All is Not Forgotten

by Wendy Walker
Feb 10-22, 2018

I'm not actually sure how this one got on my radar. It's from 2016 and although I read pretty slow, I try to stay as current as possible. I am not at all a fan of thriller/suspense novels either. But the psychological aspect of this one piqued my interest.

I enjoyed the passive voice of the narrator from the outside looking in. Then I realized what a narcissist he was an I began to like him less. I understand the mentality of doing anything to protect your family, but to do so with a holier-than-thou attitude became a bit much.

I also understand the need to drive the point of the brutality of rape to the forefront, but the graphic way in which it was told was nearly unbearable. Reading about such horrific acts in so much detail is not the least bit enjoyable.

The way the characters all became woven together was satisfying and well developed – until it became a little too convenient. Any woman reading about a brutal rape is naturally going to want to see justice for the rapist, and we just didn't get that here.

Overall though, it was a quick read that did offer a decent amount of suspense. Just not the genre that I would normally choose.

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The Life She Was Given

by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Jan 28-Feb 10, 2018

Warning. This is not a book for adults. This is a YA book hiding in plain sight as credible, adult fiction. It's funny that the more I dislike a book, the more I have to say about it. Fundamentally and technically, there is so much wrong.

Let's start with the spelling and grammatical errors. The book alternates chapters between Lilly (in the 1930s) and Julia (in the 50s). At one point, Julia became "Julie" for a sentence or two. I thought I was losing my mind until I realized it was an error! That's pretty hard to overlook. Every new chapter started with a one-sentence synopsis of what happened two chapters earlier, and the pattern was exactly the same. Out of 34 chapters, 20 of them started with "After {the incident}..." It's as though the author isn't giving the reader credit for remembering what happened just a few pages before. Definitely a YA formula. While this is no literary feat, there were sentences that actually made me laugh out loud:

"The headless dressmaker's dummy seemed to be watching, judging her for searching the house."

Haha! I could go on, but I think my point is clear. Fundamentally, Julia living in the 1950s is poorly visualized. She's written more like a young woman in the present day. The overarching themes of the story became increasingly uncomfortable with every page. Lilly is presented as an albino simply because she has porcelain skin. This was misleading, misinformed and a cop out attempting to add suspense to the big reveal in the end. The animal cruelty was excruciating to read and not something that I think adds interest, only a shock value. Add these two themes to the Big Top and yet another hilarious line:

"Because where else would an albino, a lifelong circus performer, and an elephant have any sort of chance at starting over?"

Don't we all wonder the same thing?!!? Wiseman is touted as an "acclaimed, best-selling author" who got her inspiration from the Flowers in the Attic series. Sorry, you are no V.C. Andrews and I found nothing but flaws in this ridiculous novel.

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