Status
Available
Call number
Publication
William Morrow (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 640 pages
Description
A century after the macabre deaths of several students at a New England girls' boarding school, the release of a sensational book on the school's history inspires a horror film adaptation that renews suspicions of a curse when the cast and crew arrive at the long-abandoned building. 1902, the Brookhants School for Girls. Flo and Clara are obsessed with each other and with Mary MacLane, the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir. The girls establish their own private club and call it the Plain Bad Heroine Society. Their bodies are discovered in a nearby apple orchard, with a copy of Mary's book splayed beside them, the victims of a swarm of stinging, angry yellow jackets. within five years three more people die on the property-- and the Brookhants School for Girls closes its doors forever. The now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news when writer Merritt Emmons publishes a breakout book celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the "haunted and cursed" Gilded Age institution. Her book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation starring lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill-fated heroine Flo, and former child star Audrey Wells as Clara. But as Brookhants opens its gates once again for filming, soon it's impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins. -- adapted from jacket… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
I was excited for this book, but that fizzled. I think I'm too old for it. It's too twee. Precious. Repetitive. Boring. Preachy. The writer doesn't trust the reader to get it. She's constantly on message, in love with her perceived cleverness and nothing happens. Good concept gone wrong. Bah.
LibraryThing member drewsof
5+ out of 5.
Absolutely fantastic -- this book has big NIGHT FILM energy but also weaves in a time-hopping story that never drags, never feels too long even at just-over-600 pages, and genuinely packs a spooky punch to boot. The book feels vivid and fresh and like it blurs the lines between reality
Fucking great stuff.
Absolutely fantastic -- this book has big NIGHT FILM energy but also weaves in a time-hopping story that never drags, never feels too long even at just-over-600 pages, and genuinely packs a spooky punch to boot. The book feels vivid and fresh and like it blurs the lines between reality
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and fiction in the best possible ways, leaving the book as an inhabitant in your mind long after you've put it down. There's a sense of my world now including Bo Dhillon's film and real people called Harper and Audrey and Merritt, in the same way that I want to see a Cordova film or I'm curious to see if Tuesday Mooney might pop across the street in front of me the next time I'm in Boston.Fucking great stuff.
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LibraryThing member spinsterrevival
Ok well unfortunately at the moment I’m quitting at 20%. Even though I received an ARC through Early Reviewers, I decided to check the audiobook out from the library because it’s such a brick. I at least figured out my problem with that is that the footnotes strewn all over are just read
But really I’m not finishing because I just don’t care. The 1902 story seemed interesting but then we switch to present day where I don’t really like any of the women or the people around them. I think listening to four hours of audio is enough that I’m good without needing to hear the next sixteen. Maybe one day I’ll come back to the book when I have more effs to give, but I’m too old to deal with meh books in my life.
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through, so it’s difficult to stay focused on what’s happening. That and the reader has an annoying tone and is crap at doing voices.But really I’m not finishing because I just don’t care. The 1902 story seemed interesting but then we switch to present day where I don’t really like any of the women or the people around them. I think listening to four hours of audio is enough that I’m good without needing to hear the next sixteen. Maybe one day I’ll come back to the book when I have more effs to give, but I’m too old to deal with meh books in my life.
