Cover Image: The Woman in the Library

The Woman in the Library

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Definitely a good read!

The characters, the environment, the plot, each one comprehensively elaborated upon. You pick up on every nuance and quirk of the 4 main characters, and are able to put forth a strong image in your mind as to what they look like, and who and what their dispositions and temperaments are made up of. As well as their surroundings, living quarters, eateries, etc. The embedded, seemingly tiny, daily trivialities, immerse the reader into gratifyingly experiencing it all.

The Who-Dunnit element had me going back and forth quite a few times. The innocence of one "suspect" I never really emphatically questioned. I had the same faith in him the main character did. The rest of the possible persons of interest, I did capitulate, quite frequently, from side to side a number of times.

Just when you thought substantial rationale has been presented to solidify who you were locked in on, the distrust and uncertainty began to surface, and you were no longer looking at X person, but rather now at person Y, only to wonder if maybe it was Z after all.

One of the most enticing parts of the book, at least for myself, is there's actually 2 stories, or plot lines, going on at the time. You don't realize it until it explodes forth in a way which you never see advancing and it extremely, without warning, accelerates. It's only addressed for a couple of pages at the beginning and /or end of the chapters, so you don't comprehend what's about to sneak up on you, until it's well into the novel. Remarkably ingenious style of weaving this entirely self-contained plot, abtrusely inside the central plot.

Very enjoyable read, and would highly recommend to anyone looking for an immersive storyline, which is light-hearted enough to read through in a sitting or two, but cryptic and obscure enough to hold your attention.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the premise and concept of this book and think the library setting was really well done. Parts of the book were too slow and could have been cut down a bit. But I enjoyed the characters and the resolution to the mystery surprised me and was really well done.

Was this review helpful?

Written by Sulari Gentill, this is about…. 3 plots within a plot? And I actually enjoyed this quite a bit.

We have an aspiring writer, who moved to Boston from out-of-the-country and is trying to make it in literature. At the same time, the story is being written and reviewed by someone who actually lives in Boston in real life. Oh, and the aspiring writer? She is also writing a story.

If you couldn’t figure out by the title, in the “main” story there is a death in the library that brings 4 strangers together, whom end up inspiring the characters for the story within a story within a story.

That is to say, if you can’t deal with or don’t like to read stories from multiple perspectives, give this one a pass.

This book also has a lot of twists that I, personally, enjoyed. Some I didn’t see coming, some I suspected, but overall I enjoyed reading – er, listening to – this book. I think the narration really helped the plot along and took what might have otherwise been a more basic writing style and helped to really immerse me into the story.

If you don’t like murder, if you want a bunch of romance or dare-do-well, pass on this book. If you like twisty suspense, perhaps give the audiobook a try. I think that is actually the best way to read this story.

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I dnf’d at like 40%. The meta-meta aspect of it was too much, too complicated. And then I didn’t care. For those, though, who like super unreliable narrators, they will love this one.

Was this review helpful?

Four people are sitting in the reading room of the Boston Public Library when a scream breaks the silence and a woman turns up dead. This had the potential for a great murder mystery but ultimately I did not end up connecting to the characters the way I would have wanted to and I thought the overall plot was relatively easy to guess. The very end left me a bit confused with her neighbor showing up in the elevator, just because he thought she might need him. It felt as if there was something that I had missed earlier in the book.

I did thoroughly enjoy the story within a story aspect of the book. In fact, I was usually much more interested in the emails between Hannah, Leo, and eventually the police.

I enjoyed the audiobook version of this book. It was easy to understand the reader even with the wide range of accents that were required. The one issue I had with the audiobook was that it was difficult to follow when the reader jumped from the story to the emails.

Was this review helpful?

Four strangers are sharing a table at when’s woman’s terrified scream shatters the normally hushed whispers of Boston Public Library. If the time they spend waiting for the all-clear at BPL doesn’t bond them, the series of strange and traumatic events to follow surely will. But who among them is a murderer?

I want to start out by saying that I have been listening to the audio version of this since June. I do not recommend it, as I found it very difficult to keep track of what perspective I was listening to. Hence putting off listening to it for six months. But I try not to finish a year without finishing the books I started within it. So, here it is.

I have yet to figure out whether this was a murder mystery, locked room mystery, mystery within a whodunnit, character study, elaborate writing exercises, or none of the above. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t really get it in. I didn’t care for any of the characters. Honestly, the only positive I have is that the surroundings were always very well described. So at least I could envision the setting, if not the people.

Was this review helpful?

This ended up being a slow read (listen) for me, which is unusual for a thriller but I just didn't find myself picking it back up that often. The story is a story within a story with an author sending transcripts of their murder mystery to a editor like fan who's letters begin to get more and more interesting. I just felt like the build up kinda went slow slow slow NOW and dropped everything at once so the pacing felt off and this might just be a me thing but turns out I have trouble connecting to a story within a story. Of course I know characters are fictional but something about them being fictional in even the fictional world made me care less about their outcome. The writing was still good though and i appreciate an interesting concept. I would definitely check out another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a real mess with your mind kind of meta story, and I really really liked it. Sulari Gentill is a very smart writer who created a story within a story that was compelling and immersive and really gave you something to talk about. We book clubbed this one and it was ripe for discussion. While I'm not always a fan of an ending that keeps things iffy- this was an effective way to end the story and give the reader the experience that the story goes on even after the reader has finished the last page.
I interviewed Sulari and she is phenomenal to speak with and very insightful voice on writing and creativity.

Was this review helpful?

This novel has one of my favorite plot tricks and that is a story withing a story. I thoroughly enjoyed how the stories begin as two different things and then become intertwined to the point where you can't differentiate which is real and which is false. The narrator does a wonderful job keeping character voices distinct and interesting.

Was this review helpful?

I fear this is another case of a book being rated poorly over all because of bad marketing. The synopsis for this book isn't really accurate for what you're getting. It was a fine thriller, if a little predictable - like obviously the main suspect is a huge red herring.

Typically I like meta books - but in this one it just felt tacked on. Like what was the point of that? There wasn't much resolution there, and frankly this book would have gotten a higher rating from me if it hadn't been there.

For most of the book I was around a three stars, but the ending just didn't give what I needed it to give to get that three stars.

The narrator was lovely, but I think this audiobook really needed at least two narrators.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this mystery by getting to know each member of the group bit by bit as the story progressed slowly to a nail biting conclusion.

Was this review helpful?

I’m greatly surprised by how much hype there has been for this book, which is essentially a forgettable, below average mystery.

I read a LOT in the mystery genre and I’m not super picky as long as the solve isn’t awful, but this one is unengaging, has no atmosphere, has no feeling of suspense, and the characters lack even a shred of nuance.

The solve is fine, if predictable, but the backstory that leads there is dull and the delivery of it clumsy.

There are so, so many great mysteries that get very little attention. It’s baffling to me why this one got so much.

Audiobook readers: This book works fine in this format. The medium can’t save a book like this that won’t hold up in terms of quality in any form, but this is no fault of the narrator, who does a lovely job.

Was this review helpful?

This audiobook really surprised me in a good way. The story is very intriguing and kept me guessing until the end. The characters are believable and interesting and the narration also reverses a five star.

Was this review helpful?

Another succinct review, but I really appreciated the narrator, whose talents I had previously enjoyed in another audiobook ARC earlier this year.

Was this review helpful?

As everyone knows, this has been a super hyped book and I can see why, but also there were parts of it that were slow and dragged for me. So, for me, this didn't completely live up to the hype, but it came close. I listened to this one on audio with an alc(advanced listening copy) and enjoyed the audio. It was well done with very good quality audio. The narrator, Katherine Littrell, did a great job portraying the characters and everything.
It was very engrossing in a lot of the story and I don't know how she wrote this without getting confused at times because I got a little confused and had to separate who was talking and where we were and what was going on.
If I hadn't listened to this one on audio, I don't know if I would've gotten into it as much or been able to finish it as I did, so I would recommend the audiobook of this one.
This had layers to it and was one of those stories within a story book that starts with a murder in the library and is a twisty adventure. It was a bit messy and confusing in parts though, but overall a decent read. I did kind of expect and hope for something different, then it ended up being more of a locked room mystery. Anyway, if you want to check it out, I would highly recommend doing it with the audiobook.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for letting me listen to and review this alc(audiobook arc). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. Something about it just didn't feel true. I could not get into these four adult strangers becoming fast friends and hanging out because they were together when a murder took place in a library. The story moved very slowly and I lost interest.

Was this review helpful?

Special thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the digital audio of this book.

I thought this book was brilliantly done. I'm quick becoming a lover of audio. How else to get everything else done?

The story starts out in Boston Public Library with Teddy a young aspiring writer from Australia picked as the recipient of a writing grant, sharing a table with 2 young men and another woman when a s ream breaks out bonding the four of them with a round of who they all are and who or which one of them is a killer.

This is .y type if book. It's a "story within a story", which kappreciate because these type books are hard to find. Recommendations wl be very much well received..

A very unique story and enough twists to keep you guessing. 5 stars. Remarkable and kudos to the author, Sulari Gentill.

Was this review helpful?

A group of people are studying/reading at the Boston Public Library when they hear a scream. This group of strangers then are forced to remain in the library until the police investigate and strike up conversation with one another. The problem is one of them is a murderer. I was expecting this book to be more suspenseful. However, I found myself getting bored!

Was this review helpful?

I could not finish this one. Although I will continue a book even if I don't like the character, there wasn't even a good mystery here. I don't understand why an Australian woman with no ties to Boston decided to write about Boston, but then the advice she was given wasn't even that great. I can roll with a story within a story, but the events at the Boston library made no sense. I could understand them witnessing the murder as a bonding moment but just hearing a scream doesn't seem like it should build such intense bonds. Overall I didn't care for any characters and nothing made sense.
The narrator was very good and probably why I stuck around for so long.

Was this review helpful?

A story within a story, within a story. A fascinating crime novel with so many layers, it will keep you guessing until the end.
Four strangers in the Boston Public Library hear a blood-curling scream, and it bonds them together. Then, they discover that the screamer was murdered - and the mystery commences. Hidden agendas, secret longings, and a whole lot of red herrings make this mystery a compelling one. Who murdered the woman in the library?
As the story develops, we also get a glimpse into the writing life of the author, and find that art might imitate life just a little too closely...
A great read for those mystery readers that want to shake things up a bit.

Was this review helpful?