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Träume süss, mein Mädchen
Albträume werden wahr. Dafür bürgt Joy Fielding, deren Roman genauso mit weiblichen Urängsten wie auch intimsten Wünschen spielt. Wer den hochdramatischen Psychothriller gelesen hat, wird sich sicher nie mehr von Fremden ansprechen lassen wollen.
Der Titel könnte einer der zynischen Kommentare von Brad Fisher sein, kurz bevor er seine kräftigen Hände um den Hals der wehrlosen Gracie legt. Er ist der Typus Frauenschwarm: durchtrainiert, langes braunes Haar und ein einstudiertes Lächeln, das ihm schon viele Barbekanntschaften einbrachte. Was die Frauen nicht ahnen können und erst erkennen, wenn es zu spät ist: Hinter der freundlichen Fassade versteckt sich ein cholerischer, gewalttätiger Psychopath, der die Kränkung, von Frau und Kind verlassen worden zu sein, nicht verwunden hat.
Jamie, 29 Jahre, Single, die sich mit einem verheirateten Mann ablenkt, ist eine leichte Beute für Fisher. Er überredet sie zu einem Trip von Florida nach Ohio, dorthin, wo er seine Familie vermutet. Die vorgeblich romantische Reise wird schnell zur gefährlichen Achterbahnfahrt, die völlig außer Kontrolle gerät ....
Der Titel könnte einer der zynischen Kommentare von Brad Fisher sein, kurz bevor er seine kräftigen Hände um den Hals der wehrlosen Gracie legt. Er ist der Typus Frauenschwarm: durchtrainiert, langes braunes Haar und ein einstudiertes Lächeln, das ihm schon viele Barbekanntschaften einbrachte. Was die Frauen nicht ahnen können und erst erkennen, wenn es zu spät ist: Hinter der freundlichen Fassade versteckt sich ein cholerischer, gewalttätiger Psychopath, der die Kränkung, von Frau und Kind verlassen worden zu sein, nicht verwunden hat.
Jamie, 29 Jahre, Single, die sich mit einem verheirateten Mann ablenkt, ist eine leichte Beute für Fisher. Er überredet sie zu einem Trip von Florida nach Ohio, dorthin, wo er seine Familie vermutet. Die vorgeblich romantische Reise wird schnell zur gefährlichen Achterbahnfahrt, die völlig außer Kontrolle gerät ....
418 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
67 people are currently reading
1781 people want to read
About the author
Joy Fielding
121 books2,186 followersJoy Fielding (née Tepperman; born March 18, 1945) is a Canadian novelist and actress. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.
At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.
Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."
Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.
At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.
Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."
Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
June 12, 2012
The women in this story were so mind-numbingly stupid that it was almost insulting. And because of their stupidity, I found myself actively rooting against them.
May 9, 2011
'Joy Fielding plays with primal fears and most intimate wishes of women'reads the description of my german goodreads version of this book.
What the f***?!
I don't know, perhaps it's just me, but do you wish to be raped? There is this scene in this book where character A is raped by character B (her boyfriend). B tells A:"I read in a magazine, that women secretly wish to be raped". A weeps a bit and thinks;"he may be true, I once thought it could be romantic." That was the point were I thought I will never identify with the female characters in this book.
First there is Jamie. She never had much luck in her life with men, during a I-drown-my-sorrow-in-alcohol-session she meets the man of her life. A mysterious, gourgeous, weatlhy and caring stranger. He gives her all the attention she needds and she falls head over heels for him in a couple of hours.
First two problems arrive here. It is still bearable that Jamie seems to be naive and of a very low self esteem, that she craves for attention like a Junkie for the next shot. Even though she is the character the (female) reader should identify/ show sympathy with I couldn't stop that creepy goosebumbs. Not because of the story itself. More because the first half of the book reminds me more of 'Twilight' than a Thriller.
Honestly spoken until the last 70 pages you get to know a lot of the way star-crossed women handle their life (get to know Lily and Emma) until the 'thriller' aspect of the book unfolds (as the plot goes on the last 10 pages).