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LibraryThing member Carol420
The story idea and delivery were good but the book its self was just too wordy. The same good story could have been told and been just as good in about 100 less pages. The tale went back and forth from 1900 to modern day with alternate viewpoints by different characters present during that time
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period. I also don’t understand why it’s deemed a “horror” novel. Maybe it is if you’re 12 years old but it loses the creep factor for adults. I believe the author was trying to connect the strange occurrences taking place during the filming of the movie being made at the school and what happened on the site in the early 1900 events. Something was lost in the time spans. The book seems to have two themes; one about the proposed supernatural events and the other about being gay. It would have been better if one theme or the other was the main event. Show Less
LibraryThing member jnmegan
Captivating and enigmatic cover art tantalizes the reader to open the pages of Plain Bad Heroines, by Emily Danforth. Touted as horror, Danforth's novel might be better described as gothic romance with multi-layered suggestions of the paranormal. Numerous forces of nature act as intervening deities
Thanks to the author, Harper Collins and Edelweiss Plus for a pre-published ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
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serving to complicate or encourage displays of human emotional and physical attraction. The novel opens with an excerpt from the fictional "Story of Mary MacLane," a book that provides the rationale behind the title and epitomizes its recurring theme. Through her "plain bad heroines," Danforth subverts the cultural idealization of women, proposing instead that character flaws and expressed imperfections are more authentic signs of courage. The author initiates the action with the backstory of two students attending The Brookhants School for Girls in turn-of-the-century Rhode Island. Their love for each other and shared obsession with the Mary McLane book results in an unexplained tragedy, and launches rumors of a supernatural force that lingers at the institution for decades. The narrative then jumps forward to the current century, just as a movie is being cast based on the girls’ story and subsequent strange happenings at the school. The present-day generation of "plain bad heroines" consists of: Audrey, self-conscious daughter of a former famous scream-queen who is cast in the movie; Harper, the adoration-seeking star attached to the project; and Merritt, the prickly wunderkind author upon whose book the movie is based. As the three women bond, the energy of the location triggers a similar chain of uncanny events-ones that may have their origins more in manipulation than in magic. Danforth repeatedly breaks the "fourth wall" to elicit camaraderie with her "Reader," but this device would have been more effective if it had been used more sparingly. Symbolism using apples, yellow jackets, water/contamination are also heavily employed and serve to connect the different timelines, but become tiresome and predictable from overuse. The real appeal of Plain Bad Heroines is the casual but loving way that the author incorporates a cast of almost exclusively all-queer characters. Her frank and open depiction of Sapphic desire and emotional connection is refreshingly depicted. In many ways, Danforth may have set out to write a terrifying twist on gothic suspense but more convincingly offers a tale of quiet acceptance and feminist freedom.Thanks to the author, Harper Collins and Edelweiss Plus for a pre-published ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member IheartYA
I may finish this book in the future but I doubt it, which is a shame for my personal goal of DNFing less this year. A book should be enjoyable and not feel like a chore to read. The writing style is over-the-top and feels very forced, and I don't like the abrupt change of characters. The writing
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feels like walking through thick, gooey mud with one limp leg. If this book was less than 400 pages I might trudge on for the time being, but at 600 pages, I don't want to force myself to continue. I'm not too sure where the story is going, or what the point it. I can understand how other readers might enjoy it, but it's just not for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member MsNick
I think this is the only book I've won through the Early Reviewers' program that I didn't finish. I wasn't gripped by either one of the novel's two main story lines and much of what I read just seemed cliché.
LibraryThing member fastforward
This might not have been a 5 star read for me but the author definitely has writing talent. A unique storyteller for sure. However, the pace was a little slow in my opinion and I do think the 600+ page count could have been trimmed down.
The story is told in an interesting way as you are being
I always have to give myself a pep talk when tackling a book that has more than 400 pages. It's a bit of a time commitment, and the older I get, the more I value my time. Pretty soon after I started reading this book, I thought this might be an unusual but cool reading experience with the clever writing, random footnotes, and occasional illustrations. And for the most part that turned out to be true but I just don't feel like I got as much as I wanted to out of this book.
At the 100 page mark, then the 200, and even at 300, I kept wondering why it felt like the story hadn't progressed all that much. It was this strange combination of being interesting and yet boring at the same time. I think part of the problem was too much witty commentary that really wasn't necessarily even if it was amusing at times. And while things get moving more in the last third of the book, by that time I was mentally checked out.
For me this was more of a creepy read rather than a sleep with the lights on type horror book. Despite some of my issues with the execution, I in no way regret reading it. I appreciate the author's creativity and how she was able to build a story around the real life memoir by Mary MacLane. That memoir was published in the early 1900s and was considered controversial due to the feminist ideas and Sapphic love themes in the book.
