My friends, this might be about a couple honeymooning at a fancy hotel on a Greek island, but it is no beach read.
Evelyn and Richard are a match made My friends, this might be about a couple honeymooning at a fancy hotel on a Greek island, but it is no beach read.
Evelyn and Richard are a match made in hell. They fundamentally don't like each other and are, in no way, ever on each other's side. She's a writer and actress who used to be his parent's housekeeper, and he thinks she's kind of slutty. He's kind of a dick to her, questioning everything she says and trying to make her feel trashy, crazy, overly picky, or fat. If this isn't bad enough, they both have secrets in their past that put them into a twisted relationship with each other.
And the hotel sucks too, not much privacy, and the innkeeper is a sexy young woman who treats Evelyn like crap while treating Richard like a king.
I've read books by this author before, and was very obsessed with he The End of Mr. Y. She's always interesting, and this gripped me from the first, although it lost me a bit in the middle, and in the end, I was just confused. It just doesn't really hold together or make sense, and the characters do baffling things that are never explained. It seems like there are great big holes in the plot. Even the title doesn't really work. "The sleepwalkers" referred to a couple who stayed in the hotel maybe a year before Evelyn and Richard, and supposedly, he sleepwalked into the sea, she followed to protect him, and the tide then swept them both out and they drowned. Why do they give this title to the book? At the end there are some documentary filmmakers who are interested in doing a film about the events in this book, and they decide not to because this story is kind of a mess and doesn't make any sense. I have to agree....more
I was listening to this audiobook as I walked home from work, and I actually walked a block past my house because I was so involved in the story. I loI was listening to this audiobook as I walked home from work, and I actually walked a block past my house because I was so involved in the story. I looked up and looked around- “Wait- where am I?” This book is that absorbing and suspenseful. Listen to it (or just read it) at your peril, people! This kind of messed me up. And I read it in maybe two days, taking extra walks on work breaks and finding extra little tasks in the kitchen because I couldn’t stop.
There’s a very tiny little secret room in the narrator’s house, a very old house, and the little room was created when a new addition was built by a previous owner. And this is a good thing, because when our narrator is alone in the house with her young children late at night during a snowstorm, someone, a big and menacing man, breaks in when the children are sleeping. He’s between her and her phone, and between her and her car keys, but she thinks of that little room and has the presence of mind to crawl in there with her children. They hide as the man looks for them, then rages, then terrorizes them, because he knows they’re still in the house, and he’s trying to scare them into making noise so he can find them.
She gets to a (temporary) safety, but what is also powerful in this novel, aside from the obvious fear, is rage- mostly the reader’s, at first, until the narrator, after a lifetime of being bullied, finally starts to assert herself. Because while this narrator is going through this situation, you also see how men- her husband, the police detectives, and long ago, men in the courtroom that presided over the trial for her mother’s death at the hands of a drunk driver- have all treated her like a silly, inconsequential woman.
This really shook me up. I don’t read that many thrillers, so that’s partly why, but it’s also that this book was very well written, kind of a literary/thriller hybrid. I was so pulled in. Spoilers below.
I would've been out of that house like a shot. I would have found a place in the city, close to other people, close to FRIENDS. Why did she have no friends? Don't trust a woman who has no women friends. Also, one of the things this book definitively shows is that you have to have other people to turn to, maybe even especially when you have children. But yeah- I wouldn't have gone back to that house for a single night. I would have found a nice hotel. I might even have been gone with the children long before, because I would have left a husband who treated me with that kind of contempt. Or maybe I would have pushed him down the stairs! ;)
More from the Guncle was definitely welcome. I liked this a lot. It's slighter than the first Guncle book, which makes sense. That book had a much lonMore from the Guncle was definitely welcome. I liked this a lot. It's slighter than the first Guncle book, which makes sense. That book had a much longer and more difficult journey to take. In this one, Patrick is taking his niece and nephew- now 5 years older, so maybe 11- and 15-ish?- on a trip through Europe in preparation for their father's remarriage to a rich, but somewhat off-putting Italian woman. They visit the places where The Sound of Music was filmed! They ride gondolas and eat gelato and pizza. Lessons are learned, by the kids, yes, but also by their guncle (gay uncle). We all should have had guncles. I listened to this as an audiobook and it was funny, lovely and comforting....more
Secrets and lies, bad husbands, murder. Sometimes I like to get sucked into these books of, what, domestic thrillers? Psychological fiction? They’re uSecrets and lies, bad husbands, murder. Sometimes I like to get sucked into these books of, what, domestic thrillers? Psychological fiction? They’re usually not very memorable, but good ones do pull you right into the story and keep you turning pages- or for me, listening. Books like this I like to experience as an audiobook. I think this was an especially good one!
Two women meet at a restaurant and they discover that both of them are there because they’re celebrating their 45th birthday. Birthday twins! And they were even born in the same hospital.
But that might be where the similarity ends. Alix is chic, has two cute kids and a handsome husband, and is a successful podcaster. Josie wears lots and lots of denim, seems to lack confidence, has a husband who is much, much older than her, and has two adult children who are suffering from the results of previous trauma.
