I wasn't drawn to this book by the cover (too dark for my liking). it was the title that caught my attention- I could already tell that the book would be full of mystery.
I have to admit; I didn't really like the opening to the story. It was quite boring, and far too long was spent on establishing the fact that Severine is dead (which we already know from reading the blurb). The long dialogue between Tom and Kate wasn't very interesting because I didn't know enough about either character (despite the little unnecessary details that the autor kept throwing in). I didn't have a reason to care about them. In this case, the opening would have been much better if the 'show don't tell' rule was followed; some real action was desperately needed.
However, as it went on, I became more and more interested in 'The French Girl'. The relationships between the characters became so much more interesting through the appearance of Caro and the conflict that arose as a result. I became aware of an increasing sense of impending doom, and for this reason, I would like to read the rest of the book to see what happens when all the secrets come out.
I'd also like to read on simply because I ended up quite liking the characters. The protagonist (Kate) was decent (although we know nothing about her backstory compared to how much we know about the other characters'). At times, though, she seems a bit like...well, a character. With none of the strugglles and complexities of a real person.
Similarly, the way that Severine's described makes her seem very one-dimensional. The author tries so hard to create sense of mystery about her, but she just ends up being a horrible cliche- beautiful, cold, quiet, and utterly unbelievable.
The last complaint I have is that the prose was a little too flowery at times. Often fancy words are used for absolutely no reason. For example, Kate's flashback to the ball-crashing at Oxford could have been described in much less words. I found myself thinking, "Just get on with it, would you!"
To be fair, there were some really well-written/quotable bits in the book. But, in my opinion, the best ones were the simplest.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible book and I'd be glad to give it a chance. That being said, it wasn't outstanding either- I don't really feel a desperate need to find out more, as everything about it felt very contrived.
I have to admit; I didn't really like the opening to the story. It was quite boring, and far too long was spent on establishing the fact that Severine is dead (which we already know from reading the blurb). The long dialogue between Tom and Kate wasn't very interesting because I didn't know enough about either character (despite the little unnecessary details that the autor kept throwing in). I didn't have a reason to care about them. In this case, the opening would have been much better if the 'show don't tell' rule was followed; some real action was desperately needed.
However, as it went on, I became more and more interested in 'The French Girl'. The relationships between the characters became so much more interesting through the appearance of Caro and the conflict that arose as a result. I became aware of an increasing sense of impending doom, and for this reason, I would like to read the rest of the book to see what happens when all the secrets come out.
I'd also like to read on simply because I ended up quite liking the characters. The protagonist (Kate) was decent (although we know nothing about her backstory compared to how much we know about the other characters'). At times, though, she seems a bit like...well, a character. With none of the strugglles and complexities of a real person.
Similarly, the way that Severine's described makes her seem very one-dimensional. The author tries so hard to create sense of mystery about her, but she just ends up being a horrible cliche- beautiful, cold, quiet, and utterly unbelievable.
The last complaint I have is that the prose was a little too flowery at times. Often fancy words are used for absolutely no reason. For example, Kate's flashback to the ball-crashing at Oxford could have been described in much less words. I found myself thinking, "Just get on with it, would you!"
To be fair, there were some really well-written/quotable bits in the book. But, in my opinion, the best ones were the simplest.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible book and I'd be glad to give it a chance. That being said, it wasn't outstanding either- I don't really feel a desperate need to find out more, as everything about it felt very contrived.