Undenieable Fielding has quite a talent of deliviering important background information and letting destiny play in an authentic way but it happens too slow for my taste and I just can't forgive her for that shit rape statement (seriously how must somebody feel who actually have been raped?!). My intimate wishes look different, perhaps because I have quite more healthy self esteem. I wish I could smack that into the current YA scene.
What the f***?!
I don't know, perhaps it's just me, but do you wish to be raped? There is this scene in this book where character A is raped by character B (her boyfriend). B tells A:"I read in a magazine, that women secretly wish to be raped". A weeps a bit and thinks;"he may be true, I once thought it could be romantic." That was the point were I thought I will never identify with the female characters in this book.
First there is Jamie. She never had much luck in her life with men, during a I-drown-my-sorrow-in-alcohol-session she meets the man of her life. A mysterious, gourgeous, weatlhy and caring stranger. He gives her all the attention she needds and she falls head over heels for him in a couple of hours.
First two problems arrive here. It is still bearable that Jamie seems to be naive and of a very low self esteem, that she craves for attention like a Junkie for the next shot. Even though she is the character the (female) reader should identify/ show sympathy with I couldn't stop that creepy goosebumbs. Not because of the story itself. More because the first half of the book reminds me more of 'Twilight' than a Thriller.
Honestly spoken until the last 70 pages you get to know a lot of the way star-crossed women handle their life (get to know Lily and Emma) until the 'thriller' aspect of the book unfolds (as the plot goes on the last 10 pages).
Undenieable Fielding has quite a talent of deliviering important background information and letting destiny play in an authentic way but it happens too slow for my taste and I just can't forgive her for that shit rape statement (seriously how must somebody feel who actually have been raped?!). My intimate wishes look different, perhaps because I have quite more healthy self esteem. I wish I could smack that into the current YA scene.
June 4, 2007
This book is one of those that scares you so bad. You have a hard time sleeping at night or when driving home or are home alone think someone may be watching you and following you.
We've all had crazy boyfriends however, this book shows the ipidimy of a crazy boyfriend/lunatic that I'm so glad I've never had the experience to know!
We've all had crazy boyfriends however, this book shows the ipidimy of a crazy boyfriend/lunatic that I'm so glad I've never had the experience to know!
May 12, 2024
Jamie fällt "gekonnt" auf einen Psychopathen herein: unglaublich wie er sie um den Finger wickelt und manipuliert. Bis zum vorletzten Kapitel ist man auf der falschen Fährte bis sich dann alles auflöst. Sehr spannend und klare Leseempfehlung!
September 8, 2008
Felt contrived, and not even in an acceptable way.
What parent would put their five year old to bed watching "Friends?"
What parent would put their five year old to bed watching "Friends?"
March 25, 2024
Un thriller sencillo, de los que se leen solos, sin demasiada complejidad y un pequeño giro al final.
Aunque me hubiera gustado conocer algo más a los personajes y no sólo a Jaimie.
Aunque me hubiera gustado conocer algo más a los personajes y no sólo a Jaimie.
May 21, 2022
Der Titel hatte mich einfach gepackt. Leider waren die ersten 200 Seiten sehr langatmig. Muss gestehen, es wäre eines der wenigen Bücher gewesen, dass ich nicht fertig lesen wollte.
Das Ende hat sich jedoch den 2ten Stern verdient!
Das Ende hat sich jedoch den 2ten Stern verdient!
