Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed The Stranger Diaries (Harbinder Kaur, Bk 1) on + 1726 more book reviews
This was a good solid story with lots of interesting people, places and situations.
I enjoyed the history of the school and its students, lots of twists, turns and really!-Did that just happen moments.
I enjoyed the history of the school and its students, lots of twists, turns and really!-Did that just happen moments.
Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed The Stranger Diaries (Harbinder Kaur, Bk 1) on + 989 more book reviews
Good story, thought it would be a little creepier than it actually is, but still a good story. Takes a while to get to 'like' some of the characters.
Robin M. (robinmy) -
English teacher Clare Cassidy works at Talgarth High School. In her spare time, she is writing a book about her favorite Gothic writer, R.M. Holland, who happened to own the home which is now part of the school. Every year Clare teaches a course based on this writer, featuring his most famous story "The Stranger". One day Clare learns that her friend and colleague, Ella, has been murdered. Beside her body is a quote from Holland's story. This leads D.S. Harbinder Kaur to question Clare about Ella and the quote from the book.
This is my first book by Elly Griffiths. I know I'm in the minority concerning this story, but I was totally bored with it. The story was told from three points-of-view: Clare, her teenage daughter Georgia, and Harbinder Kaur. Many scenes were repeated, but from a different perspective. The first section was narrated by Clare. She did not seem upset by the death of Ella at all. I kept waiting for a reason, but I didn't learn of one. The pace was very slow, and my mind kept wandering. It did get more interesting when it was Harbinder's POV. It felt more like a police procedural.
There was a lot of filler in this story. We heard about Holland's wife who died in the house and haunts the school. We read about a teacher and some students who were practicing witchcraft. These vignettes led nowhere. I think these additions were just to give the story a gothic feel. My rating: 2 Stars.
This is my first book by Elly Griffiths. I know I'm in the minority concerning this story, but I was totally bored with it. The story was told from three points-of-view: Clare, her teenage daughter Georgia, and Harbinder Kaur. Many scenes were repeated, but from a different perspective. The first section was narrated by Clare. She did not seem upset by the death of Ella at all. I kept waiting for a reason, but I didn't learn of one. The pace was very slow, and my mind kept wandering. It did get more interesting when it was Harbinder's POV. It felt more like a police procedural.
There was a lot of filler in this story. We heard about Holland's wife who died in the house and haunts the school. We read about a teacher and some students who were practicing witchcraft. These vignettes led nowhere. I think these additions were just to give the story a gothic feel. My rating: 2 Stars.
Jeanne G. (IlliniAlum83) -
Being a fan of the Ruth Galloway series, I was looking forward to a standalone novel by Griffiths. The book kept me on edge, wanting to race through the pages and read late into the night to discover 'who done it'.
Loved the connections to English lit....The Tempest, and Woman in White as well as the gothic short story 'The Stranger' by fictional author R. M. Holland who Clare, the main character, is researching in order to write his autobiography and investigate mysteries surrounding his wife and daughter Mariana.
Clare's best friend, fellow English teacher, Ella, who also teaches where Clare's daughter attends high school, becomes the first victim. Relationships within the English Dept staff and administrators become a focus for the police investigation.
"Holland House", where the 'author' and his family had lived, remains an active building for the high school; now housing the school library, a few classrooms, offices and the museum for Holland on the uppermost floor which was his library and writing studio.
Through much of the book I thought I would be giving this novel 5 stars which is rare for me, but the solution to the murders at the end was a bit too obvious as I had guessed it early on while thinking I was wrong about the perpetrator......
Loved the connections to English lit....The Tempest, and Woman in White as well as the gothic short story 'The Stranger' by fictional author R. M. Holland who Clare, the main character, is researching in order to write his autobiography and investigate mysteries surrounding his wife and daughter Mariana.
Clare's best friend, fellow English teacher, Ella, who also teaches where Clare's daughter attends high school, becomes the first victim. Relationships within the English Dept staff and administrators become a focus for the police investigation.
"Holland House", where the 'author' and his family had lived, remains an active building for the high school; now housing the school library, a few classrooms, offices and the museum for Holland on the uppermost floor which was his library and writing studio.
Through much of the book I thought I would be giving this novel 5 stars which is rare for me, but the solution to the murders at the end was a bit too obvious as I had guessed it early on while thinking I was wrong about the perpetrator......
