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Thursday, January 31, 2019

The Witch Elm - Tana French

The Witch Elm is Tana French's first standalone book.  I talked about this book last week in my First Chapter First Paragraph post here.  If you'd like to read the first paragraphs or the blurb, just click over to that post.  I listened to this one narrated by Paul Nugent.  He's new to me and I liked his voice part of the time and not so much at other times.

I've shared more than once that Tana French is on my favorite author list.  She writes a book and I know that I'll be reading it.  It's been that way since I read her first book, In The Woods.  I've read all the Dublin Murder Squad books and liked them all.  My favorite is probably Faithful Place, but they all pleased me.  And even though they are billed as a series and do have some characters that repeat, they are loosely connected.  Usually a more minor character from one book moves to the forefront in another and so on.  I'm used to the way French works with her police characters and crime solving.

Now we'll talk about The Witch Elm.  Sigh.  I've struggled with what to say.  Yes, I finished the book.  I did long to have a print or e-book copy though because this story moves very, very slowly.  However, I wasn't loving it enough to purchase a copy and the library hold lists were and are insane.  I thought about going to a bookstore and reading the ending from their shelves.

As I said, this book moves very, very slowly.  It tells of Toby who has always considered himself a lucky guy.  He has grown up in a close family and spent a lot of time with his cousins, Susannah and Leon.  Each of them are only children and their fathers are brothers.  Growing up, the cousins stayed a lot with their Uncle Hugo (the only unmarried brother) while their parents traveled.  Hugo lives in the family home, Ivy House, which belonged to Toby's grandparents.  And then Toby is attacked by burglars in his apartment and he suffers a serious head injury.  As he is recovering, he and his girlfriend, Melissa, go to stay with Uncle Hugo at Ivy House.  Hugo has been diagnosed with brain cancer and the family needs someone to watch out for him and make sure he has help nearby as he receives treatment and as his condition progresses.

Toby has never had to worry about too much.  He was a popular guy growing up and he still has his pals from his teen years.  He is good at talking his way out of trouble and getting what he wants.  This attack and head injury are tough on him and so, for the most part, this is the story of how Toby is coping (or not coping) with memory loss and physical symptoms that he tries to minimize.  And then Susannah's children discover a skull in the witch elm in the garden.  A human skull.  The police get involved and pretty much everything goes nutty.

Well, I was determined that since this was a Tana French book that I would certainly like it or come to like it.  And off and on, I did - sort of.  I kept thinking that this would be a gripping mystery of that skull.  And it was - sort of.  There are definite secrets and Toby's memory loss was sad.  However, I didn't like many of the characters and found it very hard to care about their secrets.  The only characters that I liked were Uncle Hugo (I was sad for his illness and how that progressed) and Melissa, Toby's girlfriend.  And there was so, so, so much talking in the second half of the book.  On and on and on.  Which is why I wanted to go to the bookstore and read ahead.  By the time I got to the end, I was happy to say - 'done now and let's move along to something else'.

I rarely finish books that I'm not enjoying.  I do think Tana French can write very, very well.  However, I think I need to stick with her crime solving cop-centered books.  I had a few friends who were displeased with the end of In The Woods.  And my friend Les liked the first few books by French, but not the last two.  I am much more sympathetic about that now.  So, did I like this book?  No.  However...

I understand that a TV adaptation is coming for the first two Dublin Murder Squad books, In The Woods and The Likeness.  I think that BBC One  and Starz will be featuring it.  You can read about it here and here.  I'll look forward to perhaps seeing that at some point.

I'm hoping that Tana French's next book will go back to the type of crime novels she's written in the past.  Have you read this book?  Did you like it?  Please share...

36 comments:

  1. What a shame this one didn't work as well for you as French's other books. That must be so disappointing. I've read her first book, In the Woods, which I loved to bits. I tried to read book 2 and couldn't get into it somehow. I've seen The Witch Elm on Goodreads and wondered about reading it... I'll think about it. If I see it in the library I might grab it but from what you say I might struggle with it as you have.

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    1. Cath, the last thing I want to do is discourage someone else from trying it. I think that's why it's hard for me to tell about books that I haven't liked. Maybe you'd like the #2 more as TV adaptation. :-)

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  2. Interesting review, Kay. I really enjoyed listening to French's first book, In the Woods, and somehow thought this was another Dublin Murder Squad novel. My plan to continue with the series has a bit more urgency now that a TV adaptation is in the works, but I probably won't get to The Witch Elm.

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    1. No, this one is her first standalone book. So, no worries about that.

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  3. I’ve been curious about this one. It’s disappointing when you really like an author’s other books. I haven’t started her Dublin Murder Squad series, but I have the first book and am looking forward to reading it this year.

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    1. It is a bit disappointing, Robin, but it's not the first time that I've enjoyed one sort of book by an author and then haven't loved another sort by the same author. I hope you do try IN THE WOODS and like it.

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  4. I really loved her Dublin Murder Squad books. I've heard that this book is a bit different from her other books so I'm intrigued and will read it at some point.

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    1. It is definitely different in many ways, Melody, but I'll be very interested in hearing what you think about it if you read it. Kind of like what you shared about Peter Swanson's new book.