Josie comes to Alix with a proposal for a podcast, and they start working together on it. You know from brief little snippets set in the future that things between them have really gone off the rails, and that there have been murders, and you start to want really badly to know what happened in Josie’s past and what’s going to happen in the future.
I think the audiobook reader did a great job. Honestly, I was reading this so obsessively that I ignored some political podcasts, and I am very, very much into politics in this election year. All this nice murder and dishonesty had to have been a fun distraction! Kind of a spoiler below.
Kind of a disappointing ending? The twist makes it less interesting than the straight story is. ...more
It's hard to review short story collections. I'll just say I liked these, that if you've enjoyed Keegan's novellas, you'll like these too. Many of theIt's hard to review short story collections. I'll just say I liked these, that if you've enjoyed Keegan's novellas, you'll like these too. Many of the stories are about connections- and the lack of connection- between men and women who are romantic partners. There were maybe one or two stories that didn't capture my interest as much, but the majority of these were quite good. I read it as an audiobook, and there were different readers, all of them wonderful and with wonderful accents. Claire Keegan can really spin a tale....more
Allegra Goodman’s books are all so different! And this is my favorite one yet.
This is based on a true story that took place in the 16th century. The mAllegra Goodman’s books are all so different! And this is my favorite one yet.
This is based on a true story that took place in the 16th century. The main character, Marguerite, initially grows up as an heiress. Her parents died before she could ever have remembered them, but she has a nurse who truly loves her and a houseful of servants in her beautiful home. But here’s the bad news: she has a guardian, a cousin, who apparently controls Marguerite and everything she owns, with no constraints. And he is a man who enjoys power and has no conscience. He’s also a man who has been appointed Lieutenant General of New France, a huge territory in the New World, and he takes her with him on a perilous journey. The most perilous part is how Marguerite’s first crush turns out, and this winds up being a story of survival.
This is well-written, well-researched, and deeply involving. And it’s really a story about how much the patriarchy sucks, which I’m here for. I think it would be a good read-alike for Emma Donoghue’s The Vaster Wilds....more
This was so good. Probably my favorite book of the year so far.
It's set in Alaska. I spent four summers in southeastern Alaska. Not the interior, wherThis was so good. Probably my favorite book of the year so far.
It's set in Alaska. I spent four summers in southeastern Alaska. Not the interior, where this is set, but still, Ivey's descriptions of plants and bears, wilderness and Alaskan local bars- it all made me very nostalgic. Her writing about the natural world is some of the best I've ever read, poetic and specific and visceral. Alaska is gorgeous and dangerous, and that all shows itself in her prose. Another thing about Alaska is that it has this mythic quality. You read and listen to native stories about ravens and eagles and bears, and then you see all these creatures around you, all the time, and the myths and the reality of nature don't feel like they're necessarily very far apart. I love how in Ivey's books, the three of them that I've read so far, the membrane between the mythic and the natural is all too permeable.
Her characters are rich, too. This book is about a young mother, Birdie, and her daughter Emmeline, who is about six. Birdie is a great character, one you see in the world, but don’t find in books very often, because she couldn’t be less writerly. She’s impulsive, endlessly energetic, seeking sensation, in love with the natural world, and not at all interested in translating sensations into words, as I am, or as writers are. She doesn’t think much about consequences, so is maybe not the best mother? But she loves her daughter so much. Emmaleen is a realistic and beautifully created child. I love the sections of the book when she's engaging in imaginative play. It reminded me so much of being that age, with my imagination going wild. The plot gets going as Birdie is becoming attracted to Arthur, a local man who lives out in the wilderness, far from any town. I think she's more interested in living out in the bush than she is in Arthur, a quiet and strange man who has trouble putting his thoughts into words. Another thing about Arthur is that he has a secret, a pretty big secret.
This is the kind of book that makes you sad when you finish it. I have a book hangover now and can't really get into anything else.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I liked this better than the latest Ruth Ware novels!
It takes place on an island, the set of a reality dating show, where the main narrator has been cI liked this better than the latest Ruth Ware novels!
It takes place on an island, the set of a reality dating show, where the main narrator has been cajoled into coming with her wannabe actor boyfriend. Things take a turn when there's a fast change in the weather, and this becomes a real survival story, not a fake survival story. I always very much enjoy the reader who voices Ware's books. I don't want to say too much and spoil it, but it really held my interest. Except... one spoiler below...
I had a little problem with the ending. I feel like the four women could have told the truth about how horrible the villain of the tale was and just said they had sneaked to his villa looking for the insulin, he'd woken up, and they'd had to kill him in self defense. It seemed convoluted to have to create a diary making him look like a saint, not to mention bad for the world....more
I liked this a lot. Silence is both the name of the main character and the punishment she receives after a public outburst. Silence is a puritan outsiI liked this a lot. Silence is both the name of the main character and the punishment she receives after a public outburst. Silence is a puritan outside of Boston who, after three terrible losses, has spoken out loud about her doubt of God's mercy in church. She's charged with blasphemy, and her punishment is terrible, and part of it is that she is not allowed to speak for a year.
