Helpful Score: 2
Aubrey, Jenny, and Kate meet at Carlisle College--an elite institution on par with the Ivies--when they are placed as roommates their freshman year. Aubrey is on financial aid and looking for a chance to restart her life. Jenny, a "townie," has lived in Belle River, New Hampshire, most of her life. And finally, there's the beautiful Kate, whose wealthy family has long ties to Carlisle. The three quickly form a fast friendship, but it's problematic as well. Aubrey is in awe of the enigmatic Kate, while Jenny often resents her lovely, popular roommate. And then, near the end of their freshman year, a tragic event changes their lives forever.
Be forewarned: this is a book populated by annoying, pathetic, self-involved characters. While it supposedly centers on a friendship that begins in college, that couldn't really be further from the truth. These three girls are not friends. The centerpiece is wealthy Kate Eastman, a daughter from a privileged family, who somehow attracts everyone into her orbit, despite being a real narcissistic jerk. Frankly, it's hard to read a book when you really don't care about anyone. This is exacerbated by some stilted and forced writing--backed up by cliches--that makes the novel hard to read at times.
I was amazed by Kate's power over everyone and frustrated by their devotion to her. We are probably supposed to feel sorry for her, due to her hateful family and deceased mother, and for the other characters and the power the Eastmans exert over them. But I just couldn't -- at least not continuously throughout the novel. In fact, it's impossible to root for either side, or anyone, in this book.
Now, the second half of the novel switches over to the present day and allows a bit more focus on a mystery. You're left guessing and there is at least less spotlight on the girls and their pettiness (though it's definitely still there). Unfortunately, I thought the second-half mystery was somwhat spoiled (not to spoil anything myself) by a main player in the puzzle plot who carried a ridiculous and biased torch for Kate, despite having spent a sum total of about three hours in her presence. That one plot point irked me so much that I enjoyed the second half of the novel less than I would have otherwise. And the second half is better: I read it straight through in an evening, and it kept me turning the pages, wondering how things would turn out.
Unfortunately, it was marred by the earlier half of the book, a cast of despicable characters, and some cliched writing that left a lot to be desired. Still, I have to hand it to Campbell: she kept me reading in spite of all of that. Because of that, I'm going with 3 stars: a combination of 2.5 for the first half of the novel and 3.5 for second. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com
Be forewarned: this is a book populated by annoying, pathetic, self-involved characters. While it supposedly centers on a friendship that begins in college, that couldn't really be further from the truth. These three girls are not friends. The centerpiece is wealthy Kate Eastman, a daughter from a privileged family, who somehow attracts everyone into her orbit, despite being a real narcissistic jerk. Frankly, it's hard to read a book when you really don't care about anyone. This is exacerbated by some stilted and forced writing--backed up by cliches--that makes the novel hard to read at times.
I was amazed by Kate's power over everyone and frustrated by their devotion to her. We are probably supposed to feel sorry for her, due to her hateful family and deceased mother, and for the other characters and the power the Eastmans exert over them. But I just couldn't -- at least not continuously throughout the novel. In fact, it's impossible to root for either side, or anyone, in this book.
Now, the second half of the novel switches over to the present day and allows a bit more focus on a mystery. You're left guessing and there is at least less spotlight on the girls and their pettiness (though it's definitely still there). Unfortunately, I thought the second-half mystery was somwhat spoiled (not to spoil anything myself) by a main player in the puzzle plot who carried a ridiculous and biased torch for Kate, despite having spent a sum total of about three hours in her presence. That one plot point irked me so much that I enjoyed the second half of the novel less than I would have otherwise. And the second half is better: I read it straight through in an evening, and it kept me turning the pages, wondering how things would turn out.
Unfortunately, it was marred by the earlier half of the book, a cast of despicable characters, and some cliched writing that left a lot to be desired. Still, I have to hand it to Campbell: she kept me reading in spite of all of that. Because of that, I'm going with 3 stars: a combination of 2.5 for the first half of the novel and 3.5 for second. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com
Helpful Score: 1
This uneven novel suffers from a lack of focus. It can't seem to decide whether it's about toxic friendships, obsessive behavior, or whodunit and how.
Three young women, assigned as roommates at a small private college in New Hampshire, develop a complex interdependency that still exists decades later when one of them stands on a crumbling bridge in the middle of the night, being urged to jump. Campbell attempts to hide the identity of the potential suicide (or murder victim?), but most readers will figure out early on who is the most likely candidate. She does a better job of keeping the enabler/accomplice (killer?) under wraps.
This is where things go off the rails, as a big-town cop turned small-town police chief hijacks the tale for about 100 pages, wanting to pull out all the stops in his investigation, while townspeople (specifically the mayor) want the whole thing to be simply swept under the rug, for a variety of reasons. There's apparently an off-page confrontation, since passing reference is made to the police chief having been replaced by a more malleable character; the investigation loses momentum and is eventually abandoned as a plot thread. The Ultimate Revelation of exactly what happened on that bridge and who was involved is saved for a two-years-later epilogue, by which point most readers no longer care.
Because frankly, none of these three women is particularly likeable. Kate is the poor-little-rich-girl, who wants to buy affection via her money, sex appeal, and access to drugs and alcohol, but who routinely dismisses her friends' preferences and needs; Aubrey is the poor-little-poor girl on scholarship, crushing on the glamorous Kate and willing to accept whatever crumbs fall her way; Jenna is the blue-collar striver who turns out to be just as ruthless and manipulative as Kate, but in a more subtle and devious way. Jenna starts out being the most sympathetic of the three, but eventually allows her drive for power to set own moral compass spinning.
None of this adds up to anything more than a mediocre read with Aubrey, in particular, given an inconsistent, unbelievable character arc. The reader looking for something non-taxing to fill a couple of afternoons can find many more satisfying selections without much effort.
Three young women, assigned as roommates at a small private college in New Hampshire, develop a complex interdependency that still exists decades later when one of them stands on a crumbling bridge in the middle of the night, being urged to jump. Campbell attempts to hide the identity of the potential suicide (or murder victim?), but most readers will figure out early on who is the most likely candidate. She does a better job of keeping the enabler/accomplice (killer?) under wraps.
This is where things go off the rails, as a big-town cop turned small-town police chief hijacks the tale for about 100 pages, wanting to pull out all the stops in his investigation, while townspeople (specifically the mayor) want the whole thing to be simply swept under the rug, for a variety of reasons. There's apparently an off-page confrontation, since passing reference is made to the police chief having been replaced by a more malleable character; the investigation loses momentum and is eventually abandoned as a plot thread. The Ultimate Revelation of exactly what happened on that bridge and who was involved is saved for a two-years-later epilogue, by which point most readers no longer care.
Because frankly, none of these three women is particularly likeable. Kate is the poor-little-rich-girl, who wants to buy affection via her money, sex appeal, and access to drugs and alcohol, but who routinely dismisses her friends' preferences and needs; Aubrey is the poor-little-poor girl on scholarship, crushing on the glamorous Kate and willing to accept whatever crumbs fall her way; Jenna is the blue-collar striver who turns out to be just as ruthless and manipulative as Kate, but in a more subtle and devious way. Jenna starts out being the most sympathetic of the three, but eventually allows her drive for power to set own moral compass spinning.
None of this adds up to anything more than a mediocre read with Aubrey, in particular, given an inconsistent, unbelievable character arc. The reader looking for something non-taxing to fill a couple of afternoons can find many more satisfying selections without much effort.
