Ellen
My rating is just based on my enjoyment reading it. I don't think it's a masterpiece or a particularly genius story, and I agree with other reviewers here about the slightly condescending / outdated / not mentioned but obvious (play on?) autism, somewhere on the spectrum. And that the depiction of that feels kind of basic. But who am I to say if there are people who experience it just like Molly does?
There were a few times where Molly's reaction made me think “well, she's not stupid, why is this written like she is?” and then I had to question myself and wonder if that was the intention. If the author was playing with my prejudice and the problem was not the writing, but me. But I don't think so. And that sounds arrogant, but I felt that it was still in line with the rest of the book, but in most cases she didn't seem or wasn't written as if she was stupid, just very literal. And sometimes she got things even though it wasn't literal. So it felt inconsisent, I guess. Like, if she got that part right, she would also have understood the meaning of this part.
Other than that, and sort of taking it for what it is, which I would describe as a warm and light-hearted mystery with human relationships at the center of it, I enjoyed the story. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next, the solution to the mystery, and how the relationships were going to play out. And I think it offered more depth on the relationship and feeling front, than I had expected. So for that reason, I'm giving it 4 stars. I'm generous like that :)
Liked it! Interesting plot and setting. Slow start, but unsettling dynamics in the house and tension building slowly throughout the story. I had my guesses but couldn't say for sure until the very end. Well done.
I loved that the focus was kept on Ruby and her work and story, rather than turning into a love story just because she is a woman of a certain age. No cheese. Just great story, well written characters and story.
In short, I really liked this book. I found the concept intruiging and thought-provoking, which is obviously why I wanted to read it, and / but I found that the telling of the stories had both a depth and a lightness to it, which for me made the reading experience very enjoyable.
Dealing with the topic of life and death, it could definitely have been a deeper, heavier read, but it didn't need to be. There is heartbreak and heartwrenching moments, but also kindness and hope. Humanity in different forms.
It could also have been a lot more intellectualized, but there are thoughts and perspectives sprinkled throughout the book and I appreciated that. I let you as a reader think for yourself, and it felt like the author assumed that I as a reader had a mind of my own, and didn't need to explain every single aspect in detail, banging it over my head. Simple mentions of things were enough to get the point across.
I really liked the mix of people, characters I guess, but I think of them as people, which I think is a good thing, and different kinds of relationships. There were singles, couples, flirtation, old friendship, siblings, new aquaintances, colleagues. And I really liked the way the stories intertwined. When there are different perspectives like this, I usually find some of them less interesting, to the point where I almost want to skip chapters, but that wasn't the case for me here.
Before reading it, I kind of expected there to be more of “let's quit our jobs and move to a tropical island”-kind of thinking, and that was briefly mentioned in passing, but the stories we follow are not that. Good thing.
I wouldn't say it's life-changing, but it did make me think about life and how I want to spend it, and the memory of the book is a warm and positive one. Would definitely recommend.
I had high hopes for this book, and it was ok but not really for me. Maybe I'm older than the target audience, too dumb, or too impatient. Or maybe my expectations were just too high.
I was expecting a real mystery and something really smart. There were Greek studies, but does that mean that they're super intelligent..? Or that the plot is?
I struggled getting through the 600 pages of this book, but I was not going to give up because I thought I must be missing something, there must be something being revealed later on that makes the whole story. It never got there, for me, but I'm glad I finished it so I don't have to wonder.
It's not bad, by any means, I did want to know what was going to happen, but it wasn't the masterpiece I was hoping for. It left me feeling like I had wasted my time engaging in the sobbings of group of entitled brats.
It also took me a loooong time to understand who was who of the brats, I got them mixed up all and didn't connect with them very much. A bit more the longer I read, but I didn't really care about any of them. Again, maybe I'm too old. I just wanted to tell them to grow up and get a life.
If you like powering through bricks in academic settings with a touch of myth and dark secrets, this might be for you. Lots of people like it. It left me kind of meh.