Woman in the Library

Maddie reviewed Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Perfectly Enjoyable

4 stars

While it may seem complicated to manage a novel within a novel within a novel, this book manages to pull it off without being too complicated. The notes, emails, and letters at the end of the chapters add another layer to the story and makes it stand out from other stories. However, the overall plot seems similar to a lifetime movie. The ending feels a little rushed, especially compared to the long build up. Perfectly fine summer vacation read.

pithypants reviewed Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Review of 'Woman in the Library' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Points for creativity because I found the device of a "book within a book" kind of fun. The first few notes from the American reader to the Aussie author highlighting cultural differences and local details that might need to be edited for accuracy was also fun. As someone who has spent a lot of time in Back Bay Boston, I enjoyed all the details related to the setting. Once the novelty of this approach wore off, I was left holding a clumsy whodunnit with strangers who bonded too quickly to be realistic and were all too eligible to ride the Suspect Carousel. As a beach read thriller, it did the trick, but don't go looking for a complex mystery here.

barbara fister reviewed Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Review of 'Woman in the Library' on 'LibraryThing'

No rating

I was intrigued by the description of this book. The setting: the Boston Public Library reading room. The plot: a locked-room mystery involving a group of people who are in the reading room when a woman is murdered in a nearby room; they hear her scream and want to solve the crime. On top of that (and the feature that I found most intriguing) the story takes place inside another story, as the author corresponds with a fan who becomes a stalker, a kind of metafiction. And writing itself becomes a major part of the story. (The fan also becomes a character in the story.)returnreturnIn the end it didn't totally work for me. The ongoing relationship with a pushy fan who has an exaggerated sense of importance seemed implausible though it did provide a layer of suspense. The mystery itself seemed a bit drawn out though the slowly revealed information …

I was intrigued by the description of this book. The setting: the Boston Public Library reading room. The plot: a locked-room mystery involving a group of people who are in the reading room when a woman is murdered in a nearby room; they hear her scream and want to solve the crime. On top of that (and the feature that I found most intriguing) the story takes place inside another story, as the author corresponds with a fan who becomes a stalker, a kind of metafiction. And writing itself becomes a major part of the story. (The fan also becomes a character in the story.)returnreturnIn the end it didn't totally work for me. The ongoing relationship with a pushy fan who has an exaggerated sense of importance seemed implausible though it did provide a layer of suspense. The mystery itself seemed a bit drawn out though the slowly revealed information about the key characters was fairly effective. There was something about the protagonist that grated on me as she pronounced on the writing craft. But it's a clever idea and no doubt will appeal to readers who enjoy new takes on the classic locked room mystery.

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rated it

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