The Grownup
Ratings248
Average rating3.5
A fast-paced and highly entertaining short story about a grifter that's half horror and half twists.
Not perfect, but definitely a pretty great short story! It was just lengthy enough to get me invested, and the twist did take me by surprise. This is probably my favorite piece by Gillian Flynn so far. My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit silly and abrupt, but I have no regrets reading this.Blog Twitter Instagram Facebook
Started off pretty strong but just didn't pack as much of a punch as I was hoping and the ending was meh
“I would rather be a librarian, but I worry about the job security. Books may be temporary; dicks are forever.”
A fun story that races along fast enough not to worry about the absurdities.
“I'm a self-didact. (Not a dirty word, look it up.) I read constantly. I think. But I lack formal education. So I'm left with the feeling that I'm smarter than everyone around me but that if I ever got around really smart people—people who went to universities and drank wine and spoke Latin—that they'd be bored as hell by me.”
Now this is how you write a short story.
Gillian Flynn always writes the craziest stories. But after a while, they all feel the same. The protagonists are all essentially the same character and it gets old. Still, the twist at the end was good and I appreciate her ability to make me want to know what happened.
This was definitely a very creepy story, but as with all of Flynn's books it fell short for me. I guess it must be me, not her, since I appear to be in the minority here three books in a row. I listened to the audiobook version, which clocked in at under an hour and a half, and while enjoyable, I did not find the ending as satisfying as some other reviewers.
3.5 stars.
I think it's hard to rate novellas or short stories given how brief the reading experience is with them, however I enjoyed this even with it only being 79 pages. I feel like it was just starting to get to the right point of being a bit eerie and creepy, then it remembered it was a short story and had to wrap it up. I saw the ‘plot twists' a mile off and I did not like the whole ‘let's explain everything at the end' deal but it was still okay. I think I would have liked this if it was a full length book and everything was fleshed out more.
A freebie in my #bookofthemonth box and it was...hmmm. It started strong. Midway through I got the creeps and then the ending was a total let down.
This book is about a young woman that is a street hustler begging for money while also providing sleazy hand jobs to needy men for a price of course.
The main character doesn't want to do forever, she wants to move up in the world, instead of begging for money at least six times a day.
Her new”
The Grownup is a mystery novelette about a scammer who ends up dealing with a family who might be living in a haunted mansion. It's very short. Why is it so short?
AAAAHHHH I LOVE GILLIAN FLYNN WHY ISN'T THIS A NOVEL?
Flynn's story got me trying and failing to second-guess everything, and it felt great. All of her characters are nasty, and I love them. It's very different from Gone Girl, and yet I can see some similarities. I can't really explain why, but I loved this book very much. I just wish it was longer, really.
found in the kids books, not really kid friendly. more of a short story idea than a hard cover...
This EPUB version has 29 pages and pages all throughout everything was fast, interesting and so far the best sociopathic short story for me this year, almost Poe-like and extremely twisted! Give this one 2-3 hours (depending on your reading pane) of your time today and I assure you, you'll be awestruck.
Curious little short story. This might make a decent movie, with some changes. The story itself is interesting, but the ending is a bit... not perfect. It feels a bit rushed. But the main twist in the story is intriguing. A quick read, and well worth reading.
I really enjoyed this snarky little tale of horror. I think I'm most impressed that so much was jammed into only 62 pages. I have not read Flynn's other works, I picked this solely to fill a challenge requirement to read a book that is under 100 pages, and as it was published as a teeny book, I'm counting it. Truly enjoyable, quick read.
“People are dumb. I'll never get over how dumb people are.” The unnamed main character in Gillian Flynn's short story is exactly the kind of character you would expect from the writer of [b:Gone Girl 19288043 Gone Girl Gillian Flynn https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397056917s/19288043.jpg 13306276] and [b:Dark Places 5886881 Dark Places Gillian Flynn https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354988288s/5886881.jpg 6873353]. Having been forced to panhandle on the streets as a young child, the protagonist eventually finds herself answering an ad for a “receptionist” that turns out to be a position as a sex worker in a shady spiritualist shop. After an on-the-job injury she is promoted to “aura reader” while continuing to occasionally service some of her regulars. She's like many of Flynn's female protagonists - intelligent, from a less-than-ideal childhood, and in this case a con-artist. Even though there wasn't a lot of room for background given the short story format there was a surprising amount of character development. I wish she could be featured in a longer story...I have the feeling her life would make for a fascinating read. While in her new position, a customer, Susan, offers her an opportunity to make some extra money “cleansing” her home. Our main character jumps at the chance, despite having no experience and not actually being psychic. Slamming doors, blood stains on the wall appearing out of nowhere, and strange smells convince her that perhaps she's in over her head. With an absentee father, the uneasy relationship between Susan and her stepson Miles comes to the forefront, and our protagonist questions how much of Susan's story is true and how much is the result of a stepfamily struggling to adjust to their new circumstances. In the end the story takes a few unexpected twists and turns until finally plopping the reader down in the midst of an unresolved ending, which has gained Flynn criticism from readers looking for a tidy resolution. The ending leaves the reader unsettled, conflicted, and perhaps even a little frustrated. Some called it a cop-out. I call it the perfect kind of ending. Who wants a melodramatic villain unmasking when you can have an ending that leaves you lying awake, wondering...?
Very fun! Quirky little mind-bender. Full review on my blog: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2016/02/review-the-grownup-by-gillian-flynn/