the case.
Journalist Kate is thrilled with the opportunity to interview Jean and quickly squirrels the widow away, to hide her from other reporters. Kate is convinced she's going to squeeze 'the true story' out of Jean now that Glen isn't around....but Jean may be more clever than she appears on the surface.
Bella's mother Dawn beats herself up for leaving the child unsupervised in the yard 'for just a couple of minutes.' She starts a 'Find Bella' drive and cooperates with the press and the police, perhaps even going a little too far at times.
As the tale unfolded I wasn't sure who to believe, and I suspected one character after another of being the kidnapper. The resolution of the story is believable but - to be completely honest - I would have liked more shock and awe. This is a good psychological suspense novel, recommended to fans of the genre.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
November 17, 2016
I wish booksellers and reviewers would stop comparing each and every thriller with a slight twist of plot to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I've read both and this book doesn't resemble either of them, remotely.
It's a debut book for Fiona Barton. Interesting that she chose to focus on the wife (and then widow) of the accused child kidnapper and perhaps killer. The point of view flipped between the widow, the cop, the journalist, the mother of the missing girl, and the widow's husband. Still not sure if this head-hopping really works, since the whole idea of the book was seeing it from the widow's point of view (and the other characters were wooden and one-dimensional).
The book is only okay for me. It was easy to follow, a fast paced read. But the characters were kind of flat. I was propelled along only by the morbid curiosity of what was going to pop out of the box at the end rather than caring about any of the players. (Sadly, the ending wasn't much of a surprise either!)
It's a debut book for Fiona Barton. Interesting that she chose to focus on the wife (and then widow) of the accused child kidnapper and perhaps killer. The point of view flipped between the widow, the cop, the journalist, the mother of the missing girl, and the widow's husband. Still not sure if this head-hopping really works, since the whole idea of the book was seeing it from the widow's point of view (and the other characters were wooden and one-dimensional).
The book is only okay for me. It was easy to follow, a fast paced read. But the characters were kind of flat. I was propelled along only by the morbid curiosity of what was going to pop out of the box at the end rather than caring about any of the players. (Sadly, the ending wasn't much of a surprise either!)
January 26, 2016
When I started to read this book, I hadn't read any previous reviews. I didn't realize that this is the authors debut book.
Ignorance is bliss....
Until I started reading it and got messages like..
"You are going to enjoy this Sue"
and
"Its an amazing read"
When I hear that, I think....hhmmmm I hope so.
But if its from some reviewers who I know is 'spot on' then it makes all the difference and I got some of those, so I thought.....yes!
I have to honestly say that I am gobsmacked this is Fiona Barton's debut book. It has class, it has all the elements of a brilliant thriller, its paced well, the characters are 'real' you can actually reach out and touch them.
I don't know what I can say about this story that hasn't already been said without giving the plot away, but I will try.
At first, Jean came across to me as a weak flimsy wife. A woman who had no control over her life and she did everything her husband told her.
Her husband Glen is found to be a porn addict. He excuses himself and goes off to another room in the house a lot. He likes cyber sex and woman dressed as young children.
A child goes missing. Taken.
Is Glen the person who took her?
Is Glens sexual addiction, kinky and worrying taken him onto paths leading to bigger crimes?
Did Jean know?
Jean believed in her husband, she stood by him, its unbelievable he would do "such a thing".
When Jeanie finds out...
Glen explains "Its not real Jeanie, its fantasy, these are women in their 30s dressing up as children"
They said so in court so it has to be true right?
Jean is not convinced at first "They do this for men who want to do this to children"
Its sick right?
Jean thinks maybe its a man's 'way', its just a 'man thing'
But Bella the little girl is still missing.
Jeanie had a secret obsession. She wanted a baby but couldn't have one because of Glen.
Glens way of dealing with any problems in life is...
draw a line in it and never to speak of it again.
But Jeanie has an obsession...
This being Fiona Barton's first book is amazing, this is certainly someone I will be following.
I have connected with her on Facebook and Twitter. And I have found her webpage.
Stalking? who me?
No, news updates for future books!
I suggest you do the same
http://fionabartonauthor.com/
I loved reading how her first novel came about, you will find it interesting reading. I know I did.