August 29, 2015
As with all the Joy Fielding books I've read, this one hooked me right away and kept me reading when I meant to be doing other things (like getting to my office on time or getting enough sleep). The story follows Jamie, who meets a new man after discovering her lover is married, and Emma, who has moved many times with her young son, often changing names, though we don't know for certain why. Jamie already has low self-esteem, and she quickly lets the new man -- Brad -- take over her life. He persuades her to hand over her car keys and join him on a cross-country trip to wherever the wind takes them, except that he has a very specific agenda. Brad presents an interesting portrait of an abuser -- extremely charming in the beginning and gradually throwing Jamie off balance, knowing just what to say and do to keep her enthralled. The more the situation deteriorated, though, the harder I found it to understand why Jamie stayed with him. Both Jamie and Emma wallowed a lot in how bad various things in their life had been. While that did set the stage for their choices in the book, I found myself getting impatient with them, which made it harder to empathize and care what happened to them. Easier to empathize with was Lily, a neighbor of Emma's, who tries to understand Emma's oddities while keeping secrets of her own.
Overall, even a Joy Fielding book I don't like as much as her usual is still a great book. Not only was there plenty of suspense, the sub-plots and character storylines raised interesting questions about relationships, self-image, and why we do what we do without slowing the action in the least.
Overall, even a Joy Fielding book I don't like as much as her usual is still a great book. Not only was there plenty of suspense, the sub-plots and character storylines raised interesting questions about relationships, self-image, and why we do what we do without slowing the action in the least.
January 11, 2009
A great mystery with sexual overtones...
Held my interest from P. 1....
Held my interest from P. 1....
February 23, 2018
I love nothing more than picking up a Joy Fielding novel and getting pulled into her story, unable to put it down...this one, however, fell short of the mark for me. I’ve given it 3 stars- it was good in the sense that her stories flow, and there is enough suspense to keep reading to the end. I think most bothersome were the characters- rather weak, insecure, and making some really bad decisions. As a reader, we also do not really get to know them- what brought them to where they are now? Unfortunately, this wasn’t Fielding’s best book.
September 30, 2022
Very much enjoyed this! I’ve read a few of her books in the past. This one was by far my favorite. Twist at the end is great.
January 18, 2009
This is a murder mystery. I stopped reading it because the characters did not seem believable. The two women characters seemed quite stupid.
May 26, 2011
Her female characters are so weak.
July 28, 2024
Träume süß, mein Mädchen ist ein weiteres Buch von #joyfielding welches in mein Bücherregal gefunden hat. In dem Buch geht es um 3 Frauen, da wäre zum einen die mysteriöse Emma welche ihr Leben in Lügen gemeinsam mit ihrem Sohn lebt. Dann wäre da noch ihre Nachbarin und erste Freundin nach langer Zeit, Lily, ebenfalls mit ihrem Sohn. Und zum Schluss gibt es noch Jamie, eine blauäugige, optimistische verliebte junge Frau welche endlich ihr Glück in ihrem neuen Liebhaber Brad gefunden hat, so denkt sie zumindest. Aber Brad ist nicht der feine Kerl, der er vorgibt zu sein, eher das ganze Gegenteil davon. Trotz ihrer Naivität wird dies auch Jamie irgendwann bewusst aber da ist es bereits zu spät. Seite für Seite nähern sich die Geschichten der drei Frauen, bis sie kollidieren und das Chaos losbricht. Denn wer hätte es gedacht, die drei Frauen verbindet etwas. Als es hart auf hart kommt halten sie zusammen, lichten ihre Geheimnisse und kämpfen für ihr Glück, ihre Kinder, ums nackte Überleben. ( #Frauenpower und so)
Es war wirklich spannend zu verfolgen wie sich die Geschichten der Frauen ineinander verstrickten, bis sie endlich aufeinander trafen. Und obwohl ich von Emma und Jamie nicht wirklich angetan war, so hat es mich dennoch gefreut das sie überlebt haben und nun ihr Leben neu gestalten können, das Leben das sie verdient haben zu leben. Mit ihren Andeutungen hat Joy Fielding es wieder einmal geschafft, dass bis zum Schluss immer noch vieles ungeklärt für mich war, was das Lesen natürlich spannender gestalten hat. Die Wendungen des Buches waren solide und ergaben Sinn, haben mich aber nicht vom Hocker gehauen. Dennoch bin ich mit dem Buch zufrieden und freue mich es gelesen zu haben.