The story is told in an interesting way as you are being
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talked to and referred to as the reader throughout. (I'm not explaining that very well, but you'll understand what I mean if you read the book) The Brookhants School for Girls closed for good in the early 1900s after some mysterious deaths on the property. Merritt Weaver wrote a book about the creepy history of the school and now a horror movie is set to be made based on her book. The story will bounce back and forth between the past in which you get the backstory about what happened at the school a century ago and the present day following Merritt and two actresses.I always have to give myself a pep talk when tackling a book that has more than 400 pages. It's a bit of a time commitment, and the older I get, the more I value my time. Pretty soon after I started reading this book, I thought this might be an unusual but cool reading experience with the clever writing, random footnotes, and occasional illustrations. And for the most part that turned out to be true but I just don't feel like I got as much as I wanted to out of this book.
At the 100 page mark, then the 200, and even at 300, I kept wondering why it felt like the story hadn't progressed all that much. It was this strange combination of being interesting and yet boring at the same time. I think part of the problem was too much witty commentary that really wasn't necessarily even if it was amusing at times. And while things get moving more in the last third of the book, by that time I was mentally checked out.
For me this was more of a creepy read rather than a sleep with the lights on type horror book. Despite some of my issues with the execution, I in no way regret reading it. I appreciate the author's creativity and how she was able to build a story around the real life memoir by Mary MacLane. That memoir was published in the early 1900s and was considered controversial due to the feminist ideas and Sapphic love themes in the book.
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LibraryThing member avanders
Review based on ARC (Advanced Review Copy received in exchange for an honest review).
For me, the most difficult thing about this book was just getting through it. I SO badly wanted to like it. I was expecting... a gothic, dark, weird tale about a girls boarding school that may be cursed. A sapphic
And... it just really wasn't that for me.
For me, it was a story about a modern set of people, including a celebrity and a want-to-be celebrity and a writer... who are trying to emulate what could have been an interesting gothic tale, which almost seemed more an exercise in character-building (though one that was fairly well executed -- each character had their own personality, which is NOT something that all authors excel at)... and the gothic tale itself, which *was* atmospheric, but was lost in the weird over-characterization of its peoples. I wanted more weird, more dark, more atmosphere, and just kept getting more YA-angsty-love stuff, with a little angsty-adult love stuff thrown in. And a little weird.
And it was well-written! So well written. She's a beautiful *writer*... but maybe not the best teller. The story-telling was overshadowed.
I couldn't finish. I made it to around page 250 and decided to give it a pause. I described it to some friends and one wanted to read it badly.... so I lent it to her. If she tells me to try again, I will. For now, though, it has fallen onto the DNF pile. A couple stars for the good writing, the loss of stars for the loss of story.
For me, the most difficult thing about this book was just getting through it. I SO badly wanted to like it. I was expecting... a gothic, dark, weird tale about a girls boarding school that may be cursed. A sapphic
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tale with some oomph. An anti-hero Secret History sort of tale, with a mystery that I cared about. And... it just really wasn't that for me.
For me, it was a story about a modern set of people, including a celebrity and a want-to-be celebrity and a writer... who are trying to emulate what could have been an interesting gothic tale, which almost seemed more an exercise in character-building (though one that was fairly well executed -- each character had their own personality, which is NOT something that all authors excel at)... and the gothic tale itself, which *was* atmospheric, but was lost in the weird over-characterization of its peoples. I wanted more weird, more dark, more atmosphere, and just kept getting more YA-angsty-love stuff, with a little angsty-adult love stuff thrown in. And a little weird.
And it was well-written! So well written. She's a beautiful *writer*... but maybe not the best teller. The story-telling was overshadowed.
I couldn't finish. I made it to around page 250 and decided to give it a pause. I described it to some friends and one wanted to read it badly.... so I lent it to her. If she tells me to try again, I will. For now, though, it has fallen onto the DNF pile. A couple stars for the good writing, the loss of stars for the loss of story.
