Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?
~ L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables ~
Lovely Literary Lines
31 Tuesday Dec 2019
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Monthly Archives: December 2019
The Woman in the Window, by A. J. Finn ~ 4.5 Stars
30 Monday Dec 2019
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Back in December of 2017, I had the pleasure of reviewing The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. As the long awaited movie is being released in May, with the amazing Amy Adams playing the lead, I’ve decided to repost my old review in hopes of convincing any of you who haven’t read this twisty mystery, into giving it a try. At the end of the review I’ve included the trailer as well.
Thanks to Edelweiss and William Morrow for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: January 2nd, 2018
448 Pages
Synopsis: What did she see?
It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.
Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbors. When the Russells move in, Anna is drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.
But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?
The Woman in the Window is a debut novel that’s been buzzed about for months. There’s even a movie in the works already. In cases like this I’ve found more often than not that the book just can’t live up to all the hype. However, in this instance, it actually does.
For Hitchcock fans you might have thought reading the synopsis that it sounds like the classic Rear Window. And you’d be absolutely right. Only in this case instead of the lead character being laid up with a broken leg like Jimmy Stewart, Dr. Anna Fox has severe agoraphobia which keeps her trapped in her three story New York brownstone. She’s completely alone except for her tenant Daniel, who lives in the basement, her psychiatrist, and her physical therapist. She has a husband and daughter but they’re separated, although they talk everyday. Her days for the last ten months, for the most part consist of taking pills to control her anxiety and depression, and drinking too much wine. She also loves watching old black and white movies (mainly Hitchcock), and watching her neighbors through her Nikon camera. When she witnesses an attack in her neighbors house across the street, no one believes her. The neighbors deny anything happened and the police find her not to be credible. Soon even Anna begins to question herself.
Anna is one of the most complex characters I’ve come across this year. She was a successful psychologist herself until an unknown trauma destroyed her life ten months previously. I had already begun to guess what happened long before the trauma that put her in this state was revealed, but the heartbreaking details still managed to shock me. I found myself frustrated by her drinking and pill popping while at the same time sympathizing with the pain she was in. And once Anna witnesses this crime across the street, well that just adds a whole new level to her suffering. But what I loved the most about her was by the end of the book she was a much stronger woman than she gave herself credit for. To be honest, if I had gone through what she does, I’m not sure I would be able to persevere.
The beginning of the story is a little slow, but as it progresses and you get to know Anna and the other characters that are introduced, the pace picks up. I don’t think I’d call this a thriller but more a simmering suspense. The twist at the end did catch me completely unaware.
In my humble opinion, The Woman in the Window stands out from the other books that have come out in the wake of novels like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. There’s a claustrophobic, noirish atmosphere introduced from the first chapter, and that, coupled with the two puzzles: what happened to Anna ten months ago, and has she now indeed witnessed an unspeakable crime, kept me feverishly turning the pages in search of the answers.
I highly recommend this for fans of slow burning suspense, sketchy characters, and twisty plots. I guarantee that by the time you’re at the halfway point you’re going to have a difficult time putting this down. I also promise that Dr. Anna Fox will stay in your mind weeks after you’ve finished the book.
Happy Kwanzaa and Boxing Day!
26 Thursday Dec 2019
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As the busy holiday season continues, I’d like to wish a Happy Kwanzaa and Boxing Day to everyone who celebrates!
Whimsical Wednesday ~ Merry Christmas!
25 Wednesday Dec 2019
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Aled Jones, ”Walking in the Air”, Howard Blake, Merry Christmas, Raymond Briggs, The Snowman, Whimsical Wednesday
I’m going to be taking the next few days off from posting, so I’d like to wish everyone who celebrates a Merry Christmas. May you all have a peaceful and joyful holiday!
Heartwarming Holiday Commercials Pt. 6
24 Tuesday Dec 2019
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This year’s Argos Christmas commercial, featuring 9-year-old drumming sensation, Nandi Bushell, is heartwarming and EPIC!
Sister Faraway Too Long
23 Monday Dec 2019
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Margie writes absolutely exquisite poetry, but this is especially heartfelt as it’s a tribute to her sister.
Is it dark enough, sister?
Do you need the light?
I hung your picture
over my bed
and your eyes
that cannot see
found a corner.
Stay with me
for a little while
I can be your eyes.
The quilt our gramma made
I use it now
to warm me
I pull its thickness
to my chin at night
when the moon
smears through the window.
It is cold here
without you ~ I sleep
in our mother’s robe
the way she taught us
arms ’round our knees
head tucked to chest —
I look out the window
beyond its coppered rivets
and see you, young again
red bicycle with white basket
full of apples and violets.
Stay with me
in this corner which is my room.
Can you see me, sister
past the disrobing of night
the arms of the sun
pulling the darkness away?
Sister, stay with me
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Lovely Lyrical Lines
23 Monday Dec 2019
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The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2), by Roshani Chokshi ~ 4.5 Stars
23 Monday Dec 2019
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Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: September 22, 2020
416 Pages
Synopsis: Returning to the dark and glamorous world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with another riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever.
They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.
Severin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost—one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Severin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris and into the icy heart of Russia, where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all. As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.
The publication date for The Silvered Serpents is several months away, but as I was approved for it on NetGalley three months ago, I feel as though I should post an initial review. I will be sure to repost this closer to September 22, 2020 though. I really enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, so I’ve been looking forward to reading the sequel. After finishing it in just over three hours, I’m happy to say it’s a wonderful follow-up that beautifully builds upon its predecessor. Chokshi’s writing is lush and exquisitely detailed, which helps draw you into the imaginative world she’s created. The characters continue to grow and allowing them each their own POV work perfectly in bringing them all to life. All the adventure and excitement of the first book is doubled here, and that had me flying through the pages. My one complaint is I thought the ending was rushed, but the cliffhanger has me looking forward to the last book which unfortunately won’t be out until 2021. I highly recommend this to readers who loved the previous book, and if you haven’t read The Guilded Wolves, but you enjoy exciting adventures filled with mystery and magic, you need to pick this up ASAP!
Eddie Murphy’s Return!
22 Sunday Dec 2019
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After thirty-five years, Eddie Murphy made his triumphant return to Saturday Night Live last night. If you ever doubted the claims of how he saved the show when he was a cast member from 1980-1984, this should dispel them. In the first two sketches I’m sharing, he brought back two of his beloved characters, Mr. Robinson, and Gumby. And the final sketch, which probably would have been a lump of coal in anyone else’s hands, proved that Murphy can turn anything into comedic gold!
Hanukkah Sameach!
22 Sunday Dec 2019
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Tonight marks the beginning of the last Hanukkah celebration of the decade and I’d like to wish all my Jewish friends a joyous Festival of Lights. To help kick these Eight Crazy Nights off, here’s Adam Sandler performing his classic Hanukkah Song on SNL back in 1994.
And, just in case you ever why your favorite boy band never came out with a Hanukkah song, here is Boyz II Menorah (James Corden, Josh Peck, Zach Braff, and Charlie Puth) with A Week and a Day.
