WARNING: The
following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from
mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike
being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.
If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.
But don't say I didn't warn you.
~~
HELLO, FRIENDS! Today we're going to be talking about We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart!
THE PLOT-Y BIT
The Sinclairs are a rich family. They are a beautiful family. They are a perfect family.
The Sinclairs never grieve. They never break. And they certainly never fight.
Every summer, the head of the family meets his children on their private island, just off the coast of Massachusetts. Every summer, the first born granchildren reunite on the beaches.
They call themselves the Liars.
It's what the Sinclairs do best.
THE REVIEW-Y BIT
This book was a lot different than the books I normally read. It's no secret that I tend to lean towards the light, fluffy, happy romantic comedies.
This book was none of those things.
The narration style is different from what I'm used to, which isn't a bad thing...but isn't exactly a good thing, either. The narrator is seventeen years old, but from the way she narrated I'm not quite sure she sounds like one. That being said, there's something about her extensive use of metaphors and descriptions that makes for a very interesting read.
I think my favourite aspect of this book was Cadence's personal fairy tale retellings. I loved how they allure to her life and sort of gradually build up to the reveal of her accident. They change and get gradually darker in tone as the story progresses, while still remaining consistent in theme and format. It was a unique contribution to the tsory that I thoroughly enjoyed!
Lockhart's use of foreshadowing is top-notch. The shocking twist at the end was completely unexpected, but not completely out of the blue, which is exactly what you want from a book like this. I'm especially impressed that I didn't guess the ending beforehand (I have a bad habit of doing that...).
But for the love of God--couldn't the Liars have thought out their plan a little more? I mean, I know that they were only fifteen, but this is just plain common sense we're talking about, here. Schedule a meet-up time beforehand, or make a signal, or just stick together from the beginning! Really.
But I did enjoy the final air of mystery that the ending left us with: was Cadence seeing ghosts, or was she just hallucinating? Everybody seems to have their own theories about it!
THE STAR-Y BIT
I don't think I've ever struggled with a rating so much. In the end, I settled with a 3.75--a very well written and compelling read, but a little dark for my tastes nd not much reread value, either.
What were your thoughts on this week's read? Let me know in the comments!
Until later,
- Justyne
This book was none of those things.
The narration style is different from what I'm used to, which isn't a bad thing...but isn't exactly a good thing, either. The narrator is seventeen years old, but from the way she narrated I'm not quite sure she sounds like one. That being said, there's something about her extensive use of metaphors and descriptions that makes for a very interesting read.
I think my favourite aspect of this book was Cadence's personal fairy tale retellings. I loved how they allure to her life and sort of gradually build up to the reveal of her accident. They change and get gradually darker in tone as the story progresses, while still remaining consistent in theme and format. It was a unique contribution to the tsory that I thoroughly enjoyed!
Lockhart's use of foreshadowing is top-notch. The shocking twist at the end was completely unexpected, but not completely out of the blue, which is exactly what you want from a book like this. I'm especially impressed that I didn't guess the ending beforehand (I have a bad habit of doing that...).
But for the love of God--couldn't the Liars have thought out their plan a little more? I mean, I know that they were only fifteen, but this is just plain common sense we're talking about, here. Schedule a meet-up time beforehand, or make a signal, or just stick together from the beginning! Really.
But I did enjoy the final air of mystery that the ending left us with: was Cadence seeing ghosts, or was she just hallucinating? Everybody seems to have their own theories about it!
THE STAR-Y BIT
I don't think I've ever struggled with a rating so much. In the end, I settled with a 3.75--a very well written and compelling read, but a little dark for my tastes nd not much reread value, either.
What were your thoughts on this week's read? Let me know in the comments!
Until later,
- Justyne
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