Cover Image: The Woman in the Library

The Woman in the Library

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Member Reviews

This was a mystery like nothing that I had read before. I enjoyed the layout of the book very much.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced readers copy.

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This was told by 2 characters in the past and present. That worked for me (usually doesn't), and I liked the setting. However, it was a little lack luster and a little slow (or it was slow, because of it lacking some oomph). Ultimately, just an okay read.

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This book was really interesting! I was intrigued by the storyline and that's what initially drew me to this title. I also really love the cover artwork.

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A fabulous read! What a book this is! I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the plot and the characters. The writing was what made the book even more enjoyable. A delightful read for this year.

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The Woman in the Library is a fascinating story within a story (inception)—the main plot is actually the events of a novel being written by an author. This book plot is the primary focus, and the only glimpses we get of the world outside the text is through written correspondence between the author and a man who is helping to review the book and provide research as the draft comes together. Many well-established twists and turns, and while I know the conclusion is likely controversial and up for debate, I found it ominous but satisfying. I couldn't put this down!

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This was a DNF for me. Too many unlikable characters and too many of them woven all around.
I made it to about 35%, and hate giving up on a book, but it was just dragging on too much for me.

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I was quite intrigued when I read this book back in summer. It was packing and I enjoyed the atmosphere and also the love interest part was interesting. The story lines though seemed a bit chaotic and it wasn't going directly and tried a lot at once and I think at least in the end the murderer was kind of predictable.
Also I am still not sure I loved or main character or if I found her pretentious. But that's probably connected to her writing a book in a book and her writing style being pretentious. Still the setting was enjoyable and it was experimental.
Overall a 3.5 for me.

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For me, this book was a struggle. I think it was only a struggle because I hated that the read was like watching the story as it was being written. That bothered me. I felt it took away from the mystery that I wanted. I understood and appreciated the concept, it was an interesting idea. But, ultimately, it took away from the mystery. I would build up and get going on the mystery story that was happening and then suddenly be jerked back with a letter to the author that was outside the world I was just in. Then, I would be tossed back into the world again. This made me feel like I was never fully able to invest in the story the way I wanted to. For those who enjoy multiple storylines and narrators, this is fantastic. It's a wonderful concept, but I felt it was not well served in book form.

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I will give it to the author that this book was very unique. However, a lot of it just rubbed me the wrong way. There was some super racist stuff said by one of the characters. I just found myself really annoyed by all the characters. I can see why someone like this book because it's very different. It's just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️

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A murder in a library, what fun! The story hidden in a story was an extremely creative way of bringing the mystery to life. The character development and original style made this book entertaining and enjoyable. This clever whodunnit kept me guessing until the unexpected conclusion. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for my copy.

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DNF @ 16%

Yall, this might be my fastest dnf in history. I went in with high hopes, and was left underwhelmed, disappointed, and honestly confused as to how this was published.

The characters are lacking, the writing style is immature, the plot leaves a lot to be desired, and the formatting while slightly experimental just ended up making both parts of the book feel like rough drafts rather than well thought out interwoven peices.

I went ahead and preemptively looked at other reviews to make sure I wasn't batshit crazy, and it seems as though every single 1 star review and dnf fully agreed with everything I'd been thinking so far, so I went ahead and decided to save my time for other things as well.

Hoping other people find more joy from this story than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This book uses an interesting premise & structure. Hannah is the author writing about a fictitious Australian grant recipient who is currently in Boston writing a new mystery. "Freddie" is watching two men and one woman who are sharing her table at the Boston Public Library reading room when they hear a woman's scream. That scream results in unexpected friendships as Freddie continues to work on her manuscript and the four of them try to solve the mystery of the woman's murder. Each chapter ends with an American fan named Leo writing to Hannah with manuscript feedback and suggestions.

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Didn't love the pacing of this one. Found it to be slow and dull, with one-dimensional characters who weren't worth investing in.

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If there hadn’t been a scream in the Boston Public Library, Winifred, Cain, Marigold, and Whit never would have talked. The scream brings the four together as unlikely friends, but when it turns out the scream came from a woman who was murdered, they all become suspects, and hiding their secrets becomes more difficult. This story is told as a story within a story, shared between Hannah and a fellow writer for feedback, adding even more layers and complexity to the mystery.

I really enjoyed the layers of this book. While there were a few moments the structure of a book within a book left me confused, I felt that this was intentional and added to the suspense and shock at the end of the book. As a reader, I loved all of the book and writing references woven through both storylines and adored the library setting. The only thing I’m still not 100% certain if I loved was the ending. We were told everything, and I feel like being left with a few questions at the end may have made this book more powerful. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

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Kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time.
The story was entertaining and had twists I didn’t see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

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This book was a mind bender--a book within a book within a book--and not really what the synopsis says it is. While I figured out one of the mysteries, I was completely wrong on the other! While the romance was rushed and not completely believable, the way it fits into the book worked so I'm not mad at it.

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"The Woman in the Library", by Sulari Gentill, is a mysery within a mystery novel.

The majority of the book follows Winifred Kincaid, an Australian woman in her twenties, living in Boston on a writing scholarship. One day, when she is at the Boston Public Library, she hears a woman's scream. When the woman is found dead later, Winifred and the people sitting with her at the time of the scream get tangled in a murder investigation, which uncovers interesting connections between all those involved.

But this is only the story within the story. The main protragonist is actually Hannah Tigone, an Australian writer, who is writing the murder mystery following Winifred Kincaid. Each chapter also includes correspondence between Hannah and Leo, an adviser from Boston, who provides Hannah with his input about her upcoming book.

While it required a little more attention in the begining to keep track of the two different narratives and who belongs in which, once the story progressed, that was not an issue. I found both storylines entertaining, and the way they connected exciting. I already forgot a lot of the mystery details weeks after I read the book, but I do remember the general feeling of enjoyment and wanting to read more as the story progressed. This was definitely a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-arc. All opinions are my own. "The Woman in the Library", by Sulari Gentill has been available since June 2022.

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I wanted this book to be so much more than it really was... it moved so slowly, and there was a lot of info dump that seemed unnecessary. The two storylines did not complement each other in a way that worked well for telling this story, it actually made it more complicated for me to keep up.

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This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

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While it was a little slow in the middle, I really enjoyed this book overall. I was so intrigued at the beginning and the twists really got me.

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