I really cared about this character and appreciated the writing. I like it when historical fiction shows a lot of interesting details about how people lived in the past, and I particularly liked how this one goes fairly deeply into bee-keeping, which was fascinating. This novel would appeal, I think, to readers who liked Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet....more
The news was relentlessly smacking me (and all of us, really) in the face and I needed an escape read. I got totally swept up in this one- but... willThe news was relentlessly smacking me (and all of us, really) in the face and I needed an escape read. I got totally swept up in this one- but... will I remember it later? I kind of doubt it. These psychological thriller books I tend to gobble up, and then I almost completely forget them. But it did what I wanted it to do!
Zara is hired to be a ghostwriter for Jane, a celebrity chef who has a Food Network show. Weirdly, her subject wants her to live with her in the Hamptons while she writes the book. Zara not only gets really sucked into the luxurious and comfortable life in Janes house- the fantastic sheets, the pool, a housekeeper who makes her bed and makes her food whenever she wants it- she also gets sucked into Jane's orbit and Jane's control. This gets twisted fast, and it was really fun. I listened to the audiobook (thanks, Libro. FM!) and it was read very well....more
I was looking for an audiobook quick before heading out on a walk, and this was in my Libro.FM app. I was clearly sucked in by the promotional writingI was looking for an audiobook quick before heading out on a walk, and this was in my Libro.FM app. I was clearly sucked in by the promotional writing that compared it to Fleabag. This was no Fleabag.
I dislike most reality shows and have definitely never enjoyed a reality dating show, but this sounded like maybe a not dumb way to enjoy the trashiness of a dumb thing. But no. This is dumb and annoying in the exact same way a reality dating show is, with about the same shallowness of characters and dialog. I kind of wanted to know what was going to happen, so thought I'd finish it anyway- but then I looked at the app and saw I was only halfway through- because apparently, this book is stretched out just like one of those shows.
The narrator is a failed romance writer who becomes part of the cast of a reality dating show in order to boost sales of her books and maybe get paid to write new ones. I don't think this is a spoiler because of the title of the book? She's "cast" in the show as the villain, the bitch who all of America will hate. And she pretty much deserves it. She says early on that she's not the kind of woman who makes friends with other women, which always make an alarm go off for me. "Don't ever trust women who don't have female friends" is one of the things I truly believe. And she's so bored once filming gets started, but she never really talks to the other women, is completely uninterested in their stories. Of course the show producers push this narrative, manipulating her in all the ways reality show producers are said to do, and oh yeah, there's also a sort of shallow relationship with one of the shallow (but insanely handsome) producers.
I'm sure there's a market for this, but obviously, I'm not that market. It made me feel bad about humanity and very bored. Next!...more
Warning: this is the horniest book ever. Horny for sex, and horny for food and drinks, too! If you’re celibate, on a diet, or sober, this might be a dWarning: this is the horniest book ever. Horny for sex, and horny for food and drinks, too! If you’re celibate, on a diet, or sober, this might be a difficult read for you.
Kit, a bisexual man, and Theo, a bisexual nonbinary person, were childhood friends who became lovers. Then they broke up suddenly, in an airport when they were on the verge of taking a foodie tour of Europe together- and they never spoke again. Until they each, separately, decide to beat the expiration deadline for that already-paid-for foodie tour. So after four years, there they are- on the same tour. Whoops!
Eventually, they decide they can be friends again and they also decide to have a friendly competition to see who can get laid the most times on this trip, and then they travel about France and Italy and Spain, tasting wine and cocktails and pastries and lots of hot young men and women. AND as they try to keep their hands off each other and naturally, fall back in love with each other. This queer, sexy world was an entertaining place to visit, even if I wouldn't want to live there. While I enjoyed the dialogue, locations, and other pleasures of this novel, it wasn’t as satisfying as Red, White and Royal Blue or One Last Stop. It went on quite a bit too long. I wasn’t in love with the whole who-could-get-the most-sex contest, which seems kind of mean, even if the actual guest stars didn’t seem to have much personality. And occasionally, like many other reviewers on Goodreads, I thought, “What is wrong with you two?" They’re insecure and self obsessed and just plain annoying sometimes. And then I thought, oh yeah, they’re in their 20s, and flinched a little while thinking of my own insecure, self-obsessed and annoying days. Not that I’m never an asshole now!...more
This should have been just my thing- Wales, a consideration of class, survival in a place where survival is really hard. And I did read the whole thinThis should have been just my thing- Wales, a consideration of class, survival in a place where survival is really hard. And I did read the whole thing, which is saying something these days, when I quit books after 20 or 30 pages pretty often. But somehow, I never felt all that involved with this book.
Manod is a young woman who lives on a remote and hardscrabble Welsh island in the late 1930s with her fisherman father and her sister, who is about 12. She wants to get away, as many young people on the island have done, but she feels obligated to take care of her sister because their mother is dead. When a couple of researchers show up, saying their project is to document life on the island, and hire Manod as their translator and secretary, they change things for her in unexpected ways.
It was fine? It was a good audiobook production, though, with a good reader and snippets of Welsh songs and stories....more
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