Into the Water
Ratings186
Average rating3.5
I thought this one was even better than Girl On A Train, more subtle, more evocative, less straight narrative, though it still wove together a whole group of characters whose stories were intertwined.
I read about 50 pages and knew who the killer was. Too predictable. I could not finish it.
3.5 star round upI think I like this better than the girl in the train.It was really slow at the beginning and it was so hard to actually get into the story but around halfway through the book it started getting really interesting. Also [a:Paula Hawkins 1063732 Paula Hawkins https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1492111911p2/1063732.jpg] delivered these little surprises/shockers here and there throughout the book which shocked me quite a bit. But like after the interesting parts it became sooo slow once again but I wanted to keep going to find out what the big mystery was at the end.But then the ending came and I was so disappointed like it was 400 pages and this?! I kinda saw the ending coming so I wasn't too surprised by it. Even though I didn't have high hopes in the beginning of the book I started getting high hopes around the middle after all those little twists and I was so disappointed! I seriously need to stop getting my expectations high for books coz I end up hating the book or not being satisfied.I forgot to mention this before but there were sooo many characters in the book to keep track of that I had to keep going to the front page where they had explained about the characters to keep track of who and who.So overall these are my thoughts on the book. I feel like those little twits kinda made up for the ending.. But I feel like if the ending had been different I would have given it a five star definitely!
I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of Jules and her sister Nell. Jules is brought back to the town they were raised in for her sister's death and her niece. It centers around an area in the river called the Drowning Pool. It seems many women have died or committed suicide here.
Every now and again I will read one of these “grip lit” books and, like this one, I am rarely disappointed. Does exactly what it says on the tin. It probably doesn't warrant 4 stars, but I read some reviews that I think are overly harsh so I upped it one because at the end of the day its all about being entertained, and I was.
The book was exhausting with so much to keep track of. There were roughly 35 different characters with at least a dozen different perspectives. Call me slow, but I needed a drawn out flowchart for me to follow the book.
For a book that constantly refers to sexism and misogyny with it functioning as a recurring theme, it sure had those traits deeply woven into all the characters. Maybe that was deliberate, but boy, was it exhausting. The references to technology felt out of place when woven into the mess.
The characters were incredibly unlikeable, but I suppose that seems to be the case with most books these days.
There were sufficient plot twists to keep me happy, some ludicrous, some exhilarating, but it seemed to make up for the exhaustion. If I'm getting worn out, I might as well get a thrill out of it.
2.5 starsThis review can also be found on my blog.Into the Water follows a multitude of characters in small-town England following the death of one of the town's inhabitants. Only, as it turns out, many others had perished in a similar way. I did find this quite engrossing at first. The mystery was intriguing and the backstory that was being slowly revealed was enough to keep me interested. I initially thought that what the novel was trying to say was good – something about how women have been dismissed and disposed in similar ways over time. Part of where things fell apart for me was the large cast of characters. I found it somewhat difficult to follow who was who, and would get thrown out of the story while I tried to remember. There was also a plotline about rape that I just didn't love. I recognize that this is certainly more of a personal opinion rather than anything else, but I felt that it was handled sort of strangely and the message that it was trying to relay, while commendable in nature, came across as flat and trying too hard. There is a way to discuss and portray the nature of victim-blaming and coming to terms with assault without throwing it in your audience's face that you're doing so, which is what I felt like happened here.Another very specific thing I disliked was that there was one queer character whose queer identity was not known until near the end of the novel, where another character viciously outed them using slurs. This happened in a single paragraph and was never acknowledged again. I wouldn't even deign to say that this has lgbtq rep, as it is so brief and poorly used – it is literally for shock value.Aside from the few points above, I can see why people would enjoy this. As a thriller it's decent and the red herrings make it quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what is going on until the end. It's another book that I wouldn't outright recommend, but also wouldn't necessarily dissuade anyone from reading unless anything I've mentioned sounds like a dealbreaker to you.Blog Twitter Instagram Facebook
It was confusing to keep up with the characters for the first third of the book, but then it began to get easier as more of what really happened began to unfold. When the background story started to get more stout, and we really start to learn more about what we think really happened and which characters were involved, it starts rolling along much smoother. I understand that this was intentional, so I don't fault Paula Hawkins for writing it this way, but I've seen a few vloggers reveal that they had to keep a cheat sheet beside them with notes to keep up with each character. Fortunately, I did not have to resort to this and that is probably because I had to read it rather quickly. I checked this out from the Libby app and the library is not so generous about extending the days for their digital rentals. I also purchased the audio book via Kobo-Rakuten. The audio book version was narrated by multiple people and was outstanding! I highly recommend the audio book. However, because of the complexity of the story line, I suggest the book over the audio version if you can't get both. I can't wait for Paula Hawkins next book!