Es war wirklich spannend zu verfolgen wie sich die Geschichten der Frauen ineinander verstrickten, bis sie endlich aufeinander trafen. Und obwohl ich von Emma und Jamie nicht wirklich angetan war, so hat es mich dennoch gefreut das sie überlebt haben und nun ihr Leben neu gestalten können, das Leben das sie verdient haben zu leben. Mit ihren Andeutungen hat Joy Fielding es wieder einmal geschafft, dass bis zum Schluss immer noch vieles ungeklärt für mich war, was das Lesen natürlich spannender gestalten hat. Die Wendungen des Buches waren solide und ergaben Sinn, haben mich aber nicht vom Hocker gehauen. Dennoch bin ich mit dem Buch zufrieden und freue mich es gelesen zu haben.
October 22, 2021
3.5 stars. The plot was good in that it kept me reading until the mystery was solved. However, I was quite distracted by my irritation for the characters’ poor choices which was unfair since I knew the back story. I ended up having no one to cheer for though. The ending was satisfying and it was a good holiday read.
January 1, 2020
Scared the $&%\ out of me. What does it say about women to be cast in such a way? In the midst of #MeToo it’s an important reminder of female insecurity and fairy tale princes. The ending was a bit too abrupt and unbelievable based upon the narrative arc presented to the reader.
April 2, 2019
Oh my goodness yet another unexpected treasure. I love this book more the first Joy Fielding book I read. Excellent read, kept me entertained. Well written. Definitely recommend.
July 3, 2022
Das Buch war so grausig, dass ich nichtmal motiviert bin, eine Rezension zu schreiben.
January 21, 2023
Leider etwas langatmig für meinen Geschmack, aber gute Story.
May 20, 2023
This was a well written book, but I didn’t enjoy the characters and story itself for me was more of a murder novel than a physiological thriller. The characters seemed weak and there was not a lot of friendship or storylines to give enough drama.
January 6, 2024
Scary but good
June 10, 2010
Oh how I love Joy Fielding!! This book was soooo so good. I'm a relatively new fan of hers and am so excited to have discovered her. I first read Whispers and Lies (which I absolutely LOVED!), then Don't Cry Now, and just finished Mad River Road. Luckily there are many many more to be read; a friend highly recommends See Jane Run, so I look forward to getting my hands on that one asap. :)
I won't give a summary of the plot of Mad River Road beyond what you can find here or on the back of the book, because it's sometimes nice to start reading with minimal information and just enjoy the ride. Some people may consider Ms. Fielding's novels to be pure entertainment value, but I happen to think she is a brilliant! Not only are her novels thrilling, fast-paced, and suspenseful, they are full of wit and wisdom and well-rounded characters, and there's usually a nice little twist at the end that you never saw coming. I highly recommend her!
I won't give a summary of the plot of Mad River Road beyond what you can find here or on the back of the book, because it's sometimes nice to start reading with minimal information and just enjoy the ride. Some people may consider Ms. Fielding's novels to be pure entertainment value, but I happen to think she is a brilliant! Not only are her novels thrilling, fast-paced, and suspenseful, they are full of wit and wisdom and well-rounded characters, and there's usually a nice little twist at the end that you never saw coming. I highly recommend her!
October 22, 2012
Joy Fielding takes you across the country to Mad River Road, a journey that no one would want to actually take. I found Jamie to be a bit unbelieveable ... here she was, well educated, yet she fell for a stranger at the drop of a hat, and she succumbed to his moods with such a niave neediness. Ralph, on the other hand, was a great portrayal of what a psychotic individual could be - Prince Charming one minute - the abuser the next - smooth talking liar eliciting sympathy to the weaker, needier person in the relationship. He was true evil personified.
And then, there were the women on Mad River Road, the little community of misfits, just trying to make do in life. Emma, who had closed off her life, with her big secrets, so large she moved around a lot, and told lies about where she had been and what she had done in her life. And Lily, the widow, who had had the perfect marriage. Both women had a little boy ... either woman could have been the one Ralph was driving to Mad River Road to see, and kill.
