I managed to finish my book in time for this week’s Reading Roundup post! It was a very long book and…

… hang on, I had better introduce this properly before I begin!

The Wych Elm by Tana French

The book was The Wych Elm by Tana French. Here is the blurb:

For me it all goes back to that night, the dark corroded hinge between before and after, the slipped-in sheet of trick glass that tints everything on one side in its own murky colours and leaves everything on the other luminous and untouchable.

One night changes everything for Toby. A brutal attack leaves him traumatised, unsure even of the person he used to be. He seeks refuge at the family’s ancestral home, the Ivy House, filled with cherished memories of wild-strawberry summers and teenage parties with his cousins.

But not long after Toby’s arrival, a discovery is made. A skull, tucked neatly inside the old wych elm in the garden.

As detectives begin to close in, Toby is forced to examine everything he thought he knew about his family, his past, and himself.

It has taken me almost two weeks to read it, so here is my review as written on Goodreads:

The Wych Elm by Tana French
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If this book had been shorter, maybe about two thirds of the length. Or if it had been more tightly edited. Then, perhaps, I could have awarded more stars. You see, I was really enjoying the book, for the most part, until it began to drag. I had got through the beginning, which was a bit too long, but was setting the scene with lots of characters to remember. Then came a really gripping section, which held my attention (at this point I was thinking perhaps four or even five stars). Unfortunately, the author allowed the tale to become almost repetitive, with echoes of an old TV detective turning up with a killer point, just as we readers were getting comfortable.

So, this is far from being a bad book. It is so close to being a good one that I don’t want to put anyone off reading it! If you are young enough to have time to read 1000s of books in your life, then why not give it a go? If, like me, you have only a short reading life left, then…

View all my reviews

I am feeling quite pleased that I have built up quite a pile, well a virtual one, of ebooks to read. I am not sure which one I will select next, but I feel that a lighter read might be a good idea, or something escapist. You will find out my choice in next week’s Reading Roundup post!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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