This was a slow start for me, but about halfway through it started getting interesting really fast and I ended up enjoying the book.
Bruh, Paula Hawkins is the queen of coming up with beautiful vivid plot ideas, characters and beginning steps. But DAMN does she SUCK at execution. I had to stop reading this a couple summers ago because I was so like uhhh. I'm sad at her lack of talent to conduct a story without majorly mistelling an originally very good idea. Same with Girl on the Train. Predictable af. DISAPPOINTED!
Pretty good book that keeps you on ur toes. Just when I thought I figured everything out, I guessed wrong. I liked this book but so many characters it was hard to keep up with at times. Had to go back and reread a few times. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book but the ending was a bit unsatisfying. I felt like it was predictable even though you didn't really get a full picture through the story, it was a good read and perfect for a book by the pool but it's probably not one I'd remember years from now.
Sungai yg dikenal dgn Kolam Penenggelaman, selama berabad-abad telah merenggut banyak nyawa. Semuanya perempuan. Kini sungai itu kembali menelan korban: Nel Abbot, wanita yang bertekad untuk menyingkap rahasia sungai itu dan menuliskan kisah-kisahnya. Apakah dia jatuh? Apakah dia bunuh diri? Apakah dia dibunuh?
Banyaknya PoV di buku ini sangat membingungkan, perpindahan bab seringnya diikuti oleh perpindahan PoV dan biasanya perpindahan itu terjadi pada org2 yg terlibat dlm PoV sblmnya. Jadi, membingungkan, aku hrs membalik halaman untuk memastikan kali ini PoV siapakah?
Untuk twistnya & pengungkapan identitas pembunuhnya okelah. Ada 1 hal yg membuatku penasaran & hingga akhir tdk diungkapkanboleh pengarang (spoiler), apa yg terjadi pada Mark?
Kept me hooked for a while until it got a bit slow and predictable. Still, it kept my interest.
Wow. This was even better than “Girl on the Train!” Great for suspense and mystery lovers!
*3.5 Had some high points but got lost in too much melodrama and too many characters.
I actually really liked this book. I understand where a lot of people are coming from with them saying there are too many characters to keep track of, but I think that is what made the story so exciting. There were so many different perspectives and that really brought it all together. You start off having no idea what is going on, but as you keep going, you can't stop! I didn't want to put the book down, and honestly, when it was over, I wanted to read more! The ending had me at the edge of my seat and I absolutely loved it. So many twists and turns, and you never once knew the outcome of the story. I did have to write down who the characters were so I would remember, but I ended up not needing that. It was easy to catch on. I stick by my decision to rate this a 5-star book, so I definitely recommend it!
the author drops you in Beckworth, a town of many secrets. There a tidal pool that has been the scene of many deaths- all female. The town is a close-knit community of people who think they know everything about their neighbors, but really don't know much of anything at all. Jules has come back to take care of her motherless niece, orphaned when her sister has killed herself in the very lake she loved. She has unresolved issues with her sister, her past comes rushing back to collide with the present. The book is told in alternating points of view, at some times both tiresome and confusing. Some of the voices were less enjoyable, but Lena's arc shined. It's s simmering slow build to multiple reveals, some surprising, others not at all. Either way, it is an entertaining bit of fiction. Not sure I will be picking up the next book might not this is a 3star read for me which isn't bad