In the end, the pages kept turning so that I could see if Jamie actually ever developed the guts to stand up to Ralph, and to see how Ralph would be stopped. The ending was definitely a surprise ... but I did have my suspicions.
Mad River Road is worth the read if you love a good mystery to curl up with on a rainy day.
And then, there were the women on Mad River Road, the little community of misfits, just trying to make do in life. Emma, who had closed off her life, with her big secrets, so large she moved around a lot, and told lies about where she had been and what she had done in her life. And Lily, the widow, who had had the perfect marriage. Both women had a little boy ... either woman could have been the one Ralph was driving to Mad River Road to see, and kill.
In the end, the pages kept turning so that I could see if Jamie actually ever developed the guts to stand up to Ralph, and to see how Ralph would be stopped. The ending was definitely a surprise ... but I did have my suspicions.
Mad River Road is worth the read if you love a good mystery to curl up with on a rainy day.
July 24, 2016
When I glanced at the cover of this dusty old paperback that I had found while cleaning, I thought it was going to be just another garbage dime-a-dozen thriller.
And maybe I haven't read that many thrillers, but I believe I was wrong. What's that age old adage about not judging a book and...(I've already lost half my readership to boredom)? Mad River Road is a story about liars, deeply troubled people trying to escape their pasts, nothing unusual there, but at its center it's about a whirlwind fantasy romance that slowly deteriorates into a dangerous abusive relationship. It's like watching a real life horror story unfold, hurtling towards the end, and as I was reading I couldn't help but wonder if the author was speaking from experience, with how authentic the portrayal of the relationship felt.
However, for the length of time that we get to spend hating the bad guy, the climax was too short, disproportionate to the length of time spent building up to it. Unsatisfying. I would've appreciated a longer epilogue, a little more time to bask in the character development we were finally given.
The characters and prose are nothing to talk about, but all in all it's absorbing reading for a couple hours. I don't regret picking it up.
And maybe I haven't read that many thrillers, but I believe I was wrong. What's that age old adage about not judging a book and...(I've already lost half my readership to boredom)? Mad River Road is a story about liars, deeply troubled people trying to escape their pasts, nothing unusual there, but at its center it's about a whirlwind fantasy romance that slowly deteriorates into a dangerous abusive relationship. It's like watching a real life horror story unfold, hurtling towards the end, and as I was reading I couldn't help but wonder if the author was speaking from experience, with how authentic the portrayal of the relationship felt.
However, for the length of time that we get to spend hating the bad guy, the climax was too short, disproportionate to the length of time spent building up to it. Unsatisfying. I would've appreciated a longer epilogue, a little more time to bask in the character development we were finally given.
The characters and prose are nothing to talk about, but all in all it's absorbing reading for a couple hours. I don't regret picking it up.
March 17, 2021
An sich ganz gut geschrieben und man langweilt sich nicht.
Allerdings finde ich Brad und Jamies "Reise" etwas zu lange und dafür das Ende zu knapp gehalten.
Es wurde innerhalb weniger Seiten alles aufgelöst und wirkte dadurch gezwungen.
Ebenfalls hätte man noch besser beschreiben können, wie es Jamie geht, was sie durch macht und nicht immer so nebenbei, dass sie blaue Flecken hat.
Die Aussagen wie "Jamie-Girl" oder "das gute Gracie-Girl" machten die Atmosphäre unangenhem und brachten sehr gut Brads Psychoseite rüber.
Der Wechsel zwischen den Kapiteln war sehr interessant und auch der Plottwist am Ende, als man erst versteht, dass Lilly Beth ist und nicht Emma.
Das Lilly und Michael eigentlich anders heißen fand ich etwas an den Haaren herbeigezogen, aber nicht störend.
Alles in Allem war es nett zu lesen, aber man hätte es spannender gestalten können :)
Allerdings finde ich Brad und Jamies "Reise" etwas zu lange und dafür das Ende zu knapp gehalten.
