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BookInspector (124 KP) rated After He Died in Books

Sep 24, 2020

After He Died

Michael J. Malone | 2018 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

The main protagonist in this novel is Paula, a middle-class housewife, who just became a widow. A young woman – Cara, is trying to shine a different light on Paula’s deceased husband Thomas. This novel is told from two different perspectives – Paula’s and Cara’s. This book is soaked with grief, both of these characters lost people in their past, and they are still dealing with their grief. I really liked Paula in this book. I could feel her pain and her confusion, and to be honest, I was confused with her because all those little clues and words left me as much baffled as Paula herself. I really wanted to like Cara in this novel, but I couldn’t bond with her. I did like what she represented and I did like her attitude, but I couldn’t warm up to her.

The narrative of this novel is very masterfully delivered. It covers a really wide spectrum of events: we have a domestic noir, filled with family relationships and grief, and at the same time we have murders and mystery which are unfolding very slowly. I really liked the topics M. Malone discussed in this book, such as poverty and homelessness; how people deal with grief and what death brings to the families; drugs and how it influences people and their future, etc. I think this novel is more character driven than the investigation itself, but all these talks about feelings and sadness were too much for me at times, I wanted more pace and more unexpected findings. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of surprises and twists, but I needed more. 😀

I really enjoyed M. Malone’s writing style, it is a very well crafted novel, and his way of sharing Scottish lingual nuances was absolutely adorable and I really liked them. 🙂 This book has a very strong “rich vs. poor” accent, and the setting is changing between luxury, wellness, and shady areas with homeless people, and I found it very well balanced in this book. The chapters were pretty short, and the whole novel was quick and easy to read. The ending of this book rounded this novel very well and it did leave me satisfied. So, to conclude, this is a very sensitive novel, where the pain after someone’s death is very raw and haunting, but at the same time, it is a great thriller filled with very realistic and casual characters and a very unexpected plot. I really liked this novel, and I hope you will give this book a try and enjoy as much as I did.

Kudos

Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Rich People Problems in Books

Apr 9, 2019

Rich People Problems

Kevin Kwan | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

In the third installment of the Crazy Rich Asians series, we find that the matriarch of the family, Su Yi Young is on her death bed and her relative will stop at nothing in order to get the most coveted prize of her estate, Tyersall Park. Tyersall Park is a sprawling compound that is the most valuable piece of real estate in all of Singapore. Will the family be able to put away their differences long enough to agree?

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. Rich People Problems is a great way to start off my summer reading season. This book had me laughing out loud and desperate to find out how it was all going to end.

When this book starts, it has been three years, since Nick and Rachel have gotten married and they have not returned to Singapore since all of the crazy things Nick's family did to them while they were there, but Nick's Ah Ma might not make it much longer. He can't let his pride get in the way of seeing his grandmother before she leaves this earth. As he returns to Singapore, though he finds that getting to see her may not be as easy as he thought. His family is blocking him from seeing her. Since he is the only grandson with the Young name, it's only right that Tyersall Park should be his. But his cousins and Aunts have a different idea. Through trial and tribulation from each member of the family we finally get to see who Tyersall Park will belong too and who will get the rest of Su Yi Young's fortune. The same crazy characters are in this book up to their usual antics or trying on some new ones.

I have been entertained by all of the Crazy Rich Asian books, but this one had me laughing the loudest. It's amazing the things each individual will go through just to be the best or because of money or fame. There are always books with family rivalries and secrets, but none quite and unique and the Young family and their prosperous friends and relatives.

This is one series, that if you haven't started to read it, you have to jump on board. It's been a while since I have had a book make me laugh out loud while reading it. Kevin Kwan has made me want to learn more about this part of the Asian culture.