great read. cant put down!
this was an excellent story with lots of side plots to keep you interested in the charachters. great writing. prose is often poetic.
meh
I loved Case Histories. This has the same charming tone and energetic writing but the story is a bag of coincidences, awkwardly wired together.
Good, but not the best in the series
When Kate Atkinson releases a new book, I buy. And, so far I have not been disappointed. The plot is interesting, the characters superb - she really makes you feel for Reggie in this one for instance.
However, I thought both Case Histories: A Novel and One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery were a little better than this one. The thing about the other two, and especially Case Histories, was the humor. I laughed out loud many times reading Case Histories. That never happened with this book. Nevertheless it was a good read, and well worth it. But give us more of those astute and wickedly funny observations on human nature in the next one please.
A big fan
This is my third Kate Atkinson novel, and probably the best. The most ambitious by far, it takes about 100 pages to set the groundwork. Your patience will be rewarded. With many clever, well-thought coincidences, great characters and tense plot, this is a truly satisfying read.
Excellent
I liked Case Histories well enough but wasn't as dazzled as some of the critics by that book. But Atkinson's latest take on the mystery genre is compelling, intriguing, and hard to put down. This is fine storytelling and it's all very entertaining to read. She creates several vivid characters this time around, though I have to say the whole thing would have been pretty grim if Atkinson didn't have such a wicked sense of humor. I really enjoyed the multiple stories going on, though the sections on a character named Billy were the least interesting. I would like it if Atkinson wrote something other than a mystery next time around, though I do hope to see Jackson Brodie, Louise Monroe, and Reggie in a future Atkinson book.
(31 reviews)