My thanks to *Berkley Publishing Group via Net Galley and of course the author for keeping me guessing throughout and making my first reading experience with this new author a fabulous one*
December 21, 2015
I really liked the premise of this read and had high hopes for it. It is the story of Jean Taylor whose husband Glen is the suspect of a horrific crime. We have all seen women like Jean on the news, standing beside their husbands on the court steps, looking supportive, being their rocks. But, what is going on inside their minds? Do they really believe their husbands’ cries of innocence or are they covering up for them, or indeed are they the masterminds behind the crime? It seemed like a pleasant change from the normal scenarios for crime/psychological thriller type reads.
The story starts off very strongly and I enjoyed it at first but to be honest it fizzles out pretty quickly. It is told from multiple viewpoints, including that of a detective Bob Sparkes and a newspaper reporter Kate. Jean, as a character, in all fairness isn’t strong enough to carry the story on her own. She comes across as very nondescript, dull and boring. I could picture her dressed in beige. I also had great trouble in believing that she was only 39 years old, she seemed to act and talk like someone much older. I think that could partly be blamed on her name as well. I don’t many Jeans but those I do know are a lot older, it isn’t a name you would normally associate with someone of her age. She doesn’t do a lot for most of the read, and not much happens to her, most of the action seems to go on around her.
After a while the story does start to drag a bit, especially with the overlap in some of the different viewpoints. There is a surprise towards the end but in all fairness it didn’t really come as that much of a surprise because I had figured it out pretty much straightaway. Thanks to the publishers via Netgalley for the review copy.
The story starts off very strongly and I enjoyed it at first but to be honest it fizzles out pretty quickly. It is told from multiple viewpoints, including that of a detective Bob Sparkes and a newspaper reporter Kate. Jean, as a character, in all fairness isn’t strong enough to carry the story on her own. She comes across as very nondescript, dull and boring. I could picture her dressed in beige. I also had great trouble in believing that she was only 39 years old, she seemed to act and talk like someone much older. I think that could partly be blamed on her name as well. I don’t many Jeans but those I do know are a lot older, it isn’t a name you would normally associate with someone of her age. She doesn’t do a lot for most of the read, and not much happens to her, most of the action seems to go on around her.
After a while the story does start to drag a bit, especially with the overlap in some of the different viewpoints. There is a surprise towards the end but in all fairness it didn’t really come as that much of a surprise because I had figured it out pretty much straightaway. Thanks to the publishers via Netgalley for the review copy.
November 29, 2016
3.5 - 4 Stars
The widow is a fast paced thriller that opens with the female protagonist telling the reader her husband has just died in front of her eyes. A husband who was suspected of committing a deplorable crime some years ago. As the story unfolds showcasing the past and present, the reader learns more about more about the relationship between husband and wife, the crime he was accused of and the actions of Jean Taylor and her character. Despite the rapid page-turning aspect of this novel, I can't say I always enjoyed the story arc because of the often sheer ugliness of the subject matter. A friend of mine referred to it as distasteful and she has a definite point as there are times it felt uncomfortable to the max, however, there's no doubt that I was addicted to discovering the absolute truth of the crime. Did he do it? Did she know?
The Widow was read by my local book club and there was a definite mix of those who were not entirely enamoured with the story and those who very much enjoyed. There’s an element that I felt was easily worked out from the beginning but this kind of added to my reading experience. If you’re a fan of Thrillers and enjoy a good page-turner, The Widow is certainly worth a read!
The widow is a fast paced thriller that opens with the female protagonist telling the reader her husband has just died in front of her eyes. A husband who was suspected of committing a deplorable crime some years ago. As the story unfolds showcasing the past and present, the reader learns more about more about the relationship between husband and wife, the crime he was accused of and the actions of Jean Taylor and her character. Despite the rapid page-turning aspect of this novel, I can't say I always enjoyed the story arc because of the often sheer ugliness of the subject matter. A friend of mine referred to it as distasteful and she has a definite point as there are times it felt uncomfortable to the max, however, there's no doubt that I was addicted to discovering the absolute truth of the crime. Did he do it? Did she know?
