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David McK (3562 KP) rated To Do and Die in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Despite a promising start, if I'm honest, I actually found this book quite hard to get into. Never really grabbed me in the way, say, a Sharpe novel does despite having a similar theme: a tale about soldiers in the midst of a war (in this case, the Crimea).

I don't think the writing style really helped either, which I found could be quite dense and needlessly convoluted, and the heavy emphasis on the vernacular of the time also meant that it was quite easy to lose track of what was going on or what the characters were even talking about!

All in all, unfortunately, not really that impressed by this book.

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Deborah (162 KP) rated The Last Queen in Books

Dec 21, 2018

The start was a bit shaky - a few Americanisms thrown in there (Why 'visit with'??! It's a daft, redundant sort of expression!) but when I got in to it I found it to be a really rather compelling novel! This is the story of Juana 'The Mad', Quuen of Castile, daughter of Ferdinand & Isabella, the catholic kings. Gortner has an interesting take on Juana's 'madness' which he develops in the novel.

It's not altogether a comfortable read though! so many times I felt myself to be frustrated for Juana and the situation she found herself in - manipulated by others.

An interesting and thought-provoking read about a queen perhaps not much known outside of Spain.

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Vegas (725 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books

Jan 24, 2020

The Silent Patient

Alex Michaelides | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

8.3

(39 Ratings)

Book Rating

The plot build up (1 more)

When it all comes together

One man's goal, to find out the truth when other specialsts can't... A woman who has remained silent, unable or unwilling to talk after being found over the dead body of her partner and sent to a hospital for mental health issues after being found guilty of his murder...

I read the second half of this book in one sitting after being gripped at one point mid way through and just couldn't put it down, wanting to know exactly what happened that fateful day.

The story does appear slightly fragmented at points BUT it all come together in the end and then you see why.