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LibraryThing member pdebolt
This book switches between past and present to tell the stories that surround the Brookhants School for Girls. Two girls are found dead on the campus in 1902, allegedly from a ferocious swarm of yellow jackets. Fast forward to the present when their story is the subject of a movie. I found the
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length of the book somewhat daunting in that the extensive descriptions and numerous footnotes didn't add much and were, at times, distracting. There are some interesting insights into the gilded age; however, all-in-all, it isn't the book or author for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member dcoward
I wanted so badly to like this novel. A horror novel with strong comedic elements about a movie based on a book based on a (fictional) historical event? With strong, snarky, queer, female protagonists? Alas, I started at the beginning, got annoyed, skipped to the ending, which seemed interesting,
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and then moved to the middle - which even with the payout of finding how we get to the ending, was just unbearable. The "dear reader" asides were too much, and Merritt's confusing disdain for the boring Audrey got to be too much for me. I just saw another review refer to this book as twee and YES! That is the perfect description of the "dear reader" parts. I don't know if horror novels should be twee. Show Less
LibraryThing member justacatandabook
Plain Bad Heroines was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I am a sucker for a lesbian tale. Add in a Gothic New England boarding school for girls? Sold.
The story centers around two time periods. The first, 1902, at the Brookhants School for Girls, run by Libbie Brookhants. A book by a
This book is absolutely enthralling at times. I flew through these 619 pages, that's for sure. My notes state "very lesbian," which is, of course, a major plus for me. Believe me, we don't get a lot of books starring ourselves. And you know, where we are killed off by swarms of yellow jackets. I honestly found both storylines compelling. It's hard not to fall a bit in love with Harper Harper, the charismatic celebrity (out!) lesbian. And 1902 isn't just about Clara and Flo, but Libbie Brookhants and her life trying to run a cursed school in the early 1900s. Honestly, the pages really flew by most of the time. Though, there are certainly moments where I felt some of the story could have been cut.
And yes, the narrative style is different, though it really adds to the uniqueness of the book. It's basically told by an omnipresent narrator, talking directly to the reader. There are footnotes, often humorous ones, and the end result is something you don't often find. For the most part, I felt like Danforth pulled it off, too. I do think Libbie was a little more fully developed than Merritt, Harper, and Audrey, but that also may have been because that trio could come across as a bit spoiled at times.
Probably my two biggest issues with this book (regretfully): for a Gothic horror novel, it's not really that scary. There are a few creepy and eerie moments, especially in the beginning, but it never really builds up to that terrifying moment that you're expecting. And, somewhat related, the ending. We read and stick with our various tales for the entire time and then... poof! Everything just fizzles out. I was so bummed. The ending was such a disappointment after all I'd read and kept this from being a full-fledged 4 or 4.5-star read. I couldn't believe it after what we'd been through. It was like even the author was tired.
So, overall, this is an original and fascinating read. I'm certainly still advising you to read it (especially if you're queer or enjoy reading queer fiction). Just be prepared that the ending may not have that big scary moment you're expecting. 3.5 stars, though I'm rounding to 4 here on Goodreads.
A big thanks to HarperCollins and William Morrow for my copy!
The story centers around two time periods. The first, 1902, at the Brookhants School for Girls, run by Libbie Brookhants. A book by a
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young writer, Mary MacLane has come out--one that's incredibly scandalous for the times. Two Brookhants girls, Flo and Clara, are obsessed with it and establish The Plain Bad Heroine Society. The two are in love, meeting in secret--until they are attacked by yellow jackets at their hiding spot, a copy of the book found with them. A few years later the school closes, but not until after more scandal and death. Now, our second period, over a hundred years later, where Merritt Emmons, a young writer, publishes a book about Flo and Clara's story. It inspires a horror film starring Harper Harper, a famous lesbian actress. Harper will be playing Flo and B-list actress Audrey Wells, Clara. Filming on-site at the abandoned Brookhants site, the three women converge. But soon, weird things start happening, and the curse of Brookhants seems back to haunt the set--and our three modern-day heroines.This book is absolutely enthralling at times. I flew through these 619 pages, that's for sure. My notes state "very lesbian," which is, of course, a major plus for me. Believe me, we don't get a lot of books starring ourselves. And you know, where we are killed off by swarms of yellow jackets. I honestly found both storylines compelling. It's hard not to fall a bit in love with Harper Harper, the charismatic celebrity (out!) lesbian. And 1902 isn't just about Clara and Flo, but Libbie Brookhants and her life trying to run a cursed school in the early 1900s. Honestly, the pages really flew by most of the time. Though, there are certainly moments where I felt some of the story could have been cut.