Es wurde innerhalb weniger Seiten alles aufgelöst und wirkte dadurch gezwungen.
Ebenfalls hätte man noch besser beschreiben können, wie es Jamie geht, was sie durch macht und nicht immer so nebenbei, dass sie blaue Flecken hat.
Die Aussagen wie "Jamie-Girl" oder "das gute Gracie-Girl" machten die Atmosphäre unangenhem und brachten sehr gut Brads Psychoseite rüber.
Der Wechsel zwischen den Kapiteln war sehr interessant und auch der Plottwist am Ende, als man erst versteht, dass Lilly Beth ist und nicht Emma.
Das Lilly und Michael eigentlich anders heißen fand ich etwas an den Haaren herbeigezogen, aber nicht störend.
Alles in Allem war es nett zu lesen, aber man hätte es spannender gestalten können :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2009
Just started book. Already have a tstl woman whose whining is annoying. We'll see.
Finished book. Kind of interesting. Really sadistic sociopath - gave me the creeps. Charms the women beyond words, at first. Draws them in and then makes it hard for them to get away. Author did a good job of painting him, even though he made me very uncomfortable. Female characters were good. Lead character Jaime started out weak and whiney (had conversations in her head with her dead mother and living, but judgmental sister). Other characters also had "mind conversations." A little weird, but I guess we all do that in real life. The most annoying innocent character turned out to be the kid "Dylan." He was portrayed as a normal young kid, but he got on my nerves.
Finished book. Kind of interesting. Really sadistic sociopath - gave me the creeps. Charms the women beyond words, at first. Draws them in and then makes it hard for them to get away. Author did a good job of painting him, even though he made me very uncomfortable. Female characters were good. Lead character Jaime started out weak and whiney (had conversations in her head with her dead mother and living, but judgmental sister). Other characters also had "mind conversations." A little weird, but I guess we all do that in real life. The most annoying innocent character turned out to be the kid "Dylan." He was portrayed as a normal young kid, but he got on my nerves.
January 25, 2022
Not a terrible book. I did find it suspenseful and was eager to get to the ending. However, pretty heavy handed in the sexual assault category and the statements from (admittedly) the bad guy are archaic, such as the assertion all women secretly want to be raped. With the shallow nature of the female characters, the insistence upon describing women's weight down to needing to lose five pounds (she describes the weight and bodies of every women to a degree that is silly, like the female police officer weighing 20 lbs more than the person she is talking to for absolutely no plot driving reason at all) and the clumsy handling of the sexual assault, I would have guessed this was written in the 70s or 80s rather than 2006. Not recommended.
June 12, 2021
I gave this 2 stars because the storyline did keep my intrigued and I wanted to know how it ended. However, the characters were so bland and two-dimensional that it kind of ruined the whole book for me. The women were all carbon copies of each other and most of the time I couldn’t remember if something happened to Jamie, Lily or Emma - they were all so hard to differentiate. Also the way Emma’s backstory was explained at the end was too forced, like Fielding couldn’t find a way to fit it into the story naturally and had to tie up the loose ends on the last pages. Lastly, the plot twist was extremely predictable, I knew what was going to happen almost immediately.
September 30, 2013
The suspense of this novel was great, and I totally didn't see the ending coming, although I'm not really great with mystery novels so that's not saying much. However, I found a few places within the plot of the story disturbing and hard to read. I also felt like that Brad was too stereotypical...for all the suspense and the twist at the end in hindsight I wish there had been more to him than just the stereotypical characteristics of his type of character. (Can you tell I'm trying not to give anything away?)
August 25, 2014
I think I found the right words to describe this book: spell binding. I loved it. It even got to the point of being scared to turn the page to see what happens! The characters were so real and even though the character Jamie was much younger than me, and "Emma" and "Lily" were trying to hide from their estranged husbands and assuming new identities, it was so easy to relate to them. There was never a break in the action and it never got boring. I love this author!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews