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Faye's Revenge #1
The Gilded Cage
All that glitters…
People would kill to have Faye von Essen’s life. She lives in an ultra-swanky apartment in the most exclusive area of Stockholm, she has a gorgeous husband who gives her everything she’s ever wanted, and she has an adorable daughter who lights up her world. Faye’s life is perfect.
So how is it, then, that she now finds herself in a police station?
The truth is that Faye’s life is far from what it seems. The truth is that Faye isn’t even her real name. And now she’s been caught out. There’s no way she’s going to go down without a fight. The only question is – who will escape with their life?
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2019
2698 people are currently reading
34881 people want to read
About the author
Camilla Läckberg
127 books10.2k followersBefore she became one of Sweden’s most popular crime writers, Camilla Läckberg (b. 1974) worked as a marketing director and product manager for several years. Her first two crime novels, Isprinsessan (The Ice Princess) and Predikanten (The Preacher), received rave reviews from the Swedish press and quickly found a large readership. But her big breakthrough came when Stenhuggaren (The Stonecutter) was nominated for The Crime Novel of the Year award in 2005, and also when Olycksfågeln (The Stranger) and Tyskungen (The Hidden Child) were made lead titles in Bonnier’s Book Club.
Camilla’s books have gained even more popularity after being adapted into a TV-series, produced by SVT (Swedish Television).
In April 2017 her tenth book in the Fjällbacka-series, Häxan, was released – claimed to be her best novel so far! In 2019 Camilla received a diamond book for Häxan, since it has sold in over 300 000 copies in Sweden!
And in the spring of 2019 heralds the global launch of The Golden Cage, the first of two dark and suspenseful novels by Camilla Läckberg. After ten internationally bestselling novels and over 26 million copies sold, Läckberg’s next adventure will be a psychological suspense duology.
The Golden Cage was the most sold book in Sweden 2019.
Camilla’s books have gained even more popularity after being adapted into a TV-series, produced by SVT (Swedish Television).
In April 2017 her tenth book in the Fjällbacka-series, Häxan, was released – claimed to be her best novel so far! In 2019 Camilla received a diamond book for Häxan, since it has sold in over 300 000 copies in Sweden!
And in the spring of 2019 heralds the global launch of The Golden Cage, the first of two dark and suspenseful novels by Camilla Läckberg. After ten internationally bestselling novels and over 26 million copies sold, Läckberg’s next adventure will be a psychological suspense duology.
The Golden Cage was the most sold book in Sweden 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,963 reviews
November 29, 2021
Whaaaatttt theee heccckk! This is frenzy! This is so much wilder crazy train ride! Lies, schemes, betrayal, abuse, dirty little secrets, scumbag characters, manipulation, revenge: yes this is definition of her at throbbing, fast pacing, unforeseeable, whirlwind, stunning, earth shattering, soul crushing cocktail. And you never get satisfied with only one sip.
You’re clenching your fists, you’re chanting as soon as the revelations slap you against your face and shake you to the core. You’re dazzled, numb but also entertained, surprised with the evil genius mind of the author. So you gotta do only thing to celebrate this fantastic writing: Just clap and enjoy this feast!
So here we go: Let’s meet with Faye: she worked so hard to build her secure world, supporting her husband, even taking a leave from university where they’ve met and gave him the main idea about his telemarketing company which would turn into a big empire and earned him millions. She always sacrificed and stood behind the shadows as he got all the compliments and congratulated for his visionary projects. He promised her, what was his was also hers but naïve Faye signed prenuptial before the wedding. She had to think before she acted. She was so blindly in love and passionate and she was so adamant to make a fresh start, escaping from her past demons. ( Surprise! Surprise! Her real name is not Faye)
But as you may see her scumbag husband’s mental, psychical abuse and humiliation are getting worse at each day till she’s replaced with a younger model. Oh no! See Faye, even you can be replaceable. Nobody is perfect!
So what’s she going to do. As a kind hearted, loyal and decent view, will she forgive her husband for their child’s sake or will she taste the bitter dish which is best served in cold. Ding! Ding! Ding! You heard the revenge bells! So let the games begin!
This is one of the reads you wish it never ends. You want to put your phone in silent mode and cancel your whole schedule, call fake sick and hide yourself under the blanket to keep reading this intriguing, action packed, smart, head spinning story without any interruption.
Here comes my schematic, angsty, sexy, extremely twisty, thrilling, dazzling and wickedly entertaining five gazillion stars!
I highly recommend this book and I already start to order the author’s previous works and spend my grocery budget to more books as usual. ( That’s okay, we have enough booze!)
Overall: THIS. IS. FANTASTIC.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for sharing this incredible ARC in exchange my honest review.
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You’re clenching your fists, you’re chanting as soon as the revelations slap you against your face and shake you to the core. You’re dazzled, numb but also entertained, surprised with the evil genius mind of the author. So you gotta do only thing to celebrate this fantastic writing: Just clap and enjoy this feast!
So here we go: Let’s meet with Faye: she worked so hard to build her secure world, supporting her husband, even taking a leave from university where they’ve met and gave him the main idea about his telemarketing company which would turn into a big empire and earned him millions. She always sacrificed and stood behind the shadows as he got all the compliments and congratulated for his visionary projects. He promised her, what was his was also hers but naïve Faye signed prenuptial before the wedding. She had to think before she acted. She was so blindly in love and passionate and she was so adamant to make a fresh start, escaping from her past demons. ( Surprise! Surprise! Her real name is not Faye)
But as you may see her scumbag husband’s mental, psychical abuse and humiliation are getting worse at each day till she’s replaced with a younger model. Oh no! See Faye, even you can be replaceable. Nobody is perfect!
So what’s she going to do. As a kind hearted, loyal and decent view, will she forgive her husband for their child’s sake or will she taste the bitter dish which is best served in cold. Ding! Ding! Ding! You heard the revenge bells! So let the games begin!
This is one of the reads you wish it never ends. You want to put your phone in silent mode and cancel your whole schedule, call fake sick and hide yourself under the blanket to keep reading this intriguing, action packed, smart, head spinning story without any interruption.
Here comes my schematic, angsty, sexy, extremely twisty, thrilling, dazzling and wickedly entertaining five gazillion stars!
I highly recommend this book and I already start to order the author’s previous works and spend my grocery budget to more books as usual. ( That’s okay, we have enough booze!)
Overall: THIS. IS. FANTASTIC.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for sharing this incredible ARC in exchange my honest review.
blog
September 20, 2020
Wow, did I enjoy this book. This is the first one by this author and I loved it, (LOVED IT). I will definitely be picking up more. This book is a slow burn with many, many micro conflicts keeping pressure on the text pulling me along while the main plot line developed. At the same time the author continually layered in motivation after motivation. This book does not shy away from sex or vulgar language, but it is not gratuitous, so it works very well. Amazing character building.
I highly recommend for readers of psychological thrillers.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson Series
I highly recommend for readers of psychological thrillers.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson Series
April 10, 2019
Very readable book. Not at all boring. But what an impossible heroine! Idiot, ungrateful, immoral,cruel, creepy, she made me despise her, more than I despised her moron , reprobate, perverted husband! And after finishing the book, I was under the impression that everyone in Sweden is a billionaire before his thirties, and if one is a little bit late it is possible to start making billions by walking dogs in the park. And -it is not a spoiler since it happens early in the story- the one and only normal decent man the heroine meets in her life, she decides to murder in cold blood and only God knows why! Ha ha hilarious!
July 31, 2020
I was expecting a feminist revenge story but that's not really what this is and the reason for that is because in a tale like this you have to be able to empathize or at the very least sympathize with the abused but I couldn't because she is just so awful.
Faye is a very intelligent young woman that meets Jack and they hit it off. He is trying to start up a company and does so with a lot of help from Faye. You know the kind of help I mean: all of her ideas and money. Faye gives up her school and any career ambitions she has to cater to the needs of Jack. Jack is, well, a jackass. He's physically and emotionally abusive and spends most of his time letting his penis make his decisions and will sleep with any woman that has a pulse.
Faye doesn't believe the love of her life would ever cheat on her even if he is the biggest prick in the world because they are soulmates? 🤨
Imagine her surprise when she comes home one day to find her husband doing the deed with a co-worker in her bed. Shocking! 😲
He tells her he wants a divorce and leaves her high and dry thanks to that pre-nup! 😭
Faye is beyond devastated so she hatches a plan to take her revenge once and for all. She will destroy Jack if it's the last thing she does. 🤬
That really does sound good but the rub here is that Faye's character is so inconsistent. For a woman of such high intelligence and confidence I found it hard to believe that she would become such a doormat. Let's not forget what she did to her ex-boyfriend (who was very sweet, btw) in order to be with Jack?
How can I ever root for a woman that did that???? And if she can do that then I highly doubt she'd put up with any of Jack's shit and I don't care how handsome he is.
Once you hit the 50% mark it's all about Faye and how she starts her own multi-million dollar company *cue eye roll* and it all began by her starting a dog walking business which then evolved into a makeup and hair care line called Revenge. Suuuuuuurrrrreeeee. In fact it seems like every one in Sweden is a millionaire. I am clearly living in the wrong country.
I mean dog walking -> hair and makeup line -> in about a year or two MULTI MILLIONAIRE! I wish everything in life was that easy. Oh wait, this is fiction.
Now let's talk about sex! There is a ton of cringe-worthy scenes and Faye is constantly running around with wet panties on. This lady ought to start packing spare ones in her handbag! Yuck!
Did I tell you all how much pleasure she takes in Jacks new girlfriends misery? She knows that he's abusing her and it gives her the giggles.
Pedophilia get's thrown in too - out of nowhere. Was that really necessary? I'll answer my own question. No, it wasn't.
I will say the writing is very good and nothing appears lost in translation as far as I could tell. I just really didn't like Faye. Couldn't root for her at all. Did I want Jack to get his? Yeah, but I kind of also wanted to take her down too. 2 *You aren't a feminist you are a conniving bitch* Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Faye is a very intelligent young woman that meets Jack and they hit it off. He is trying to start up a company and does so with a lot of help from Faye. You know the kind of help I mean: all of her ideas and money. Faye gives up her school and any career ambitions she has to cater to the needs of Jack. Jack is, well, a jackass. He's physically and emotionally abusive and spends most of his time letting his penis make his decisions and will sleep with any woman that has a pulse.
Faye doesn't believe the love of her life would ever cheat on her even if he is the biggest prick in the world because they are soulmates? 🤨
Imagine her surprise when she comes home one day to find her husband doing the deed with a co-worker in her bed. Shocking! 😲
He tells her he wants a divorce and leaves her high and dry thanks to that pre-nup! 😭
Faye is beyond devastated so she hatches a plan to take her revenge once and for all. She will destroy Jack if it's the last thing she does. 🤬
That really does sound good but the rub here is that Faye's character is so inconsistent. For a woman of such high intelligence and confidence I found it hard to believe that she would become such a doormat. Let's not forget what she did to her ex-boyfriend (who was very sweet, btw) in order to be with Jack?
How can I ever root for a woman that did that???? And if she can do that then I highly doubt she'd put up with any of Jack's shit and I don't care how handsome he is.
Once you hit the 50% mark it's all about Faye and how she starts her own multi-million dollar company *cue eye roll* and it all began by her starting a dog walking business which then evolved into a makeup and hair care line called Revenge. Suuuuuuurrrrreeeee. In fact it seems like every one in Sweden is a millionaire. I am clearly living in the wrong country.
I mean dog walking -> hair and makeup line -> in about a year or two MULTI MILLIONAIRE! I wish everything in life was that easy. Oh wait, this is fiction.
Now let's talk about sex! There is a ton of cringe-worthy scenes and Faye is constantly running around with wet panties on. This lady ought to start packing spare ones in her handbag! Yuck!
Did I tell you all how much pleasure she takes in Jacks new girlfriends misery? She knows that he's abusing her and it gives her the giggles.
Pedophilia get's thrown in too - out of nowhere. Was that really necessary? I'll answer my own question. No, it wasn't.
I will say the writing is very good and nothing appears lost in translation as far as I could tell. I just really didn't like Faye. Couldn't root for her at all. Did I want Jack to get his? Yeah, but I kind of also wanted to take her down too. 2 *You aren't a feminist you are a conniving bitch* Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 13, 2020
This was my first time reading Camilla Lackberg. I’ve already purchased two of her other books to read.
Lackberg may just be my new favorite - psychological - suspense thrilling author *discovery*.
Faye Adelheim is an interesting protagonist- two dimensional- an anti-heroine.....in “The Golden Cage”.
Faye shares a few things in common with Lisbeth Salander from Steig
Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) ....
Both women were outsiders. Both had evil fathers.
Both women were out for revenge. And that’s where the differences end.
In “The Golden Cage”....
Faye was hardly the first woman in the world to be humiliated by her husband, to be treated like an idiot, to be replaced by a younger model.
However...Faye had a tortuous past life that she was running from - a past that nobody knew about - and by golly she was determined to never let anyone humiliate her ‘again’. She even changed her name. Matilda no longer existed. Two years after Faye graduated high school she left Fjallbacka behind -both mentally and physically and moved to Stockholm.
Faye says in the beginning...
“It was me against the world. Far from home, in a city I had dreamed about my whole life. I hadn’t merely wanted to get away. I had been desperate to come here. Slowly I made Stockholm my city. It gave me hope that I might be able to heal and forget”.
“I was free. Free to do whatever I wanted. To be whoever I wanted. Without the past messing up everything around me, inside me. Without all the people who have been pulling me down. I was slowly turning myself into someone else, little by little”.
Faye was smart! ( not always wise) - She had been accepted to an MBA at Stockholm school of economics. It’s where she met Jack, ( aristocracy golden boy), from a family with a tarnished reputation). Jack’s father had an alcohol and gambling addiction. His parents fought constantly - but Jack was determined to shine - and succeed far beyond his father. Faye was determined to marry him
Jack’s and his close friend, Henrik, both graduated from Stockholm school of economics. Henrik with top grades Jack with average ones.
It was Faye who gave Jack and Henrik the business idea - she helped them launch a telemarketing company ( different and more brilliant than all others). The company was called “Compare”.
Faye told Jack that she was willing to take a sabbatical from college… a year off....work... so that Jack could focus on his dream and get his business off the ground. Faye believed that Jack was going to make millions and he could pay her back then. He did make millions.
Jack tells Faye:
“And I will! Everything that’s mine is yours, darling. Ours!”
Faye ( the knucklehead was blinded by love), signed a prenuptial agreement when she married Jack. She didn’t get it amended after their daughter, Julienne was born.
Does that sound like, “what’s mine, is yours to you?”
Not for us readers, either.
Security? what’s that? Ha!
Jack and Henrik hit it HUGE...’Compare’ became an instant success. They achieved results unmatched by anyone before.
Faye got none of the credit - but she was happy to be the submissive humble unworthy wife - anything to please her man.
NOTE....if sex scenes bother you ( they don’t me), then be aware - there are explicit sex scenes.
Mr. Jack-Billionaire turned into a total dickhead....and started treating Faye like scum.
Lackberg sure can write...stimulating a full range of emotions from some outrageous original memorable scenes.
Jack’s hottie charms never fooled us, by the way, at anytime, but things went from worse to worse.
CRAZY FUN PAGE TURNING SCENES AND DIALOGUE....with an intriguing cast of characters- both main and supporting.
I admit to cringing, laughing, swearing, empathizing, cheering, unifying, questioning, calculating, and simply enjoying Lackberg’s great acuity about the hazards and rewards of the magnificent vindictiveness that builds as the story unfolds.
Funniest & yuckiest scene - involves an eggyoke....[ I’ll never get the visual out of my head]....
AND....
I laughed silly when Faye caught Jack butt naked with Ylva in their bedroom doing the naughty!
Faye’s first thought was....
“He was bound to be frustrated by the fact that he hadn’t been able to come. He hated to be interrupted. He used to say that a ruined orgasm stayed in his body all day”.
Poor poor Jack! 😂
A ‘few’ other noted characters:
....Chris Nydahl...is Faye’s best friend... ( a likable powerhouse successful businesswoman and character)...loved this woman.
....Ylva Lehdorf —trouble for Faye...
....John Descentis - is trouble for Faye - in a different way than Ylva is.
....Alice Bergendahl .... married to Henrik.. At age 31, she had a waist like a ten year old and long ( f#@king), legs like Heidi Klum.
....Victor Blom.... a man Faye dated who actually treated her ‘decent’...( God forbid)
....Sebastian... he had been Faye’s brother who haunts her dreams
....Julienne- Jack and Faye’s seven year old daughter.
....Kerstin - a good friend to Faye ( with her own past history)...
....etc etc.
Taken directly from the blurb.....this line speaks TOTALLY TRUE:
“In this splashy, electrifying story of sex, betrayal, and secrets, a woman’s revenge is a brutal but beautiful thing” ( kudos to the person who wrote that sentence)
LOVED IT! Perfect for readers in the mood for an intelligent enjoyable psychological thriller who introduces us to a new textured anti-heroine.
Hoping for a sequel.
Thank you Knoph Doubleday Publishing Group, Netgalley, and Camilla Lackberg. I’m a new fan.
Lackberg may just be my new favorite - psychological - suspense thrilling author *discovery*.
Faye Adelheim is an interesting protagonist- two dimensional- an anti-heroine.....in “The Golden Cage”.
Faye shares a few things in common with Lisbeth Salander from Steig
Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) ....
Both women were outsiders. Both had evil fathers.
Both women were out for revenge. And that’s where the differences end.
In “The Golden Cage”....
Faye was hardly the first woman in the world to be humiliated by her husband, to be treated like an idiot, to be replaced by a younger model.
However...Faye had a tortuous past life that she was running from - a past that nobody knew about - and by golly she was determined to never let anyone humiliate her ‘again’. She even changed her name. Matilda no longer existed. Two years after Faye graduated high school she left Fjallbacka behind -both mentally and physically and moved to Stockholm.
Faye says in the beginning...
“It was me against the world. Far from home, in a city I had dreamed about my whole life. I hadn’t merely wanted to get away. I had been desperate to come here. Slowly I made Stockholm my city. It gave me hope that I might be able to heal and forget”.
“I was free. Free to do whatever I wanted. To be whoever I wanted. Without the past messing up everything around me, inside me. Without all the people who have been pulling me down. I was slowly turning myself into someone else, little by little”.
Faye was smart! ( not always wise) - She had been accepted to an MBA at Stockholm school of economics. It’s where she met Jack, ( aristocracy golden boy), from a family with a tarnished reputation). Jack’s father had an alcohol and gambling addiction. His parents fought constantly - but Jack was determined to shine - and succeed far beyond his father. Faye was determined to marry him
Jack’s and his close friend, Henrik, both graduated from Stockholm school of economics. Henrik with top grades Jack with average ones.
It was Faye who gave Jack and Henrik the business idea - she helped them launch a telemarketing company ( different and more brilliant than all others). The company was called “Compare”.
Faye told Jack that she was willing to take a sabbatical from college… a year off....work... so that Jack could focus on his dream and get his business off the ground. Faye believed that Jack was going to make millions and he could pay her back then. He did make millions.
Jack tells Faye:
“And I will! Everything that’s mine is yours, darling. Ours!”
Faye ( the knucklehead was blinded by love), signed a prenuptial agreement when she married Jack. She didn’t get it amended after their daughter, Julienne was born.
Does that sound like, “what’s mine, is yours to you?”
Not for us readers, either.
Security? what’s that? Ha!
Jack and Henrik hit it HUGE...’Compare’ became an instant success. They achieved results unmatched by anyone before.
Faye got none of the credit - but she was happy to be the submissive humble unworthy wife - anything to please her man.
NOTE....if sex scenes bother you ( they don’t me), then be aware - there are explicit sex scenes.
Mr. Jack-Billionaire turned into a total dickhead....and started treating Faye like scum.
Lackberg sure can write...stimulating a full range of emotions from some outrageous original memorable scenes.
Jack’s hottie charms never fooled us, by the way, at anytime, but things went from worse to worse.
CRAZY FUN PAGE TURNING SCENES AND DIALOGUE....with an intriguing cast of characters- both main and supporting.
I admit to cringing, laughing, swearing, empathizing, cheering, unifying, questioning, calculating, and simply enjoying Lackberg’s great acuity about the hazards and rewards of the magnificent vindictiveness that builds as the story unfolds.
Funniest & yuckiest scene - involves an eggyoke....[ I’ll never get the visual out of my head]....
AND....
I laughed silly when Faye caught Jack butt naked with Ylva in their bedroom doing the naughty!
Faye’s first thought was....
“He was bound to be frustrated by the fact that he hadn’t been able to come. He hated to be interrupted. He used to say that a ruined orgasm stayed in his body all day”.
Poor poor Jack! 😂
A ‘few’ other noted characters:
....Chris Nydahl...is Faye’s best friend... ( a likable powerhouse successful businesswoman and character)...loved this woman.
....Ylva Lehdorf —trouble for Faye...
....John Descentis - is trouble for Faye - in a different way than Ylva is.
....Alice Bergendahl .... married to Henrik.. At age 31, she had a waist like a ten year old and long ( f#@king), legs like Heidi Klum.
....Victor Blom.... a man Faye dated who actually treated her ‘decent’...( God forbid)
....Sebastian... he had been Faye’s brother who haunts her dreams
....Julienne- Jack and Faye’s seven year old daughter.
....Kerstin - a good friend to Faye ( with her own past history)...
....etc etc.
Taken directly from the blurb.....this line speaks TOTALLY TRUE:
“In this splashy, electrifying story of sex, betrayal, and secrets, a woman’s revenge is a brutal but beautiful thing” ( kudos to the person who wrote that sentence)
LOVED IT! Perfect for readers in the mood for an intelligent enjoyable psychological thriller who introduces us to a new textured anti-heroine.
Hoping for a sequel.
Thank you Knoph Doubleday Publishing Group, Netgalley, and Camilla Lackberg. I’m a new fan.
March 16, 2020
I’m so glad I’m not in a gilded cage of marriage to a mega wealthy man if it means eating half a lettuce leaf a day, Botox until your face is frozen and subservience. Meet Faye, who is married to Jack Adelheim co-founder of Compare a multi million kroner company. They have one child, a daughter Julienne. Their marriage is a bit faded, jaded and she’s degraded but persuaded by love to glue a smile on even while he devalues her. However, Faye has a dark past which is suppressed when she is playing the part of a dutiful wife but after she makes several discoveries the blinkers about him are removed and she sets about revenge in such a manner that it puts a whole new spin on the meaning of the word. The story goes between the past and the present until we learn just how dangerous Faye is as an enemy when pushed to anger.
First of all, let’s look at the characters. Jack is beyond awful, he’s so arrogant and has an overinflated sense of entitlement and his intellect. He is a user. I’d rather be Faye’s friend than enemy any day of the week as she’s not just dark she’s jet black in her revenge! There’s a real air of mystery about her though which is intriguing. However, she’s a good friend to Chris who is a lovely character and to Kerstin who helps her in the early days of separation from Jack.
Secondly, the book is well written although I’m not entirely convinced the plot is plausible but I really like it so I won’t dwell too long on that one and happily go with the flow!! There are plenty of shocking revelations along the way and you feel a whole range of emotions and most of them not positive about Jack and it makes me wonder what Faye ever saw in him in the first place. Their relationship and that of other wealthy couples in the story highlights the imbalance between the sexes and talking of sex it’s a bit steamy in places (blushes)!!!! I like that you feel Faye’s emotions - her suppression, her anger, of being trapped and discontented and I feel a sisterly camaraderie as she plots so surreptitiously and cleverly against those who have wronged her. I like the way her revenge empowers women in the business she set up to do more for themselves. The end is very satisfying.
Overall, a terrific rollercoaster read which I recommend to fans of Scandi Noir and psychological thrillers. Congratulations to the translator which is excellent.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for the ARC.
First of all, let’s look at the characters. Jack is beyond awful, he’s so arrogant and has an overinflated sense of entitlement and his intellect. He is a user. I’d rather be Faye’s friend than enemy any day of the week as she’s not just dark she’s jet black in her revenge! There’s a real air of mystery about her though which is intriguing. However, she’s a good friend to Chris who is a lovely character and to Kerstin who helps her in the early days of separation from Jack.
Secondly, the book is well written although I’m not entirely convinced the plot is plausible but I really like it so I won’t dwell too long on that one and happily go with the flow!! There are plenty of shocking revelations along the way and you feel a whole range of emotions and most of them not positive about Jack and it makes me wonder what Faye ever saw in him in the first place. Their relationship and that of other wealthy couples in the story highlights the imbalance between the sexes and talking of sex it’s a bit steamy in places (blushes)!!!! I like that you feel Faye’s emotions - her suppression, her anger, of being trapped and discontented and I feel a sisterly camaraderie as she plots so surreptitiously and cleverly against those who have wronged her. I like the way her revenge empowers women in the business she set up to do more for themselves. The end is very satisfying.
Overall, a terrific rollercoaster read which I recommend to fans of Scandi Noir and psychological thrillers. Congratulations to the translator which is excellent.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for the ARC.
February 14, 2020
My goodness Camilla Lackberg - where have you been all my life! This was my first book by this author and most certainly will not be my last. The Gilded Cage is an addictive, twisty and shocking psychological thriller and I could not get enough of it!
I do not want to spoil this book one bit for anybody - it is best to go in relatively blind. It is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship and revenge - and revenge is sweet! The main character Faye Adelheim is so deceivingly written. She is a loving mother and devoted wife to one of Sweden's most successful businessman. And she is happy - or so she thinks. When she is traded in for a younger model the real Faye comes out - and it will surprise you what she is capable of. Her past is dark and her real name is not even Faye.
You really need to read this book to fully understand my excitement at reading this clever story. I have already checked out some more of her books and will be adding her to my list of authors to watch.
Thanks so much Better Reading and Harper Collins Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
I do not want to spoil this book one bit for anybody - it is best to go in relatively blind. It is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship and revenge - and revenge is sweet! The main character Faye Adelheim is so deceivingly written. She is a loving mother and devoted wife to one of Sweden's most successful businessman. And she is happy - or so she thinks. When she is traded in for a younger model the real Faye comes out - and it will surprise you what she is capable of. Her past is dark and her real name is not even Faye.
You really need to read this book to fully understand my excitement at reading this clever story. I have already checked out some more of her books and will be adding her to my list of authors to watch.
Thanks so much Better Reading and Harper Collins Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
July 26, 2020
“And for the first time in many years she felt ready to fight.”
― Camilla Läckberg, The Gilded Cage
My oh my. What a tangled web we weave.
The Golden Cage is a revenge story and it is sort of addicting. It got me involved by page two. It did get better as it went on.
Faye and Jack are married. They have a kid. Faye is still madly in love with hubs after all these tears,
Jack..not so much.
Faye feels she has no identity without Jack. She turns herself inside out trying to be the woman he wants.
She helped Jack found their company "Compare". She dropped out of college to support him. She stopped working as he wanted a Stepford..sorry..stay at home..wife.
How did Jack repay wifey?
By watching porn. Every day, all the time. By rebuffing her sexually. By reducing her to shit with his words.
The couple are quite wealthy. Faye is so unhappy because she KNOWS her husband does not love her anymore..if he ever did.
Still, she will not let go. All she wants is his love.
Until she finds out he is having an affair.
Hell hath no fury like a Fay scorned
So..not the most original plot but a good read. However..I enjoyed it only mildly.
To explain why that is, requires the use of spoilers. There just is not any other way to talk about this particular book..and my reaction to it.
SPOILERS:
I am all in on the occasional revenge story. But..here's the thing. I closed this book not feeling quite right.
I did not like Faye. Oh..I HATED Jack. But I could not connect to Faye at all.
I think..in my humble opinion..the author should have left out certain scenes.
You see Faye is a sociopath. We get glimpses into her past and see that she murdered her old boyfriend because she was afraid he'd expose some of her secrets.
As a result..and I have read other reviews, many of whom feel the same.. I cannot relate to the main character..who never receives punishment for the murder. So..am as disgusted by her as well as by Jack.
I think had her past been erased..or at least the murder, I'd have liked this book a heck of alot more. Because other than Chris (whom I loved) and the poor ex boyfriend, I could not connect. I certainly could not connect to Faye. Yes, Jack is horrible but I got the sense at the end, the reader is supposed to rejoice for Faye and I just couldn't. She is a criminal an d a murderer. I am glad for the twist in regards to someone else.
It was an odd read. It is almost like we are supposed to forget what happened., And Faye becomes so seemingly decent..it is hard for me to buy into what she did with the ex boyfriend, especially since he is one of the few nice guys in the book.
Not really a great read for me because of that factor but an interesting page turner it is. Still, I'd have liked to be able to ROOT for someone.
― Camilla Läckberg, The Gilded Cage
My oh my. What a tangled web we weave.
The Golden Cage is a revenge story and it is sort of addicting. It got me involved by page two. It did get better as it went on.
Faye and Jack are married. They have a kid. Faye is still madly in love with hubs after all these tears,
Jack..not so much.
Faye feels she has no identity without Jack. She turns herself inside out trying to be the woman he wants.
She helped Jack found their company "Compare". She dropped out of college to support him. She stopped working as he wanted a Stepford..sorry..stay at home..wife.
How did Jack repay wifey?
By watching porn. Every day, all the time. By rebuffing her sexually. By reducing her to shit with his words.
The couple are quite wealthy. Faye is so unhappy because she KNOWS her husband does not love her anymore..if he ever did.
Still, she will not let go. All she wants is his love.
Until she finds out he is having an affair.
Hell hath no fury like a Fay scorned
So..not the most original plot but a good read. However..I enjoyed it only mildly.
To explain why that is, requires the use of spoilers. There just is not any other way to talk about this particular book..and my reaction to it.
SPOILERS:
I am all in on the occasional revenge story. But..here's the thing. I closed this book not feeling quite right.
I did not like Faye. Oh..I HATED Jack. But I could not connect to Faye at all.
I think..in my humble opinion..the author should have left out certain scenes.
You see Faye is a sociopath. We get glimpses into her past and see that she murdered her old boyfriend because she was afraid he'd expose some of her secrets.
As a result..and I have read other reviews, many of whom feel the same.. I cannot relate to the main character..who never receives punishment for the murder. So..am as disgusted by her as well as by Jack.
I think had her past been erased..or at least the murder, I'd have liked this book a heck of alot more. Because other than Chris (whom I loved) and the poor ex boyfriend, I could not connect. I certainly could not connect to Faye. Yes, Jack is horrible but I got the sense at the end, the reader is supposed to rejoice for Faye and I just couldn't. She is a criminal an d a murderer. I am glad for the twist in regards to someone else.
It was an odd read. It is almost like we are supposed to forget what happened., And Faye becomes so seemingly decent..it is hard for me to buy into what she did with the ex boyfriend, especially since he is one of the few nice guys in the book.
Not really a great read for me because of that factor but an interesting page turner it is. Still, I'd have liked to be able to ROOT for someone.
July 21, 2020
“Revenge. For all our sisters who have been broken down by idiots, all the unfaithful husbands who have cast us off for a younger model. All the men, all the guys who have exploited us, patronized us, and deceived us.”
The Golden Cage was a satisfyingly dark noir overflowing with sex, lies, and betrayals. Told exclusively from Faye's point of view, both in the past, which describes her horrific childhood in Fjällbacka; and the present, which showcases how she deals with her cheating, lying, man-whore of a husband. This story was incredibly well-plotted.
Though I could hardly bear to put my Kindle down while reading this compelling story, I did have a few minor gripes.
1. Camilla Läckberg's black and white portrayal of men and women seemed very outdated. Not all men think exclusively with their penises, as their apron-wearing little wifey stays home with the kiddies. And not all women believe that the only way to be successful, in both love and business, is flat on their back. That is, nevertheless, how both are depicted in this novel.
2. I never really understood Faye's business plan regarding Revenge. I suppose the products sold because of the name tied to them? If only it were that easy to start a multi-million dollar company. It would have been more plausible had a percentage of the proceeds been given to victims of domestic violence, or as scholarships for women attending Faye's alma mater. I could see women wanting to support a product like that, but buying a high end perfume just because it's called Revenge is silly.
3. I realize we were supposed to cheer Faye on...but due to her actions earlier in the story , it was hard to feel any sort of sympathy for her. Aside from that one scene, she reminded me a bit of Jane from the Jane Doe series, just not as funny or lovable.
Overall, this was just what the doctor ordered...engrossing, fun, and sexy. A perfect summer read.
(It's worth noting, this novel was written by a Swedish author and has been translated to English. Oh, and one kroner is the equivalent of eleven cents in the United States.)
Trigger warning:
Available now.
**My sincere thanks to Edelweiss and Knopf for my review copy.
July 26, 2020
“The Golden Cage” by Swedish author Camilla Lackberg, is an amusing story of female revenge. For all you women who have been burned by a male lover (not only divorced women), this is a satisfying story. I doubt this novel was written with men readers in mind.
The story opens with Faye’s (the protagonist) discovery from the police that her ex-husband has most likely killed her daughter, Julienne. Lackberg choses two-time frames to tell her story. In current time, Lackberg tells Faye’s story in first person. We learn of her marriage to Jack and how she became a prisoner in a golden cage. Yes, she had money and all that money can buy, but her husband is controlling, cruel, and a cheat.
Nest we learn of young Faye. This is in second person. She is strong and independent. Only one event warns the reader of Faye’s capability for revenge.
This is a fun romp., although the sex scenes were a bit much for this 62-year-old woman LOL. I don’t think some of the financial events or legal events are realistic fiction. But the revenge portion is something that every scorned gal out there has at least dreamed of. I would have loved to have read this after one of those degrading breakups. It’s not reality, but it’s fun to dream.
I listened to the audio production narrated by Ann Richardson. Richardson did a fine job.
The story opens with Faye’s (the protagonist) discovery from the police that her ex-husband has most likely killed her daughter, Julienne. Lackberg choses two-time frames to tell her story. In current time, Lackberg tells Faye’s story in first person. We learn of her marriage to Jack and how she became a prisoner in a golden cage. Yes, she had money and all that money can buy, but her husband is controlling, cruel, and a cheat.
Nest we learn of young Faye. This is in second person. She is strong and independent. Only one event warns the reader of Faye’s capability for revenge.
This is a fun romp., although the sex scenes were a bit much for this 62-year-old woman LOL. I don’t think some of the financial events or legal events are realistic fiction. But the revenge portion is something that every scorned gal out there has at least dreamed of. I would have loved to have read this after one of those degrading breakups. It’s not reality, but it’s fun to dream.
I listened to the audio production narrated by Ann Richardson. Richardson did a fine job.
January 29, 2020
I won't be writing a full review of this book, as it's one of the books I'm handling publicity for at work, but I will just say that I absolutely LOVED seeing this new side of an author I've loved for years and years. This book is sexy, sensational, deliciously dark fun - a perfect beach read to keep an eye out for this summer!!
July 21, 2020
Audio 3.5 Stars
Story dnf @ 90%
My only excuse for not giving up sooner....
Story dnf @ 90%
My only excuse for not giving up sooner....
August 17, 2019
Im just shocked how bad this novel was. The novel portraits the main character, Faye, as a strong woman full of empathy and that she deserves her revange on her husband/ex-husband. Can I just Point out that Faye, kills two people in this book (one of them a decent guy but just beacuse she got scared that the guy would tell her new friends that she was a girl from the country), and frames her husband for the murder on their daugher just to ruin him. How can we like a character like that, she is clearly psychotic and dangerous. In many ways she is the person who should be in prison and not her ex husband, beacuse all he did was cheat on her and was a sex addict he never killed anyone yet Faye deserves her ravange??? Im just shocked how this book even could get published. Im so disappointed beacuse im a fan of the author crime series, but this novel was just horrible.
A Cage of gold/en bur av guld by Camilla Läckberg get a 2.0/10 stars.
A Cage of gold/en bur av guld by Camilla Läckberg get a 2.0/10 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2020
DNF - too ridiculously bad to read!
'She had taken some painkillers, then drained a litre of her own blood': wait, what? How is it even possible for a perfectly ordinary person with no medical equipment to do that? This just epitomizes my eye-rolling throughout this book which veers between melodrama and the absurd. It's a shame as I love Lackberg's Erika and Patrik Hedstrom series with its mix of cosy domesticity, humour and the macabre but this is nothing like them. Flat writing, a seen-it-a-million-times-before plot, and thin characters - if I heard that this was written at the age of 15 and recently unearthed from the bottom drawer, I wouldn't be surprised...
'She had taken some painkillers, then drained a litre of her own blood': wait, what? How is it even possible for a perfectly ordinary person with no medical equipment to do that? This just epitomizes my eye-rolling throughout this book which veers between melodrama and the absurd. It's a shame as I love Lackberg's Erika and Patrik Hedstrom series with its mix of cosy domesticity, humour and the macabre but this is nothing like them. Flat writing, a seen-it-a-million-times-before plot, and thin characters - if I heard that this was written at the age of 15 and recently unearthed from the bottom drawer, I wouldn't be surprised...
May 22, 2020
⭐️5 Stars⭐️The Gilded Cage is an addictive, twisty and very sexy psychological thriller that takes the reader on an engaging ride.
I loved this author’s writing style, why had I never heard of Camilla Läckberg before?
Faye Adelheim leads the type of life that others envy, she lives in a luxury apartment, no expense spared in the most exclusive area of Stockholm. She has everything she’s ever wanted including a gorgeous millionaire husband and an adorable daughter.
Faye thinks everything is sweet in her marriage and is shocked to find herself betrayed and traded in for a younger model.
She finds herself penniless and left with nothing. As the story unfolds we see how this smart woman’s determined revenge turns terrifyingly brutal.
Faye’s an interesting character she’s dark, manipulative and revengeful and is hiding plenty of secrets past and present, even her real name!
This deliciously dark thriller was brilliant, an easy fun read and is released April 2nd 2020.
I wish to thank Better Reading and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a copy to read in return for an honest review.
I loved this author’s writing style, why had I never heard of Camilla Läckberg before?
Faye Adelheim leads the type of life that others envy, she lives in a luxury apartment, no expense spared in the most exclusive area of Stockholm. She has everything she’s ever wanted including a gorgeous millionaire husband and an adorable daughter.
Faye thinks everything is sweet in her marriage and is shocked to find herself betrayed and traded in for a younger model.
She finds herself penniless and left with nothing. As the story unfolds we see how this smart woman’s determined revenge turns terrifyingly brutal.
Faye’s an interesting character she’s dark, manipulative and revengeful and is hiding plenty of secrets past and present, even her real name!
This deliciously dark thriller was brilliant, an easy fun read and is released April 2nd 2020.
I wish to thank Better Reading and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a copy to read in return for an honest review.
March 31, 2019
I ordered this book in the Norwegian edition, since it was released before the Swedish one - that's how enthusiastic I was about reading another book from the queen of trashy crime. I was disappointed from the get go, because the story seemed so predictable. It kept that up right to the end, where I could for-see every intended twist.
The story is that of Faye, who drops out of university to support her boyfriend and then husband Jack in setting up a company. The idea is hers. Jack then makes a housewife out of her, demeans her and eventually replaces her with a younger woman. Faye is left with nothing because of the pre-nup. She decides to eke revenge by completely crushing Jack.
The strong feminist message was compelling, albeit unrealistic. I appreciate the idea of crushing those men who think women are lesser beings and who demean them, into dust. I see repeatedly how women are underestimated and their efforts ignored. I also see the opposite though - the enthusiastic, supportive men who have never seen their female peers as anything less than equals. So of course I rooted for Faye, even if her methods were ruthless - but I didn't like her, and so, I didn't much enjoy the book either.
The story is that of Faye, who drops out of university to support her boyfriend and then husband Jack in setting up a company. The idea is hers. Jack then makes a housewife out of her, demeans her and eventually replaces her with a younger woman. Faye is left with nothing because of the pre-nup. She decides to eke revenge by completely crushing Jack.
The strong feminist message was compelling, albeit unrealistic. I appreciate the idea of crushing those men who think women are lesser beings and who demean them, into dust. I see repeatedly how women are underestimated and their efforts ignored. I also see the opposite though - the enthusiastic, supportive men who have never seen their female peers as anything less than equals. So of course I rooted for Faye, even if her methods were ruthless - but I didn't like her, and so, I didn't much enjoy the book either.
August 3, 2020
An entertaining revenge story.
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Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school, she even left school to support Jack in growing his company. Now she’s a stay at home mum while Jack continues to win in the business world. When Jack decides he’s had enough, Faye is left with nothing. But hell hath no fury like a woman with a violent past bent on vengeance...✨
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This book is certainly entertaining and it was so fun seeing Faye rebuild her life but for me it wasn’t overly memorable. The thriller aspects were glazed over and the main focus is Faye’s journey.
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This is a good one for those who like a strong main character and backstory.
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Thank you netgalley and harpercollinsaustralia for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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Faye has loved Jack since they were students at business school, she even left school to support Jack in growing his company. Now she’s a stay at home mum while Jack continues to win in the business world. When Jack decides he’s had enough, Faye is left with nothing. But hell hath no fury like a woman with a violent past bent on vengeance...✨
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This book is certainly entertaining and it was so fun seeing Faye rebuild her life but for me it wasn’t overly memorable. The thriller aspects were glazed over and the main focus is Faye’s journey.
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This is a good one for those who like a strong main character and backstory.
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Thank you netgalley and harpercollinsaustralia for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
May 15, 2019
Πόσο κρίμα να διαβάζεις ένα τόσο αποτυχημένο άρλεκιν!!! Ντροπή Camilla...
September 5, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Golden Cage.
I love revenge tales, especially when the protagonist is a woman scorned so I was excited when my request was approved.
First, let me be clear. There's nothing sexy about this book.
I hate when a book or a movie is described as sexy.
It's an often misused word, and it doesn't apply to this book.
Not. At. All.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The story follows a predictable premise, the cliche of all cliches: a young woman named Faye sacrifices her own dreams and ambitions for her handsome, charismatic husband and snaps when he leaves her for a young women.
Faye embarks on a revenge mission, to remake her life and her career, and bring her husband down, no holds barred.
I love revenge tales and enjoy flawed and unlikable characters as much as the next person, but I found Faye unlikable and lacking any interesting qualities.
I also found it hard to believe that someone with a hidden 'darkness' Faye constantly refers to would allow herself to be subjugated by her husband.
Why? Because he's handsome and charming? So what? So are you. You are supposedly a smart and clever business woman but you fawn and preen over him because he's a hunk?
You made him who he is and yet Faye moons over him like a minion and I don't understand why.
Faye's behavior and personality doesn't jibe with her supposed intelligence and cunning, so it was doubly difficult for me to believe she could build a billion dollar empire in just three years.
The sex scenes were sleazy and unnecessary (NOT SEXY), and I enjoy a well-written love scene as much as the next person but there was none to be found here.
The writing wasn't great and all the characters one dimensional stereotypes.
The plot had potential but the lack of strong characters and many hard to suspend disbelief scenes and twists made this difficult to enjoy since I spent most of my eye rolling my eyes and yawning.
Some people might enjoy this but I didn't.
I love revenge tales, especially when the protagonist is a woman scorned so I was excited when my request was approved.
First, let me be clear. There's nothing sexy about this book.
I hate when a book or a movie is described as sexy.
It's an often misused word, and it doesn't apply to this book.
Not. At. All.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The story follows a predictable premise, the cliche of all cliches: a young woman named Faye sacrifices her own dreams and ambitions for her handsome, charismatic husband and snaps when he leaves her for a young women.
Faye embarks on a revenge mission, to remake her life and her career, and bring her husband down, no holds barred.
I love revenge tales and enjoy flawed and unlikable characters as much as the next person, but I found Faye unlikable and lacking any interesting qualities.
I also found it hard to believe that someone with a hidden 'darkness' Faye constantly refers to would allow herself to be subjugated by her husband.
Why? Because he's handsome and charming? So what? So are you. You are supposedly a smart and clever business woman but you fawn and preen over him because he's a hunk?
You made him who he is and yet Faye moons over him like a minion and I don't understand why.
Faye's behavior and personality doesn't jibe with her supposed intelligence and cunning, so it was doubly difficult for me to believe she could build a billion dollar empire in just three years.
The sex scenes were sleazy and unnecessary (NOT SEXY), and I enjoy a well-written love scene as much as the next person but there was none to be found here.
The writing wasn't great and all the characters one dimensional stereotypes.
The plot had potential but the lack of strong characters and many hard to suspend disbelief scenes and twists made this difficult to enjoy since I spent most of my eye rolling my eyes and yawning.
Some people might enjoy this but I didn't.
June 4, 2020
I loved this! The Gilded Cage of the title refers to the situation that many trophy wives find themselves in. Groomed to perfection, pampered and entitled, these wives of wealthy men are caught in a trap of their own making, striving to remain young and yummy while their balding husbands shop around for younger models. Faye Adelheim had a very traumatic childhood. She also did some things she would rather forget so she is determined to put all that behind her and make something of herself. She was smart and enrolled in an economics/business course at university. There she met Jack, whom she later married, and her best friend Chris. When Faye and Jack became an item, she put her course on hold to help him set up the company he started with his friend, Henrik. As the company took off and the money rolled in, Jack encouraged Faye to take a back seat and focus on their home and their daughter Julienne.
Cut to the present and things seem to be cooling between Faye and Jack. Faye does everything she can to make life easier for Jack and remain attractive, but he is increasingly disparaging of her and spends more time than ever at work. This is a marriage in big trouble. When she comes home early one day and finds Jack in bed with his young assistant it is all over. Faye thinks - fine, she can get on with her life now but when Jack refuses to provide for her and Julienne, with all his wealth that Faye helped him to accumulate - the red mist descends! Faye reverts to her former persona and vows to crush Jack. And now it gets really good.
This is not a thriller as such nor even much of a mystery because you kind of know where it is heading. I guess you could call it a revenge drama (who doesn’t like one of those?) and in that guise it was outstanding. Normally I need a faster paced story. This was slower but oh so compelling. For me it was a real page turner. I had to know how this played out. This book is quite a departure from the author’s previous books, the fantastic crime thrillers featuring Patrick Hedström. But if you enjoy seeing the downtrodden get payback on their oppressors, you will love this story.
I know this book has very mixed reviews but I stand by my five stars. Lackberg is an impressive author and this genre change seems to have upset some fans, although her writing remains outstanding. I’m on a roll with great books at the moment!
Cut to the present and things seem to be cooling between Faye and Jack. Faye does everything she can to make life easier for Jack and remain attractive, but he is increasingly disparaging of her and spends more time than ever at work. This is a marriage in big trouble. When she comes home early one day and finds Jack in bed with his young assistant it is all over. Faye thinks - fine, she can get on with her life now but when Jack refuses to provide for her and Julienne, with all his wealth that Faye helped him to accumulate - the red mist descends! Faye reverts to her former persona and vows to crush Jack. And now it gets really good.
This is not a thriller as such nor even much of a mystery because you kind of know where it is heading. I guess you could call it a revenge drama (who doesn’t like one of those?) and in that guise it was outstanding. Normally I need a faster paced story. This was slower but oh so compelling. For me it was a real page turner. I had to know how this played out. This book is quite a departure from the author’s previous books, the fantastic crime thrillers featuring Patrick Hedström. But if you enjoy seeing the downtrodden get payback on their oppressors, you will love this story.
I know this book has very mixed reviews but I stand by my five stars. Lackberg is an impressive author and this genre change seems to have upset some fans, although her writing remains outstanding. I’m on a roll with great books at the moment!
November 28, 2020
Deliciously wicked fun!! This is definitely one of the more entertaining and thrilling tales of revenge I've read, definitely one of my favorites of 2020 as well!! Ive never read this author before, although I have seen her books around and unfortunately they are some sort of police or journalist procedural series that did not intrigue me, however this appears to be her only standalone and it grabbed at me immediately, I'm just sad I waited this long to read it after purchasing it! I believe my favorite character was Chris in this novel, although she was a supporting role and not a major character. My heart broke with how her storyline ended, and I was actually on the verge of tears, which is quite shocking for me! I had a feeling I knew where the revenge plot was headed and I was indeed correct upon finishing the final sentence, which I loved. I can definitely see this story continuing on and would purchase it immediately if it did, fingers crossed it does!! I will keep my eye open for any stand-alones forthcoming from the author for certain!
July 7, 2020
A Swedish feminist revenge noir, you say? SIGN ME UP! In fact, after reading this I’d like to double down and say, sign me up for all of Camilla Lackberg’s other books! Even if I have to learn Swedish to read them.
This book is a straight up, boobs-to-the wall revenge fantasy of the highest order. (I had to say “boobs to the wall” because the women are the ones who go buckwild and hold the evil men’s feet to the fire in this book so “balls to the wall” isn’t really appropriate.) Ladies (and some gentlemen, too), if you’ve ever been screwed over by a horrible guy and had fantasies of revenge, this is your book. If you’ve ever loved a woman who has been similarly screwed over you may also enjoy this book. I’ve read so many thrillers that are trying to be what this book is.
I’m not going to give any plot explanation, as it is pretty bonkers. In a great way. But it’s better not to know the plot ahead of time, I think. Thematically it has elements of romance and sex and women’s fiction, but is primarily a thrilling novel dedicated to revenge, and a woman’s rediscovery of herself (and how!) after being subjugated and objectified by a rich husband. And of course, her subsequent Revenge. (With a capital “R” - you’ll see why when you read this.)
This author has some literary chops and I really liked the setting in Sweden, the different use of language sometimes found in Swedish noir, and all the straight up unrepentant feminism. It’s been described as a beach read but don’t let that fool you — while it’s being totally thrilling to read, it’s also very smart and has a little something important to say about gender roles and marriage.
Five very juicy evil revenge stars ... and now I’m off to find translations of all Camilla Lackberg’s other books.
Thanks to Knopf Doubleday, NetGalley and Camilla Lackberg for this totally unique thrill ride. Great Swedish domestic thriller! I’ll be back for more books from Lackberg!
This book is a straight up, boobs-to-the wall revenge fantasy of the highest order. (I had to say “boobs to the wall” because the women are the ones who go buckwild and hold the evil men’s feet to the fire in this book so “balls to the wall” isn’t really appropriate.) Ladies (and some gentlemen, too), if you’ve ever been screwed over by a horrible guy and had fantasies of revenge, this is your book. If you’ve ever loved a woman who has been similarly screwed over you may also enjoy this book. I’ve read so many thrillers that are trying to be what this book is.
I’m not going to give any plot explanation, as it is pretty bonkers. In a great way. But it’s better not to know the plot ahead of time, I think. Thematically it has elements of romance and sex and women’s fiction, but is primarily a thrilling novel dedicated to revenge, and a woman’s rediscovery of herself (and how!) after being subjugated and objectified by a rich husband. And of course, her subsequent Revenge. (With a capital “R” - you’ll see why when you read this.)
This author has some literary chops and I really liked the setting in Sweden, the different use of language sometimes found in Swedish noir, and all the straight up unrepentant feminism. It’s been described as a beach read but don’t let that fool you — while it’s being totally thrilling to read, it’s also very smart and has a little something important to say about gender roles and marriage.
Five very juicy evil revenge stars ... and now I’m off to find translations of all Camilla Lackberg’s other books.
Thanks to Knopf Doubleday, NetGalley and Camilla Lackberg for this totally unique thrill ride. Great Swedish domestic thriller! I’ll be back for more books from Lackberg!
October 6, 2020
Thanks to the Goodreads friend who posted such a great review that I managed to get a copy of this book on Overdrive before the masses signed up for it.
What started out as rather one-note story (I really didn’t like our main character at first but that changed as I learned more) was surprisingly layered by the end. I love to be surprised and this book delivered !!
This book reiterated a few truths:
1. Who you are today is often colored by who you were as a kid.
2. Revenge, when done right, really is a dish best served cold.
3. Money helps... the more money you have, the more problems you can solve, however, don’t think that someone’s “golden cage” will make them happy.
What started out as rather one-note story (I really didn’t like our main character at first but that changed as I learned more) was surprisingly layered by the end. I love to be surprised and this book delivered !!
This book reiterated a few truths:
1. Who you are today is often colored by who you were as a kid.
2. Revenge, when done right, really is a dish best served cold.
3. Money helps... the more money you have, the more problems you can solve, however, don’t think that someone’s “golden cage” will make them happy.
March 13, 2020
*https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Reading the Gilded cage for me was much like coming across a train wreck. There was carnage everywhere and you don’t want to look but you just can’t stop reading.
The main character, Faye, had no redeeming qualities and even though the author revealed her troubled upbringing and her over-bearing husband, it did nothing to endear me to her. She did too many horrendous things to ever be likeable.
The trope is a well used one; a tale of subservience, misogyny, betrayal, obsession and revenge.
The husband, of course, is a total low-life. We are not meant to have any feelings towards him. However there was one thing he was meant to have done, although predictable in a plot sense, was too unbelievable.
The big twist at the end was predicted half way through the story.
Even though the story included a host of unlikable characters (except best friend Chris) and the plot line was predictable, the story pulled me in and I couldn’t let go until the end.
*I received a copy from the publisher
Reading the Gilded cage for me was much like coming across a train wreck. There was carnage everywhere and you don’t want to look but you just can’t stop reading.
The main character, Faye, had no redeeming qualities and even though the author revealed her troubled upbringing and her over-bearing husband, it did nothing to endear me to her. She did too many horrendous things to ever be likeable.
The trope is a well used one; a tale of subservience, misogyny, betrayal, obsession and revenge.
The husband, of course, is a total low-life. We are not meant to have any feelings towards him. However there was one thing he was meant to have done, although predictable in a plot sense, was too unbelievable.
The big twist at the end was predicted half way through the story.
Even though the story included a host of unlikable characters (except best friend Chris) and the plot line was predictable, the story pulled me in and I couldn’t let go until the end.
*I received a copy from the publisher
June 27, 2022
Listened to this on audio. The narrator was good, and the story is the kind I typically like- a woman masterminding revenge- but unfortunately this particular story, while smart, was littered with too many name brands and unnecessary sex scenes.
Otherwise not bad - just those couple things kinda dragged it down for me. I liked the ending.
Otherwise not bad - just those couple things kinda dragged it down for me. I liked the ending.
April 16, 2019
Δείτε επίσης και στο Chill and read
Το νέο βιβλίο της Camilla Lackberg κυκλοφόρησε ταυτόχρονα σε ολόκληρο τον κόσμο και μάλιστα με το ίδιο πανέμορφο εξώφυλλο. Στην Ελλάδα, το δύσκολο αυτό έργο ανέλαβαν οι Εκδόσεις Μεταίχμιο που το έφεραν σε πέρας με επιτυχία. Έτσι από τις 4 του Απρίλη του 2019, το έχουμε στα χέρια μας. Όσοι είχαν κάνει προπαραγγελία, μαζί με το βιβλίο πήραν και μια συλλεκτική τσάντα εμπνευσμένη φυσικά από «Το χρυσό κλουβί». Το δημοσιογραφικό πακέτο δε, περιείχε και ένα μπουκαλάκι άρωμα, όχι το ίδιο με το αυτό στο εξώφυλλο, αλλά που μυρίζει υπέροχα όπως και να έχει!
Το βιβλίο αυτό συνδέεται πολύ με τις ασχολίες και τα ενδιαφέροντα της Lackberg όσων αφορά στα δικαιώματα και τη μεταχείριση των γυναικών. Είναι ένα αρκετά ώριμο βιβλίο με σύγχρονο θέμα, τέτοιο που αφορά μεγάλο ποσοστό του πλανήτη. Δεν είναι λίγες οι γυναίκες που δέχονται στη ζωή τους πλήγματα από ανθρώπους που αγαπάνε. Γυναίκες που τις κακομεταχειρίζονται σωματικά και ψυχικά. Που τις θεωρούν δεδομένες ή ηλίθιες. Γυναίκες που τις θεωρούν αντικείμενα και όχι ανθρώπους με συναισθήματα και ανάγκες, αλλά πιο πολύ διακοσμητικά στοιχεία ή τρόπαια.
Η Φέι είναι μια τέτοια γυναίκα. Κάποτε όμως δεν ήταν.
Όταν η Φέι μετακόμισε στη Στοκχόλμη ήταν μια δυναμική αριστούχος, φοιτήτρια της Οικονομικής Σχολής. Ένας από τους εξυπνότερους ανθρώπους της χρονιάς της. Προσαρμόζεται όσο πιο γρήγορα μπορεί στο νέο περιβάλλον. Κάνει φίλους και έχει όνειρα και φιλοδοξίες. Γνωρίζει τον έρωτα της ζωής της, τον Τζακ, και μαζί δουλεύουν σκληρά για να πετύχουν όσα έχουν βάλει με το νου τους. Η Φέι θέλει να αφήσει πίσω της το σκοτεινό παρελθόν και τη Φιελμπάκα. Δεν έχει πια καμία σχέση με το κορίτσι που μεγάλωσε εκεί και τα όσα εκείνο είχε ζήσει. Τώρα πια νιώθει ασφάλεια.
Ασφαλής και ήρεμη κοντά στον Τζακ θα αφεθεί ελεύθερη να ζήσει όπως πιστεύει ότι είναι καλύτερα και για τους δυο τους. Του έχει απόλυτη εμπιστοσύνη, γι’ αυτό και όταν μείνει έγκυος στο παιδί του θα παρατήσει τη δουλειά για να αφοσιωθεί στην οικογένειά τους. Μόνο που όσο περνάει ο καιρός κι εκείνη μεγαλώνει, αλλάζει και το σώμα της και δεν είναι πια όπως όταν εκείνος τη γνώρισε. Προσπαθεί ωστόσο με δίαιτες και άσκηση να διατηρήσει εκείνη την εικόνα. Όταν λοιπόν διαπιστώσει ότι εκείνος την απατά, ο κόσμος της γκρεμίζεται. Όχι για πολύ όμως. Μόλις αποκτήσει και πάλι την αυτοκυριαρχία της, θα βάλει μπρος το σχέδιό της να τον εκδικηθεί. Θα τον πονέσει όσο πόνεσε και η ίδια κι ακόμα παραπάνω.
Η συγγραφέας δεν εξετάζει αν αυτό που κάνει η ηρωίδα της είναι σωστό ή λάθος. Αυτός είναι ο δρόμος που διάλεξε και αυτά είναι που συμβαίνουν στην προκειμένη περίπτωση. Η ηρωίδα της είναι μια γυναίκα με φιλοδοξίες. Μια έξυπνη γυναίκα που παλεύει για τα όνειρά της και αυτό που θέλει να μας δείξει είναι ότι ακόμα και οι έξυπνες γυναίκες μπορεί να πέσουν θύματα των ίδιων τους των επιλογών. Ήταν επιλογή της να αφήσει τις σπουδές της για να δουλέψει ώστε να αποκτήσουν αυτό που ονειρεύονταν εκείνη και ο Τζακ. Όπως ήταν επιλογή της να τον έχει πάντα πρώτο στα θέλω της, να τον θεοποιήσει ώστε ότι κι αν λέει, ότι κι αν κάνει εκείνος να έχει πάντα δίκιο. Όλα αυτά όσο πιστεύει ότι την αγαπάει και τη σέβεται όμως. Όσο ζει στο συννεφάκι της αγάπης τους, που δυστυχώς για εκείνον έχει διαλυθεί πολύ νωρίτερα.
Δυστυχώς πολλές φορές οι άνθρωποι ερωτεύονται μια εικόνα μόνο. Έτσι και ο Τζακ ερωτεύτηκε την εικόνα της δεκαοχτάχρονης Φέι με τα πολλά όνειρα και το υπέροχο σώμα. Την τολμηρή και έξυπνη Φέι με την οποία συζητούσε για επιχειρήσεις. Όταν εκείνος άρχισε να απολαμβάνει την επιτυχία, άρχισε να ζητάει από τη Φέι να γίνει κάποια άλλη. Τελικά κατάφερε να την αλλάξει σε βαθμό που να μην την αναγνωρίζουν οι φίλοι της. Όμως για εκείνη δεν ήταν φανερή η αλλαγή μέχρι τη στιγμή της απιστίας.
Η γραφή της Lackberg είναι ωμή. Συνδυάζει την τριτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση όταν αναφέρεται στο παρόν και την εξέλιξη της ιστορίας και την πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση από την πλευρά της Φέι, όταν μιλάει για το σκοτεινό παρελθόν της. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο είναι αρκετά εύκολο να διαχωρίσει κανείς τις δύο περιόδους. Στην περίπτωση της πρωτοπρόσωπης αφήγησης, ο αναγνώστης μαθαίνει ποια πραγματικά ήταν η Φέι στο παρελθόν και τι καταστάσεις έχει ζήσει ώστε να μπει λίγο πιο βαθιά στην ψυχοσύνθεσή της.
Ένα από τα μηνύματα που τελικά θέλει να περάσει είναι ίσως και αυτό: «Πίστεψε στον εαυτό σου και σε όσα μπορείς να καταφέρεις. Μην ακούσεις κάποιον που θα σου πει ότι δεν μπορείς να κάνεις κάτι. Μην αφήνεσαι τυφλά και ολοκληρωτικά σε κάποιον αλλά αμφέβαλε αν αυτό που σου προτείνει είναι τελικά προς όφελός σου.» Ίσως είναι παραπάνω από ένα, ίσως και όχι, αλλά αυτό που μάχεται είναι η κακοποίηση των γυναικών και των αδύναμων, τόσο η σεξουαλική όσο και η συναισθηματική, η ψυχολογική. Διαβάστε το. Αξίζει.
Το νέο βιβλίο της Camilla Lackberg κυκλοφόρησε ταυτόχρονα σε ολόκληρο τον κόσμο και μάλιστα με το ίδιο πανέμορφο εξώφυλλο. Στην Ελλάδα, το δύσκολο αυτό έργο ανέλαβαν οι Εκδόσεις Μεταίχμιο που το έφεραν σε πέρας με επιτυχία. Έτσι από τις 4 του Απρίλη του 2019, το έχουμε στα χέρια μας. Όσοι είχαν κάνει προπαραγγελία, μαζί με το βιβλίο πήραν και μια συλλεκτική τσάντα εμπνευσμένη φυσικά από «Το χρυσό κλουβί». Το δημοσιογραφικό πακέτο δε, περιείχε και ένα μπουκαλάκι άρωμα, όχι το ίδιο με το αυτό στο εξώφυλλο, αλλά που μυρίζει υπέροχα όπως και να έχει!
Το βιβλίο αυτό συνδέεται πολύ με τις ασχολίες και τα ενδιαφέροντα της Lackberg όσων αφορά στα δικαιώματα και τη μεταχείριση των γυναικών. Είναι ένα αρκετά ώριμο βιβλίο με σύγχρονο θέμα, τέτοιο που αφορά μεγάλο ποσοστό του πλανήτη. Δεν είναι λίγες οι γυναίκες που δέχονται στη ζωή τους πλήγματα από ανθρώπους που αγαπάνε. Γυναίκες που τις κακομεταχειρίζονται σωματικά και ψυχικά. Που τις θεωρούν δεδομένες ή ηλίθιες. Γυναίκες που τις θεωρούν αντικείμενα και όχι ανθρώπους με συναισθήματα και ανάγκες, αλλά πιο πολύ διακοσμητικά στοιχεία ή τρόπαια.
Η Φέι είναι μια τέτοια γυναίκα. Κάποτε όμως δεν ήταν.
Όταν η Φέι μετακόμισε στη Στοκχόλμη ήταν μια δυναμική αριστούχος, φοιτήτρια της Οικονομικής Σχολής. Ένας από τους εξυπνότερους ανθρώπους της χρονιάς της. Προσαρμόζεται όσο πιο γρήγορα μπορεί στο νέο περιβάλλον. Κάνει φίλους και έχει όνειρα και φιλοδοξίες. Γνωρίζει τον έρωτα της ζωής της, τον Τζακ, και μαζί δουλεύουν σκληρά για να πετύχουν όσα έχουν βάλει με το νου τους. Η Φέι θέλει να αφήσει πίσω της το σκοτεινό παρελθόν και τη Φιελμπάκα. Δεν έχει πια καμία σχέση με το κορίτσι που μεγάλωσε εκεί και τα όσα εκείνο είχε ζήσει. Τώρα πια νιώθει ασφάλεια.
Ασφαλής και ήρεμη κοντά στον Τζακ θα αφεθεί ελεύθερη να ζήσει όπως πιστεύει ότι είναι καλύτερα και για τους δυο τους. Του έχει απόλυτη εμπιστοσύνη, γι’ αυτό και όταν μείνει έγκυος στο παιδί του θα παρατήσει τη δουλειά για να αφοσιωθεί στην οικογένειά τους. Μόνο που όσο περνάει ο καιρός κι εκείνη μεγαλώνει, αλλάζει και το σώμα της και δεν είναι πια όπως όταν εκείνος τη γνώρισε. Προσπαθεί ωστόσο με δίαιτες και άσκηση να διατηρήσει εκείνη την εικόνα. Όταν λοιπόν διαπιστώσει ότι εκείνος την απατά, ο κόσμος της γκρεμίζεται. Όχι για πολύ όμως. Μόλις αποκτήσει και πάλι την αυτοκυριαρχία της, θα βάλει μπρος το σχέδιό της να τον εκδικηθεί. Θα τον πονέσει όσο πόνεσε και η ίδια κι ακόμα παραπάνω.
Η συγγραφέας δεν εξετάζει αν αυτό που κάνει η ηρωίδα της είναι σωστό ή λάθος. Αυτός είναι ο δρόμος που διάλεξε και αυτά είναι που συμβαίνουν στην προκειμένη περίπτωση. Η ηρωίδα της είναι μια γυναίκα με φιλοδοξίες. Μια έξυπνη γυναίκα που παλεύει για τα όνειρά της και αυτό που θέλει να μας δείξει είναι ότι ακόμα και οι έξυπνες γυναίκες μπορεί να πέσουν θύματα των ίδιων τους των επιλογών. Ήταν επιλογή της να αφήσει τις σπουδές της για να δουλέψει ώστε να αποκτήσουν αυτό που ονειρεύονταν εκείνη και ο Τζακ. Όπως ήταν επιλογή της να τον έχει πάντα πρώτο στα θέλω της, να τον θεοποιήσει ώστε ότι κι αν λέει, ότι κι αν κάνει εκείνος να έχει πάντα δίκιο. Όλα αυτά όσο πιστεύει ότι την αγαπάει και τη σέβεται όμως. Όσο ζει στο συννεφάκι της αγάπης τους, που δυστυχώς για εκείνον έχει διαλυθεί πολύ νωρίτερα.
Δυστυχώς πολλές φορές οι άνθρωποι ερωτεύονται μια εικόνα μόνο. Έτσι και ο Τζακ ερωτεύτηκε την εικόνα της δεκαοχτάχρονης Φέι με τα πολλά όνειρα και το υπέροχο σώμα. Την τολμηρή και έξυπνη Φέι με την οποία συζητούσε για επιχειρήσεις. Όταν εκείνος άρχισε να απολαμβάνει την επιτυχία, άρχισε να ζητάει από τη Φέι να γίνει κάποια άλλη. Τελικά κατάφερε να την αλλάξει σε βαθμό που να μην την αναγνωρίζουν οι φίλοι της. Όμως για εκείνη δεν ήταν φανερή η αλλαγή μέχρι τη στιγμή της απιστίας.
Η γραφή της Lackberg είναι ωμή. Συνδυάζει την τριτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση όταν αναφέρεται στο παρόν και την εξέλιξη της ιστορίας και την πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση από την πλευρά της Φέι, όταν μιλάει για το σκοτεινό παρελθόν της. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο είναι αρκετά εύκολο να διαχωρίσει κανείς τις δύο περιόδους. Στην περίπτωση της πρωτοπρόσωπης αφήγησης, ο αναγνώστης μαθαίνει ποια πραγματικά ήταν η Φέι στο παρελθόν και τι καταστάσεις έχει ζήσει ώστε να μπει λίγο πιο βαθιά στην ψυχοσύνθεσή της.
Ένα από τα μηνύματα που τελικά θέλει να περάσει είναι ίσως και αυτό: «Πίστεψε στον εαυτό σου και σε όσα μπορείς να καταφέρεις. Μην ακούσεις κάποιον που θα σου πει ότι δεν μπορείς να κάνεις κάτι. Μην αφήνεσαι τυφλά και ολοκληρωτικά σε κάποιον αλλά αμφέβαλε αν αυτό που σου προτείνει είναι τελικά προς όφελός σου.» Ίσως είναι παραπάνω από ένα, ίσως και όχι, αλλά αυτό που μάχεται είναι η κακοποίηση των γυναικών και των αδύναμων, τόσο η σεξουαλική όσο και η συναισθηματική, η ψυχολογική. Διαβάστε το. Αξίζει.
June 4, 2019
Το χρυσό κλουβί τελείωσε,και παραλίγο να τελειώσει και η εγκεφαλική μου δραστηριότητα μαζί του.Πάμε πρώτα να δούμε τι ήθελε να γράψει η συγγραφέας:
Ήθελε λοιπόν μια ηρωίδα,στοιχειωμένη από ένα βίαιο παρελθόν και μια εφιαλτική παιδική ηλικία,να ανακάμπτει,να βρίσκει το δρόμο της στη ζωή-έχοντας όλα τα προσόντα βέβαια,μιας και είναι σούπερ έξυπνη και καλλονή.Στη συνέχεια,η ηρωίδα θα γνώριζε τον έρωτα και τα πλούτη,στα οποία φυσικά και θα συνέβαλε(είναι σούπερ έξυπνη,μην ξεχνιόμαστε),αλλά σαν την ιδανική σύζυγο και μάνα,θα έκανε στην άκρη τις φιλοδοξίες της για χάρη της φανταστικής και υπερπλούσιας οικογένειάς της.Μέχρι την ημέρα βεβαίως,που ο άντρας της θα την πέταγε στο δρόμο σαν την τρίχα από το ζυμάρι,βασιζόμενος σε ένα προγαμιαίο συμβόλαιο,έχοντάς την μετατρέψει πρωτίστως σε τάρανδο.Κι εδώ θα στηριζόταν ένα στιβαρό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ,με έντονο άρωμα φεμινισμού,εκδίκησης και αγώνα για την εξαπατημένη γυναίκα,που άφησε για χάρη ενός άνδρα την προσωπικότητά της να ισοπεδωθεί και να παρακμάσει.(Όλα αυτά υπάρχουν στο οπισθόφυλλο και στις περιλήψεις του βιβλίου και δεν υπάρχει σπόιλερ).Και ίσως και αυτό να ήταν όντως ένα καλοδουλεμένο ψυχολογικό θρίλερ,αν όμως είχε βασιστεί σε αυτά τα στοιχεία.