And yes, the narrative style is different, though it really adds to the uniqueness of the book. It's basically told by an omnipresent narrator, talking directly to the reader. There are footnotes, often humorous ones, and the end result is something you don't often find. For the most part, I felt like Danforth pulled it off, too. I do think Libbie was a little more fully developed than Merritt, Harper, and Audrey, but that also may have been because that trio could come across as a bit spoiled at times.
Probably my two biggest issues with this book (regretfully): for a Gothic horror novel, it's not really that scary. There are a few creepy and eerie moments, especially in the beginning, but it never really builds up to that terrifying moment that you're expecting. And, somewhat related, the ending. We read and stick with our various tales for the entire time and then... poof! Everything just fizzles out. I was so bummed. The ending was such a disappointment after all I'd read and kept this from being a full-fledged 4 or 4.5-star read. I couldn't believe it after what we'd been through. It was like even the author was tired.
So, overall, this is an original and fascinating read. I'm certainly still advising you to read it (especially if you're queer or enjoy reading queer fiction). Just be prepared that the ending may not have that big scary moment you're expecting. 3.5 stars, though I'm rounding to 4 here on Goodreads.
A big thanks to HarperCollins and William Morrow for my copy!
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LibraryThing member lisally
I personally enjoyed this one, although it definitely has its flaws and isn't for everyone.
This is a very meta novel -it's about three women involved in the production of a movie surrounding a supposedly haunted Rhode Island boarding school, a movie that ends up also being about making said
This a 600 pager brick of a book, and an uneven one at that. Plain Bad Heroines is advertised as a horror novel, and while there are some wonderfully creepy moments (with lots of yellow jackets, playing into my own personal phobia), this is more about the erasure of women, particularly queer women, from history and the cultural zeitgeist. Consequently, this is a very queer, very woman focused novel, with almost main character being a queer woman.
The story is told by a third person omniscient narrator, with lots of cheeky asides, footnotes, and fourth wall breaking that leads the reader to anticipate a reveal that never seems to come. When the denouement comes, there is just a lot of albeit well-written infodump that seems to be missing some of the buildup.
A review copy was provided through the LIbraryThing EarlyReviewers program.
This is a very meta novel -it's about three women involved in the production of a movie surrounding a supposedly haunted Rhode Island boarding school, a movie that ends up also being about making said
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movie...Needless to say, there are a bunch of plot lines to follow here, with not only the present day characters but also a parallel story focusing on the school in it's heyday.This a 600 pager brick of a book, and an uneven one at that. Plain Bad Heroines is advertised as a horror novel, and while there are some wonderfully creepy moments (with lots of yellow jackets, playing into my own personal phobia), this is more about the erasure of women, particularly queer women, from history and the cultural zeitgeist. Consequently, this is a very queer, very woman focused novel, with almost main character being a queer woman.
The story is told by a third person omniscient narrator, with lots of cheeky asides, footnotes, and fourth wall breaking that leads the reader to anticipate a reveal that never seems to come. When the denouement comes, there is just a lot of albeit well-written infodump that seems to be missing some of the buildup.
A review copy was provided through the LIbraryThing EarlyReviewers program.
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LibraryThing member lilithcat
Mary MacLane was a Canadian-born American writer who, in 1901 at the age of 19, wrote a book, I Await the Devil's Coming (also called "The Story of Mary Maclane), that was shocking in its honesty and sensuality. This much is true.
Danforth's novel is set partly in this period, and partly in the
It's a good concept, with past and present entangling and overlapping, and Danforth is a good writer, but, boy, did she need an editor! The book is way too long. It started well, but the last part feels very rushed and doesn't hang together. The "solution" is completely illogical and feels pulled out of nowhere. I wish I could have recommended this book, but I really can't.
Danforth's novel is set partly in this period, and partly in the
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present. At Brookhants, a private school for girls, two students are obsessed with MacLane's book and form a secret society devoted to her. They die macabrely, as do others at the school over the next few years. Now, a young woman has written a book about that story, and a film is being made of it, at Brookhants. And, of course, odd things start to happen.It's a good concept, with past and present entangling and overlapping, and Danforth is a good writer, but, boy, did she need an editor! The book is way too long. It started well, but the last part feels very rushed and doesn't hang together. The "solution" is completely illogical and feels pulled out of nowhere. I wish I could have recommended this book, but I really can't.