The Widow was read by my local book club and there was a definite mix of those who were not entirely enamoured with the story and those who very much enjoyed. There’s an element that I felt was easily worked out from the beginning but this kind of added to my reading experience. If you’re a fan of Thrillers and enjoy a good page-turner, The Widow is certainly worth a read!
June 26, 2019
3.5/5 stars
I can't seem to muster up much excitement about this book. It was decent, it kept me listening, but somehow it was not fulfilling. There were twists and turns but most of them I saw coming.
I did enjoy the alternating chapters and the voicing by the cast, but really? As far as thrillers go, this just wasn't that....thrilling.
*Thanks to my local library for the audio download. Libraries RULE!*
I can't seem to muster up much excitement about this book. It was decent, it kept me listening, but somehow it was not fulfilling. There were twists and turns but most of them I saw coming.
I did enjoy the alternating chapters and the voicing by the cast, but really? As far as thrillers go, this just wasn't that....thrilling.
*Thanks to my local library for the audio download. Libraries RULE!*
August 6, 2016
The Widow is a standalone, psychological thriller written by seasoned journalist and now fiction writer: Fiona Barton. The inspiration for this debut novel stemmed from all the people on the edge of high profile crimes: the wives, the parents, the children of the perpetrators. Ms. Barton recognized that these individuals are often just as affected by events, but all the focus is elsewhere. She often wondered what they knew and what they should have known. So she gained further inspiration from documented criminal cases as well as her own imagination and wrote a story about the widow of a man found guilty of a horrible crime. The story is told through the perspectives of five different characters and the time frames fluctuate from present to past and back again.
In The Widow, Ms. Barton wrote about a parent's worst nightmare and the investigation that ensues. She wrote about the alleged perpetrator and the submissive little wife that stayed by his side. She wrote about the behavior and tactics used in journalism to score the coveted story. But ultimately, she wrote about power dynamics in relationships, whether it's between a husband and wife or a journalist and subject. Is the dominant personality really the one in charge? When all is said and done, who actually holds the power? The Widow is layered with complex characters who may end up surprising you. This was a good book and I enjoyed it a great deal. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
"He looks like the bloke next door. But then monsters rarely look the part. You hope you'll be able to see the evil shining out of them - it would make police work a damn sight easier. But evil was a slippery substance, glimpsed only occasionally and all the more horrifying for that."
In The Widow, Ms. Barton wrote about a parent's worst nightmare and the investigation that ensues. She wrote about the alleged perpetrator and the submissive little wife that stayed by his side. She wrote about the behavior and tactics used in journalism to score the coveted story. But ultimately, she wrote about power dynamics in relationships, whether it's between a husband and wife or a journalist and subject. Is the dominant personality really the one in charge? When all is said and done, who actually holds the power? The Widow is layered with complex characters who may end up surprising you. This was a good book and I enjoyed it a great deal. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
"He looks like the bloke next door. But then monsters rarely look the part. You hope you'll be able to see the evil shining out of them - it would make police work a damn sight easier. But evil was a slippery substance, glimpsed only occasionally and all the more horrifying for that."
January 7, 2020
3 Stars
Told in multiple POV, both in 1st and 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Kate Waters" series but it can be read as a standalone. It's alternating between past and present and contains short chapters. This was my first read by this author and I went blind, unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as I would like and didn’t surprise me. Not because of the subject matter, it just it wasn’t like a mystery to me and it didn’t even thrill me! Overall, it was an okay read and hope you like it more than me (despite the sensitive subject matter).
Told in multiple POV, both in 1st and 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Kate Waters" series but it can be read as a standalone. It's alternating between past and present and contains short chapters. This was my first read by this author and I went blind, unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as I would like and didn’t surprise me. Not because of the subject matter, it just it wasn’t like a mystery to me and it didn’t even thrill me! Overall, it was an okay read and hope you like it more than me (despite the sensitive subject matter).
August 28, 2017
I really wanted this one to live up to my high expectations - I bought the hardback, after all! Unfortunately, while the writing was good, the story felt a bit slow paced, considering the gripping premise, and I never really connected with the characters. The conclusion, too, didn't come as a surprise. Still, this did not read like a debut novel, Barton can clearly write, and I will keep an eye on her future work.
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Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
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