The Other Typist

by Suzanne Rindell

Genres: Historical Fiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2013

About the author

Upcoming novel:

SUMMER FRIDAYS
***May 28, 2024!!!***

Suzanne Rindell is the author of four previous novels: The Other Typist, which has been translated into 20 languages, Three-Martini Lunch, Eagle & Crane, and The Two Mrs. Carlyles.

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About my reviews/activity on Goodreads: I only rate and review books I *like.* If I'm not into it, I simply don't rate it/review it. So you'll only see four or five stars ratings from me, and maybe a few notes about who I think might best enjoy the book in question.

Reviews

[Taryn Schoenfeld · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️ First ever audiobook, probably not for me. Weird writing, glad that’s over.

[Amy 💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I just read? I’m not sure I understood the ending. I liked it, but I didn’t like it. I’m confused. 3.5⭐️

[MiniMicroPup (X Liscombe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was dense, slow, and pretty meandering at times. It took me some time to settle into the writing style, but once it got going it was fascinating (if sometimes confusing). Good choice if you like character studies with a psychological slant and unreliable women in historical settings. It reminded me a little of The Pretty Ones by Ania Ahlborn.

Energy: Furtive. Judgemental. Duplicitous.

🐕 Howls: Took me awhile to get used to the narrative style, because the MC is speaking to us from the future and at first it felt scattered with lots of tangents, info-dumping, and a juvenile tone. Did I miss something with that ending? I have no idea what was really happening.

🐩 Tail Wags: The hints of something darker lurking beneath the MC’s interpretation of events. The unreliable narrator energy. Once the story progresses, rambling tangents are used to shift scenes or introduce new layers.

Scene: 🇺🇸 Manhattan, NYC, USA
Perspective: Our MC works for the NYPD transcribing police interviews. Moral and an upstanding citizen, she takes her responsibilities very seriously…so how did she end up in the situation she’s in?
Timeline: Linear. 1924-1925. Late autumn.
Narrative: Confidant, being told a story, in-the-dark (first person)
Fuel: Hints of unreliable narrator. Foggy happenings. Exploring what led up to an incident. What happened with the new typist? What is our MC capable of? What is the new typist capable of? What was the ‘incident’?
Cred: Plausible

Mood Reading Match-Up:
Typewriter. Cigars and leather. Brooch. Klaxon horns. Bedtime toddies. Phonograph. Fermented juniper.
• Conversational, pretentious, simplistic writing style
• Self righteous, judgemental, unreliable characters
• Slow burn, stream-of-consciousness storytelling
• “Guilty or innocent” ambiguity
• Possessive, sapphic-coded workplace friendship
• Admiration or obsession
• Betrayal, hypocrisy, and blurred morality
• Psychological historical drama with popcorn thriller undertones
• Fixation, justification, self-delusion
• Prohibition-era secrets, cons, and shifting powers

Content Heads-Up: Abandoned by parents (at orphanage; recall). Alcoholism. Forced gender roles. Loss of spouse (mention). Nicotine (cigarettes, cigars). Potential false accusation. Toxic masculinity.

Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Pale, tanned, freckled, and scarlet skin tones.

📚 Format: Kobo

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶

[hclaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lengths Rose went through to protect Odalie….. ugh. That feeling of intoxication being around a girl who sees something in you and makes you feel special… what a thrill. I’m still left wondering whether what Rose felt for Odalie was infatuation because she was in love with her or fierce camaraderie because she’d been seeking a friend for so long.

[Elise]

Loved it, very captivating and I liked the sense of humor

[Jacqui Molendyke · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrator was super difficult to feel connected to, but I suspect that's due to her character origin. The storyline was interesting but I felt duped along the way with teasing mentions of "the incident" (the first time it was even mentioned wasn't until page 120). It could have been a faster read, I don't feel like the time spent on character development necessarily paid off.

[Carly Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I read and was like “wow, I need to read more”. It was the tipping point from “I read occasionally” to “I read 3 books this weekend”. It was THE book. I’ll forever love this book, and I keep two always. One to loan and then my copy.