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LibraryThing member thereserose5
Didn't finish this one. It's 600 pages and definitely does not need to be that long. Got halfway through and I lost interest after 300 pages of very little actually happening.
LibraryThing member oddandbookish
I received this book for free from the publisher (William Morrow Books) in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a unique read!
The best part of this book was definitely the overall vibe and aesthetic. It had a slightly creepy and gothic feel that ran throughout the entire book, even the
The structure of the book was very clever. The story within a story element was well done and very engaging. I also liked the footnotes. They were very entertaining and added even more humor to the story.
The story started out very strong, but I was a little disappointed at the end. It didn’t live up to my expectations. I was expecting more of a big reveal or an “a-ha” moment. There are still some things that I am a little confused on.
This book is classified by horror, but many other reviewers say they find it to be very light on horror. I agree with that and I would say that it is more of a gothic horror. The horror is more of a gothic creepiness than any sort of gore or violence.
The book also has illustrations throughout the book which I found to be a nice touch. There is even a map of the school which made navigating the story easy.
Overall, I enjoyed the aesthetic of this book the most. I recommend it if you’re looking for something a little different to read.
This was such a unique read!
The best part of this book was definitely the overall vibe and aesthetic. It had a slightly creepy and gothic feel that ran throughout the entire book, even the
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present day parts. There was also a fair amount of humor and satire that worked well with the gothic vibes and made for an interesting juxtaposition. The structure of the book was very clever. The story within a story element was well done and very engaging. I also liked the footnotes. They were very entertaining and added even more humor to the story.
The story started out very strong, but I was a little disappointed at the end. It didn’t live up to my expectations. I was expecting more of a big reveal or an “a-ha” moment. There are still some things that I am a little confused on.
This book is classified by horror, but many other reviewers say they find it to be very light on horror. I agree with that and I would say that it is more of a gothic horror. The horror is more of a gothic creepiness than any sort of gore or violence.
The book also has illustrations throughout the book which I found to be a nice touch. There is even a map of the school which made navigating the story easy.
Overall, I enjoyed the aesthetic of this book the most. I recommend it if you’re looking for something a little different to read.
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LibraryThing member leisjenn
I was so excitement to receive my advanced readers copy of Plain Bad Heroines. It's whole spooky, mystery vibe spoke to me. After finishing the book I can say it did not disappoint. It only took a few pages to peak my interest. From the chilling theme to the mystery narrator it kept me turning the
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page to find out what happens next. My only criticism is that in the beginning I found some of the chapters to drag when we did our first jump to present time. Show Less
LibraryThing member melaniehope
2.5 Stars
So I had high expectations for this book. I started it just after Halloween thinking it would be the perfect creepy, atmospheric novel, but it really fell flat for me. It starts off well. The story is told in two time frames. The first is in 1902 at an all girls school in a remote location
However, the story is over 600 pages long, which may not be a bad thing, but it is when the dialogue just rambles on and on. It was way too wordy and I felt bored at the actresses conversations that never seemed to say anything meaningful.
Parts of the story were great, but I was disappointed by the ending. I thought there would be a strong closure of the book. Both storylines just fizzled out. Its a few days after I read the story and I can't even remember how the storyline for present day ended. It was that uninspiring for me.
I received a complimentary book as part of the Librarything Early Reviewers.
So I had high expectations for this book. I started it just after Halloween thinking it would be the perfect creepy, atmospheric novel, but it really fell flat for me. It starts off well. The story is told in two time frames. The first is in 1902 at an all girls school in a remote location
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in Maine. That got me hooked. Then the story switches to present day and a group of young girls taking part in the filming of The Happenings at Brookhants (a film on the cursed New England school and the mysterious deaths that took place there.)However, the story is over 600 pages long, which may not be a bad thing, but it is when the dialogue just rambles on and on. It was way too wordy and I felt bored at the actresses conversations that never seemed to say anything meaningful.
Parts of the story were great, but I was disappointed by the ending. I thought there would be a strong closure of the book. Both storylines just fizzled out. Its a few days after I read the story and I can't even remember how the storyline for present day ended. It was that uninspiring for me.