Αντί,γι'αυτά λοιπόν,ο αναγνώστης βρίσκετα�� αντιμέτωπος με μια μνησίκακη και υπολογίστρια ηρωίδα,που χρησιμοποιεί το σεξ για καθαρά χειριστικούς λόγους-για να μπει στα χλιδάτα μπαρ,για να βρει έναν πλούσιο γκόμενο κλπ κλπ,η οποία μεταχειρίζεται απίστευτα ελεεινές πρακτικές για να πετύχει τον απώτερο στόχο της,και που μετατρέπεται σε μια ηλίθια μέγαιρα όταν η ζωή την φέρνει αντιμέτωπη με τις επιλογές της. Κουράστηκε το μυαλό μου από τις ανούσιες περιγραφές των ερωτικών της πρακτικών,δεν εξυπηρετούσαν πουθενά την πλευρά του ψυχολογικού θρίλερ,απλά μετέτρεψαν μια εν δυνάμει καλή ιστορία,σε κακής ποιότητας πορνογραφικό υλικό-μιας κι αν κάποιος/α ενδιαφέρεται για αντίστοιχα αναγνώσματα,σαφώς υπάρχουν απείρως πιο ενδιαφέροντα από αυτό.Το μοναδικό αστέρι που μπορώ να δώσω κατόπιν ωρίμου σκέψεως,το χρωστάει αποκλειστικά στους δύο βοηθητικούς χαρακτήρες τον Βίκτορ και την Κρις που ήταν ότι πιο ενδιαφέρον βρήκα εγώ τουλάχιστον σε αυτή την ιστορία.Δεν θα μπω στην διαδικασία να το συγκρίνω με Άρλεκιν γιατί θα αδικήσω τα συμπαθητικά μικρούλια,ούτε καν με το Fifty shades,μιας και αποτέλεσε φτηνή πηγή έμπνευσης.Η κυριότερη εντύπωσή μου ήταν ότι υπήρχαν υπερβολικά πολλές σκηνές μεταφερμένες σχεδόν αυτούσιες από τα καλύτερα επεισόδια του Sex and the city!(😂) Ούτε στα χειρότερα όνειρά μου δεν θέλω να διανοηθώ ότι αυτή η βλακεία αποτελεί ύμνο στη γυναικεία χειραφέτηση.Βεβαίως υπάρχουν έξω παραδείγματα γυναικών σαν τη Φέι,και βεβαίως υπάρχουν άντρες σαν τον Τζακ,όμως αυτό ήταν ένα κακό βιβλίο για να μεταφερθούν τα αισθήματα λύτρωσης και αναγνώρισης που αξίζει μια καταπιεσμένη,εξαπατημένη και κυρίως κακοποιημένη,ψυχικά και σωματικά,γυναίκα.
Ήθελε λοιπόν μια ηρωίδα,στοιχειωμένη από ένα βίαιο παρελθόν και μια εφιαλτική παιδική ηλικία,να ανακάμπτει,να βρίσκει το δρόμο της στη ζωή-έχοντας όλα τα προσόντα βέβαια,μιας και είναι σούπερ έξυπνη και καλλονή.Στη συνέχεια,η ηρωίδα θα γνώριζε τον έρωτα και τα πλούτη,στα οποία φυσικά και θα συνέβαλε(είναι σούπερ έξυπνη,μην ξεχνιόμαστε),αλλά σαν την ιδανική σύζυγο και μάνα,θα έκανε στην άκρη τις φιλοδοξίες της για χάρη της φανταστικής και υπερπλούσιας οικογένειάς της.Μέχρι την ημέρα βεβαίως,που ο άντρας της θα την πέταγε στο δρόμο σαν την τρίχα από το ζυμάρι,βασιζόμενος σε ένα προγαμιαίο συμβόλαιο,έχοντάς την μετατρέψει πρωτίστως σε τάρανδο.Κι εδώ θα στηριζόταν ένα στιβαρό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ,με έντονο άρωμα φεμινισμού,εκδίκησης και αγώνα για την εξαπατημένη γυναίκα,που άφησε για χάρη ενός άνδρα την προσωπικότητά της να ισοπεδωθεί και να παρακμάσει.(Όλα αυτά υπάρχουν στο οπισθόφυλλο και στις περιλήψεις του βιβλίου και δεν υπάρχει σπόιλερ).Και ίσως και αυτό να ήταν όντως ένα καλοδουλεμένο ψυχολογικό θρίλερ,αν όμως είχε βασιστεί σε αυτά τα στοιχεία.
Αντί,γι'αυτά λοιπόν,ο αναγνώστης βρίσκετα�� αντιμέτωπος με μια μνησίκακη και υπολογίστρια ηρωίδα,που χρησιμοποιεί το σεξ για καθαρά χειριστικούς λόγους-για να μπει στα χλιδάτα μπαρ,για να βρει έναν πλούσιο γκόμενο κλπ κλπ,η οποία μεταχειρίζεται απίστευτα ελεεινές πρακτικές για να πετύχει τον απώτερο στόχο της,και που μετατρέπεται σε μια ηλίθια μέγαιρα όταν η ζωή την φέρνει αντιμέτωπη με τις επιλογές της. Κουράστηκε το μυαλό μου από τις ανούσιες περιγραφές των ερωτικών της πρακτικών,δεν εξυπηρετούσαν πουθενά την πλευρά του ψυχολογικού θρίλερ,απλά μετέτρεψαν μια εν δυνάμει καλή ιστορία,σε κακής ποιότητας πορνογραφικό υλικό-μιας κι αν κάποιος/α ενδιαφέρεται για αντίστοιχα αναγνώσματα,σαφώς υπάρχουν απείρως πιο ενδιαφέροντα από αυτό.Το μοναδικό αστέρι που μπορώ να δώσω κατόπιν ωρίμου σκέψεως,το χρωστάει αποκλειστικά στους δύο βοηθητικούς χαρακτήρες τον Βίκτορ και την Κρις που ήταν ότι πιο ενδιαφέρον βρήκα εγώ τουλάχιστον σε αυτή την ιστορία.Δεν θα μπω στην διαδικασία να το συγκρίνω με Άρλεκιν γιατί θα αδικήσω τα συμπαθητικά μικρούλια,ούτε καν με το Fifty shades,μιας και αποτέλεσε φτηνή πηγή έμπνευσης.Η κυριότερη εντύπωσή μου ήταν ότι υπήρχαν υπερβολικά πολλές σκηνές μεταφερμένες σχεδόν αυτούσιες από τα καλύτερα επεισόδια του Sex and the city!(😂) Ούτε στα χειρότερα όνειρά μου δεν θέλω να διανοηθώ ότι αυτή η βλακεία αποτελεί ύμνο στη γυναικεία χειραφέτηση.Βεβαίως υπάρχουν έξω παραδείγματα γυναικών σαν τη Φέι,και βεβαίως υπάρχουν άντρες σαν τον Τζακ,όμως αυτό ήταν ένα κακό βιβλίο για να μεταφερθούν τα αισθήματα λύτρωσης και αναγνώρισης που αξίζει μια καταπιεσμένη,εξαπατημένη και κυρίως κακοποιημένη,ψυχικά και σωματικά,γυναίκα.
July 7, 2020
3.5 stars
Have you ever picked up a book solely because the cover intrigued you? Raise your hand if you're as guilty as me right now. Once I read the synopsis about The Golden Cage , it solidified my desire to pick this book up. Its rare to find a thriller novel that can also be steamy and I'm ready to try different types of writing styles. I really am glad that I picked up this Camilla Lackberg's latest book.
The Golden Cage is a sexy, domestic thriller that will delight novice mystery/thriller fans. With a marriage controlled by power, greed, and sex, we are given unlikable characters that are constantly at war with each other. Camilla Lackberg's writing is spectacular and I'd definitely read more from this author, but the plot has been done before by domestic thriller writers. I did enjoy that the book explicitly and honestly talked about sex and power dynamics within a relationship and definitely enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the book. While this book talks about serious topics, such as cancer and sexuality, it also is very fun. Even though I only gave the book 3.5 stars, it's still a great ride and if you don't read too many books in the domestic thriller genre, then you will absolutely love it.
Have you ever picked up a book solely because the cover intrigued you? Raise your hand if you're as guilty as me right now. Once I read the synopsis about The Golden Cage , it solidified my desire to pick this book up. Its rare to find a thriller novel that can also be steamy and I'm ready to try different types of writing styles. I really am glad that I picked up this Camilla Lackberg's latest book.
The Golden Cage is a sexy, domestic thriller that will delight novice mystery/thriller fans. With a marriage controlled by power, greed, and sex, we are given unlikable characters that are constantly at war with each other. Camilla Lackberg's writing is spectacular and I'd definitely read more from this author, but the plot has been done before by domestic thriller writers. I did enjoy that the book explicitly and honestly talked about sex and power dynamics within a relationship and definitely enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the book. While this book talks about serious topics, such as cancer and sexuality, it also is very fun. Even though I only gave the book 3.5 stars, it's still a great ride and if you don't read too many books in the domestic thriller genre, then you will absolutely love it.
August 8, 2020
- 2.5 stars - My first book by Swedish author Camilla Läckberg and I find The Golden Cage to be a quick and readable psycho-thriller. To me there's nothing wrong with the writing or translation, but the story itself is eyeroll inducing.
Faye, the protagonist is a very accommodating wife. Since the husband loves nothing more than rough sex and school girl rape porn... what does she give him? uh huh. After she caught the douchebag billionaire husband cheating with his young and skinny associate red handed, she forgives him. He, however, calls it quit. She seeks revenge with a "see what you're missing?" attitude and more. There is a strong sexual content throughout. At the end of the day even a sweet twist couldn't save this so so story.
Faye, the protagonist is a very accommodating wife. Since the husband loves nothing more than rough sex and school girl rape porn... what does she give him? uh huh. After she caught the douchebag billionaire husband cheating with his young and skinny associate red handed, she forgives him. He, however, calls it quit. She seeks revenge with a "see what you're missing?" attitude and more. There is a strong sexual content throughout. At the end of the day even a sweet twist couldn't save this so so story.
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