Helpful Score: 3
This is an awesome read and highly recommended for anyone who loves a good, tangled mystery! Ruth Ware has written a beautiful novel that shares the lives of 4 friends and their dark and troubled past. I can't wait to get into another Ruth Ware novel!
Helpful Score: 2
I've read several Ruth Ware books and this is by far, the best. Story of four female students at boarding school who play the ultimate Lying Game. When they are expelled from school, they go their separate ways but stay in touch. Seventeen years later, when one of them texts, "I need you" they all drop what they're doing and rush back to the quaint coastal town near former boarding school. The tension builds (no spoiler) and eventually we learn that things aren't as they seemed 17 years prior.
Very well written, a real page turner!
Favorite line: My heart lurches in my chest, and the memories come unbidden, beating at the inside of my head with feathered wings.
Very well written, a real page turner!
Favorite line: My heart lurches in my chest, and the memories come unbidden, beating at the inside of my head with feathered wings.
The plot is good. The story is good. The estrogen level was just too high for me. I'm beginning to understand why there aren't many men in book clubs. :o|
I liked In a dark dark wood so of course you're going to give her another chance---won't do that again
So long, draggy, slow, slow, slow, first 100 pages and it wasn't even interesting yet
Another book that goes from present to past over and over, gets so tiresome
Overlong boring descriptions that aren't necessary and don't care about, got to the point I kept thinking 'get to the point' over and over
I don't think Ware will make it to my 'must have' list
So long, draggy, slow, slow, slow, first 100 pages and it wasn't even interesting yet
Another book that goes from present to past over and over, gets so tiresome
Overlong boring descriptions that aren't necessary and don't care about, got to the point I kept thinking 'get to the point' over and over
I don't think Ware will make it to my 'must have' list
I thought this was a great read and I loved how the story was told.
This was a great storyline but enough with the dang baby Freya!
It seemed that the story revolved around that baby and it was very distracting to keep hearing about her breast feeding instead of the other characters.
It didn't have the I have to keep reading quality that the other books of hers had.
It seemed that the story revolved around that baby and it was very distracting to keep hearing about her breast feeding instead of the other characters.
It didn't have the I have to keep reading quality that the other books of hers had.
Melodramatic storytelling in an overwrought writing style. Not recommended unless you can lose yourself easily in lousy novels.
Another very good psychological suspense novel from Ware. I recently read Ware's latest novel, THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY and consider it a really great novel in the vein of Daphne Du Maurier. I have also read and enjoyed IN A DARK, DARK WOOD and THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10. This one falls kind of in the middle of the pack, not quite as good a WESTAWAY.
The novel is about four women who were friends back during their school days at a boarding school at Salten near the cliffs of the English Channel. One of the girls, Kate, lived in an old mill close to there with her father who taught art at the school and her step brother, Luc. One morning 15 years later the three friends -- Fatima, Thea, and Isa -- receive a text from Kate telling them that she needs them. The three women drop everything and travel to the old mill at Salten to find that a body has been discovered in the Reach by the sea near the mill. So why is this important to the women? Turns out that the women have been keeping a secret for years about a sinister event that resulted in them being expelled from school and about what happened to Kate's father. The novel has several twists and turns that keeps you guessing up to the end and overall, another enjoyable read from Ware. I'll be looking forward to her next novel.
The novel is about four women who were friends back during their school days at a boarding school at Salten near the cliffs of the English Channel. One of the girls, Kate, lived in an old mill close to there with her father who taught art at the school and her step brother, Luc. One morning 15 years later the three friends -- Fatima, Thea, and Isa -- receive a text from Kate telling them that she needs them. The three women drop everything and travel to the old mill at Salten to find that a body has been discovered in the Reach by the sea near the mill. So why is this important to the women? Turns out that the women have been keeping a secret for years about a sinister event that resulted in them being expelled from school and about what happened to Kate's father. The novel has several twists and turns that keeps you guessing up to the end and overall, another enjoyable read from Ware. I'll be looking forward to her next novel.
I enjoyed Ms Ware's previous books, but this one did nothing for me. It was slow and boring and I just didn't like the characters. I quit reading it on page 100.
Isa, Kate, Fatima, and Thea were the best of friends for a year in boarding school. Thick as thieves, they kept to themselves at Salten House, bonded by a game they invented (The Lying Game), where they came up with increasingly higher stakes lies for a series of points and boasting rights. The girls spent much of their time at The Mill House, Kate's childhood home--a quick walk across the marsh from their boarding school and home to Kate's father, Ambrose, and stepbrother, Luc. But all that changes when Ambrose, an art teacher at Salten, dies; a scandal is uncovered; and the girls are expelled. Years pass without the four women seeing each other, until they receive a text from Kate: I need you. Isa--with her baby daughter in tow, Fatima, and Thea return to The Mill House, where Kate still lives, to help their friend. But what exactly happened all those years ago? And are the women still playing The Lying Game?
So I probably enjoyed this novel more than I should have, considering it's rather predictable. There are so few characters in the book as a whole, it seems, for the ending to be that grand of a surprise. It's also a slow-moving mystery where much of the drama could be avoided if the characters would just talk to each other or tell the truth - ever. The main character, Isa, puts her baby in danger far more often than a reasonable parent would, and for what? Even worse, while Isa is a fairly well-developed main character, her three best friends seem to be more of cliches or stereotypes than fleshed out characters.
Still, Ware has had this hold on me on each of her two previous novels--and she did it again here. The book is just oddly readable, and I found myself drawn to it, despite its flaws, so I have to give that to her. I read it rather quickly, despite being swamped at work, and found myself sneaking away to finish it on my lunch break. It's very descriptive, just like her first two books, and you can easily picture the eerie setting. Even if you're not fully invested in what's happening or you're pretty sure what's going to happen, or who was involved, there's just something compelling that makes you keep reading. The novel is told from Isa's point of view, unfolding in the present, but flashing back to her memories of the past. It's a rather effective technique, as we only figure out plot pieces as she does and can discern bits and pieces of the story through Isa's perspective alone.
Overall, I'd hoped for a bit more, and I probably enjoyed Ware's first two novels as a cohesive whole more than this one. But I won't deny that I found this book intriguing and that it kept me reading. There's certainly a lot in the novel that requires you to suspend some elements of disbelief. Still, I'll definitely continue to read anything Ware writes--she just has a fascinating style.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
So I probably enjoyed this novel more than I should have, considering it's rather predictable. There are so few characters in the book as a whole, it seems, for the ending to be that grand of a surprise. It's also a slow-moving mystery where much of the drama could be avoided if the characters would just talk to each other or tell the truth - ever. The main character, Isa, puts her baby in danger far more often than a reasonable parent would, and for what? Even worse, while Isa is a fairly well-developed main character, her three best friends seem to be more of cliches or stereotypes than fleshed out characters.
Still, Ware has had this hold on me on each of her two previous novels--and she did it again here. The book is just oddly readable, and I found myself drawn to it, despite its flaws, so I have to give that to her. I read it rather quickly, despite being swamped at work, and found myself sneaking away to finish it on my lunch break. It's very descriptive, just like her first two books, and you can easily picture the eerie setting. Even if you're not fully invested in what's happening or you're pretty sure what's going to happen, or who was involved, there's just something compelling that makes you keep reading. The novel is told from Isa's point of view, unfolding in the present, but flashing back to her memories of the past. It's a rather effective technique, as we only figure out plot pieces as she does and can discern bits and pieces of the story through Isa's perspective alone.
Overall, I'd hoped for a bit more, and I probably enjoyed Ware's first two novels as a cohesive whole more than this one. But I won't deny that I found this book intriguing and that it kept me reading. There's certainly a lot in the novel that requires you to suspend some elements of disbelief. Still, I'll definitely continue to read anything Ware writes--she just has a fascinating style.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
Book Description:
On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister...
The next morning, three women in and around LondonâFatima, Thea, and Isabelâreceive the text they had always hoped would NEVER come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, âI need you.â
The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty, with varying states of serious and flippant nature that were disturbing enough to ensure that everyone steered clear of them. The myriad and complicated rules of the game are strict: no lying to each otherâever. Bail on the lie when it becomes clear it is about to be found out. But their little game had consequences, and the girls were all expelled in their final year of school under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the school's eccentric art teacher, Ambrose (who also happens to be Kate's father).
Atmospheric, twisty, and with just the right amount of chill that will keep you wrong-footedâwhich has now become Ruth Ware's signature styleâThe Lying Game is sure to be her next big bestseller. Another unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
My Review:
I liked this book better than The Woman in Cabin 10. I think the characters were better developed and the plot was a little more interesting. It was a fast read and held my interest but the ending was a bit predictable. The story was told with flashbacks from the present to the past and showed the power and guilt of telling lies. The setting was described very well and made you feel a part of the story. The pace of the story was a little too slow in the beginning but moved faster with twists and turns towards the ending. I would, however, recommend this book to those who like to read about secrets kept from the past.
On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister...
The next morning, three women in and around LondonâFatima, Thea, and Isabelâreceive the text they had always hoped would NEVER come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, âI need you.â
The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty, with varying states of serious and flippant nature that were disturbing enough to ensure that everyone steered clear of them. The myriad and complicated rules of the game are strict: no lying to each otherâever. Bail on the lie when it becomes clear it is about to be found out. But their little game had consequences, and the girls were all expelled in their final year of school under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the school's eccentric art teacher, Ambrose (who also happens to be Kate's father).
Atmospheric, twisty, and with just the right amount of chill that will keep you wrong-footedâwhich has now become Ruth Ware's signature styleâThe Lying Game is sure to be her next big bestseller. Another unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
My Review:
I liked this book better than The Woman in Cabin 10. I think the characters were better developed and the plot was a little more interesting. It was a fast read and held my interest but the ending was a bit predictable. The story was told with flashbacks from the present to the past and showed the power and guilt of telling lies. The setting was described very well and made you feel a part of the story. The pace of the story was a little too slow in the beginning but moved faster with twists and turns towards the ending. I would, however, recommend this book to those who like to read about secrets kept from the past.