I received a complimentary book as part of the Librarything Early Reviewers.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book - I really liked parts of the story, but I'm also no fan of horror films and the way some of the characters manipulate each other didn't sit well. I did like the relationship which developed between Audrey, Harper, and Merritt, and I appreciated the
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story's eventual reveal. The yellow jackets, however, were creepy throughout, and I could have done with fewer of them, but that would make for a different story. Show Less
LibraryThing member rrkreads
This is a story of multiple sapphic characters and their experiences in a spooky house and school.
Honest confession. This just was not the book for me. Maybe I don't need to justify why I didn't like a book, sometimes some books just don't click right with some readers. But, as a reviewer, I think
For me to enjoy or like a book, I need any one or all of the following to work for me:
Story - What on earth was it all about? I honestly couldn't understand the plot the author was trying to tell. The plot was all over the place and I as a reader felt like going in unnecessary circles, more than once. And, I, for one am not a big fan of being taken for rides.
Characters - The less I talk about the characters, the better it will be. No depth to them. Not even Elaine. I had high hopes for Elaine but her character was the most disappointing to me. Very anticlimactic.
Writing - I don't mind whimsical, poetic writing, though I don't actively seek it. I get bored easily by such writing. But my biases aside, it was not the whimsical writing that got to me. It was the neurotic ramblings of the characters that irked me. There were many times when I wondered whatever is the point of this line, sentence, paragraph, or even page? A sample of what I am talking about:
People would want to visibly wince or laugh or both if she told them, but they couldn't: they'd be monsters if they did. So then that would leave them looking at her in that icky, steady-faced, not-laughing-but-yes-judging limbo, asking themselves why on earth she would share with them such an upsetting detail. And what are they supposed to do with it?
When I picked this book up, I assumed I am getting into a mystery read. But, this was more literary fiction than mystery. So it's obvious that my opinions were formed basis my warped expectations than from the book per se.
Despite the book being too big for the subject matter and despite the writing being of a rambling nature. I still immensely enjoyed some parts of that very same writing. Her descriptions were spot on and her pop culture references were great, though numerous. As a non-American, I had to google to know more about many of those references and to understand the context in which they were used.
For example: The acronym WASP (hint: I had to google it).
Some of these references were quite funny, for example:
"A Bollywood star attempting to break into the American market".
I legit laughed at that reference, also, it was one of the few that I did understand.
In short, this book is for people who know their pop culture references, who like literary fiction, and who need some sapphic content.
RRKReads rating: Freebie grade, book worth reading if you receive it as a giveaway, freebie, or gift.
Honest confession. This just was not the book for me. Maybe I don't need to justify why I didn't like a book, sometimes some books just don't click right with some readers. But, as a reviewer, I think
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it's necessary to attempt at giving an approximation of a reason. So here it goes:For me to enjoy or like a book, I need any one or all of the following to work for me:
Story - What on earth was it all about? I honestly couldn't understand the plot the author was trying to tell. The plot was all over the place and I as a reader felt like going in unnecessary circles, more than once. And, I, for one am not a big fan of being taken for rides.
Characters - The less I talk about the characters, the better it will be. No depth to them. Not even Elaine. I had high hopes for Elaine but her character was the most disappointing to me. Very anticlimactic.
Writing - I don't mind whimsical, poetic writing, though I don't actively seek it. I get bored easily by such writing. But my biases aside, it was not the whimsical writing that got to me. It was the neurotic ramblings of the characters that irked me. There were many times when I wondered whatever is the point of this line, sentence, paragraph, or even page? A sample of what I am talking about:
People would want to visibly wince or laugh or both if she told them, but they couldn't: they'd be monsters if they did. So then that would leave them looking at her in that icky, steady-faced, not-laughing-but-yes-judging limbo, asking themselves why on earth she would share with them such an upsetting detail. And what are they supposed to do with it?
When I picked this book up, I assumed I am getting into a mystery read. But, this was more literary fiction than mystery. So it's obvious that my opinions were formed basis my warped expectations than from the book per se.
Despite the book being too big for the subject matter and despite the writing being of a rambling nature. I still immensely enjoyed some parts of that very same writing. Her descriptions were spot on and her pop culture references were great, though numerous. As a non-American, I had to google to know more about many of those references and to understand the context in which they were used.
