The Most Dangerous Thing- Laura Lippman
Years ago, they were all the best of friends. But as time passed and circumstances changed, they grew apart, became adults with families of their own, and began to forget about the past—and the terrible lie they all shared. But now Gordon (“Go-Go”), the youngest and wildest of the five, has died unexpectedly and the other four have come together for the first time in years. Suddenly each of these old friends has to wonder if the dark secret they’ve shared for so long is the reason for their troubles today . . . and if someone within the circle is trying to destroy them all.
You know I'm never shy when I review a book and those I love I tell everyone and their cousins about it because I feel like authors are undervalued. More people should be absorbed in books and the value of a good book in under appreciated. Unfortunately, that's not the case so much here.
What makes this hard is that technically speaking, Laura Lippman is a great writer. She isn't addicted to adjectives, her writing flows and it's easy to read. The problem with this book is that after every single chapter I was irritated wondering when the story would start. She spends CHAPTERS on character development, switching from present to past tense so you know the dynamic between the characters, and it was just too much. It felt... melodramatic. I was so frustrated by the time it got to what the "dark secret" was and when I read it, I was disappointed. It basically left me wondering "really, that's it??".
One of my biggest pet peeves with real life people, but also fictional characters, who let things from their past dictate their future. I am a big believer that everything that happens to you in the is meant to shape your future but it shouldn't hinder it. I think people are too afraid sometimes to make a wrong decision so they rely on what is comfortable. Why go against the grain of life when it's just easy to do what you've always done? So when I read books with characters whose entire life are based on a moment in time so far in the past and they chose not to deal with it? I feel kind of stabby and I instantly dislike them.
So, overall I didn't love the book. I was left feel underwhelmed and disappointed. Is that to say you won't read it and just love it? No. I thing if you really like books that have the thread about history dictating your future and what poor choices over a life time can do, then you will love this book. I am only the second blogger on this tour, but go HERE to see what other blogs are reviewing this book as well. You can also go to the author's website HERE to learn more about the book, her previous works, and author information. She also has a Facebook page HERE if you want to check that out.
Happy reading!
2 comments:
I'm sorry this one didn't work for you but thanks for being on the tour.
I've liked other Lippman books, so don't let this one stop you from picking up her other books.
One of my pet peeves is when people let their past be an excuse as to why they do whatever they do now. I try to be who I am in spite of what happened in my past, not because of it.
Thanks for being on the tour!
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