Vesuvius At Home 2008-11-23

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

It seems like most of the complaints people have about this book revolve around one of the mysteries not being solved. Trust me--French did it that way on purpose, not because she 'couldn't think of anything', and it is brilliant. What you imagine from the terribly creepy, disturbing details you DO have surrounding the event is far more terrible than anything French could have handed to you in a nicely wrapped package. Furthermore, French prepares you-- she hints to the reader that the mystery is not going to be resolved. I wasn't expecting it to be. What I have formulated in my imagination is so much more terrifying and creepy than any 'logical explanation' might be.

I loved this novel. It was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. (Some of my other favorites are Time Traveler's Wife, The Crimson Petal and the White, The Road, Fall on Your Knees, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. If you liked those, I think you'll like In The Woods). The book creeped me out, made me jumpy and haunted me for days. It was such a delicious, fun scare. The ending was maybe not a fairy tale sort, but it was well done and satisfying.

If you need everything spelled out for you, if you need to be spoon fed, then you might not like the book. If you like to do a little thinking and use your imagination, I think you'll love this incredibly well written, deeply haunting, delicious good read!

Raccoon Face 2008-11-18

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I read this book about a year and a half ago and I keeping having little flashbacks to it--like sometimes fragments of a dream pop into your mind--that make me wish I was still in the middle of reading this book. I'm surprised by the reviews that describe the book as too wordy or tedious, as I have little patience for that style, and I really couldn't put this book down. Since then, I've been surprised every time I notice the mere 3-1/2 star rating on Amazon. When I took the time to think about it, I wondered if it was because of the lack of resolution of one of the plot threads. Sure enough...
While it's not a perfect book, I'm finding it a bit pathetic how many people are giving low reviews based on the unresolved ending. I was frustrated too, but the book is more than its ending. I loved the atmosphere of mystery created by not just the latest crimes, but built on layers of local mythology and archaeology. I will definitely be reading the next book, The Likeness.

B. Turner 2008-11-17

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I picked this book up on a whim, started reading, and couldn't put it down. I was absolutely enthralled for the first 99% of the book. I stayed up way past my normal bedtime to finish it and when I did, I thought maybe my book was missing a few pages.

This could have easily been the best book I've read all year, except there was no fulfillment at the end, just frustration,

I'm surprised how many people who reviewed this book are planning to purchase French's next book. I feel like she still owes me the remainder of the first one.

Randy Cook 2008-11-12

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Tana French's debut novel, 'In The Woods' left me with more questions than solved mysteries.

The book follows detective Adam Ryan as he works on a child murder case. The murder takes place in the childhood home town of detective Ryan. We also find out that Ryan's past is an unsolved mystery which seems to be connected to the current case.

As with some mysteries, the center portion of the book drags a bit. We get a lot of investigation and dead end leads. The way the suspect is found was abrupt. I liked the tie-in and motivation of the killer, but the ending left me longing for more closure.

We had a murderer who gets convicted, but the victim does not get full justice. Also, the long unsolved mystery that helps move the story along ends up a bust in the plot.

Jessica 2008-11-11

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

This book starts with three children going into a woods by their little community in Ireland. They go missing and when the search party goes after them they only find one child, gripping a tree for his life and his shoes full of blood. No sign of the other children is found.

Flash forward twenty years, and the surviving boy, Adam Robert Ryan, is using his middle name and working as a detective. In the same community that he grew up in, a twelve year old girl is found murdered. Robert and his partner Cassie are then supposed to discover the killer and there is a thought that this case and the one twenty years ago could be connected.

I was not thrilled with the writing style. There were times that it dragged, too much detail, and too much whining from Robert. The relationship with Cassie was great until he sleeps with her, then he has to get very weird about it.

I will say the mystery of who killed the twelve year old girl was good. But, the idea of what happened to Robert when he was a child, used to draw people to buy the book in the first place, gets left on the back burner and never solved. What was the point of having that in the story if nothing was even going to be done with it? That fact just made the book a huge let down.