For example: The acronym WASP (hint: I had to google it).
Some of these references were quite funny, for example:
"A Bollywood star attempting to break into the American market".
I legit laughed at that reference, also, it was one of the few that I did understand.
In short, this book is for people who know their pop culture references, who like literary fiction, and who need some sapphic content.
RRKReads rating: Freebie grade, book worth reading if you receive it as a giveaway, freebie, or gift.
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
I really enjoyed the spooky atmosphere of this book; it had a consistent, unsettling feel and a quirky eeriness to it, also it was absolutely sexy. I loved all the women in it and I was rooting for all of them, even the ones I already knew met very bad ends. But, ultimately, it didn't make much
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sense! Atmosphere will only get you so far in a horror mystery—you've got to resolve the mysteries so they are explicable. Even supernatural stuff has to have some reasoning behind it; plot cannot live on spooks alone. Show Less
LibraryThing member sublunarie
[3.75]
I had to sleep on this one before I wrote a review. It's safe to say that I absolutely loved 85% of this book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I truly loved ALL the characters in both timelines. I loved the sapphic joy (and sapphic longing) and I loved how drenched in tension
What I didn't love was how most of the storylines wrapped up. It seems almost absurd to say a 600+ page book rushed the ending, but that is truly how it felt. The last 50-60 pages felt like a slightly messy info dump (with time jumps) just to wrap up everything we just spend hundreds of pages building up to.
The publisher probably wouldn't agree, but I would have happily read another 200 pages for this to feel complete.
I had to sleep on this one before I wrote a review. It's safe to say that I absolutely loved 85% of this book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I truly loved ALL the characters in both timelines. I loved the sapphic joy (and sapphic longing) and I loved how drenched in tension
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everything was. What I didn't love was how most of the storylines wrapped up. It seems almost absurd to say a 600+ page book rushed the ending, but that is truly how it felt. The last 50-60 pages felt like a slightly messy info dump (with time jumps) just to wrap up everything we just spend hundreds of pages building up to.
The publisher probably wouldn't agree, but I would have happily read another 200 pages for this to feel complete.
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LibraryThing member Danielle.Desrochers
For the majority of this, I could have made it a 4 star, it definitely had the makings of it. I loved parts of it, Alex and Libbie were amazing, Audrey and Merritt were great, Elaine was fabulous, Harper was a caricature and the rest of them were not really memorable.
There was one part that gave
It was just too long in the end. Had it been 300 pages, I think it would have more readership and be received better.
There was one part that gave
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me chills, and that’s why I landed at 3.25 stars. It was just too long in the end. Had it been 300 pages, I think it would have more readership and be received better.
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LibraryThing member banjo123
This was for the Lesbian book club and it was LONG. Otherwise, OK, but not my favorite. It's one of those books with a contemporary and an older storyline, the older story line is about a group of women and girls in a Rhode Island Boarding School in 1902-ish; the contemporary story involves 2
It got mixed reviews in the book group, but some folks REALLY liked it, so if it sounds good to you, give it a try.
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actresses, one a young lesbian social media phenomenon named Harper Harper, and a young writer who had written a book about the boarding school. I found myself more drawn to the more recent story. The 1900's characters seemed pretty 2 dimensional.It got mixed reviews in the book group, but some folks REALLY liked it, so if it sounds good to you, give it a try.
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LibraryThing member LynnMPK
I really liked this book and it's difficult to explain why. Sometimes you just vibe with a book and you don't even know why you're so into it. This book is a story within a story. I found it similar to AHS: Roanoke, where there is the movie (or in the case of AHS, I think it was a tv show) being
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filmed, and then snippets of the past and what actually happened. I thought it worked really well and I actually went out and bought a physical copy halfway through reading it. I never do that because I have loved a book up until near the end where it goes completely downhill, luckily that didn't happen with this book! Show Less
Awards
Shirley Jackson Award (Nominee — Novel — 2020)
Alex Award (2021)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — August Derleth Award — 2021)
New England Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2021)
ALA Over the Rainbow Book List (Selection — 2021)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — October 2020)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2020)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
0062942859 / 9780062942852