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  5. I've read and enjoyed all the Tana French books. I was lucky to be able to purchase one of them in hardcover on a B & N sale table, the others were e-books, and no audio for me. I'm bummed to hear about this one because I was looking forward to picking up another Tana French, without knowing almost anything about it.

    It happens that we can love an author but not feel the same when they change up their genre or style. Example: I love the Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series but am afraid to try her new series-- and haven't. I love Anna Lee Huber for light, quick-read, historical mysteries but haven't-- and might not-- try her gothic series.

    I'm stubborn, lol, but I do know what I like and what I don't. Long story short: I won't be bothering to read this one.

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    1. Rita, it's definitely different, but it might well suit another reader. I do know what you mean about authors and a second series - will you like it - I tried Elly Griffiths new series and didn't care for it as much. Now, I want to read her new standalone that will be out here in the US later this spring. It's a Gothic sort of book, so I think I'll like it more.

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  6. I've loved all of French's previous books and was looking forward to getting a copy of this one. Now, I won't worry about it too much. Thanks for the review.

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    1. Well, you and I both know that liking a book is at the pleasure of the reader. You might like this one, but you might not.

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  7. I felt so much the same way, such as being determined to like it because it was by Tana French! But it was a hard job! I also agree with you about Elly Griffiths. I *have* read a couple of books from her other series but didn't like them, so I stick with the Ruth Galloway books now!

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    1. Jill, when you wrote about this one a few days ago, I knew that I wasn't having a great time with it. And was really pondering what to say. I hate writing less than positive reviews and I don't very often because I usually quit reading the book. I'm hoping Elly Griffiths' new standalone (coming out in the US later this spring) will be as good as I hear it is.

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  8. Ooof. This sound painful to read. I do not like slow. I read her very first crime fiction book and loved it so much but for whatever reason I never picked up another book by her. I think I just do not like series as a rule. Too bad this one didn't work for you. I can tell you gave it the old "college try" but sometimes they disappoint.

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    1. Yes, from what I've noticed, you are not much of a series lover, Ti. And many are not. I did read (or rather listen) to it all, but it just wasn't the book for me.

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  9. The title intrigued me. I wonder if you would like it better if you had read it. I found that with The Alice Network. Listening to it was slow. Everyone that read it liked it. Also I am finding that if the narrator's voice doesn't match the voice that I make up for a character in my head, it effects what I think about it.

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    1. No, I don't think I would have liked it better in print, Gayle. The only thing is that I would have skipped to the end and then finished quicker. I guess I could have done that with the audio, but I didn't think of it. I was mostly just frustrated. The audio was 22 hours long. Sigh. And the narrator was a bit annoying to listen to.

      Yes, I'm one of the ones that liked THE ALICE NETWORK. However, we know that not every book is a good match.

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  10. Ha! You're stealing my thoughts again! Love the murder squad series to bits - especially Faithful Place - but The Witch Elm is killing me and my Tana French fan girl. I'm reading it right now, and it's a struggle. They just now found the skull and that took over 160 pages! And I'm not sure I care about the whys and wherefores of how it got there. I usually can live without liking the characters if the story grabs me enough but that's not happening here. It's not awful, and I vow to finish it, it's just...blah, I guess. I almost wish I'd listened to it like you instead of reading it. At least then I could enjoy the Irish accents. I'll be back for more TF books, I have trust she will grab me again in the future.

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    1. Oh, I'll try anything she writes in the future as well. Just because this one wasn't a good match for me, I won't give up. Ha! We can always reread the Dublin Murder Squad books. :-)

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  11. I haven't read this one, but I do love her other books. Too bad this one didn't live up to those.

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    1. Yes, I think I'll just stick with her crime solving books.

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  12. I haven't read any of her books, but I'm sorry this one was a bit disappointing for you. I hope her next one is great!

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    1. It happens to all of us doesn't it? Happily, we all have a lot more books to try. :-)

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  13. You said, 'done now and let's move along to something else'. Nope. This one is not for me. I miss her earlier style and don't know what has happened over the past few years. I may try her next book if it goes back to the Dublin Murder Squad, but I'll wait and let you tell me how you like it. :) Not sure how I feel about the books becoming movies. Will have to wait and see on those, as well. Meanwhile, I'm tempted to re-read The Likeness and Faithful Place. Goodness, those were good books!

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    1. They were very good books and that may be enough, right? I agree with the TV adaptations. Sometimes those are good, sometimes not so much. We shall see.

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  14. Tana French has been on my must-read list for years now. I even bought In the Woods at a Borders store when it came out in paperback. I really must make some time for this author whose praises are sung far and wide.

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    1. I laughed at 'bought it at Borders' - guess that was a while back, right? I loved Borders, by the way. Anyway, yes, I can recommend French's books. Just maybe don't start here. :-)

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  15. I feel the same way about French as you do. She's an auto-read, auto-love author for me. THE WITCH ELM is by far my least favorite of her books, although I didn't hate it. I didn't love it, but I did like it well enough. I do hope she goes back to her winning formula for the next one, though!

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    1. I hope she does too. And, yes, my least favorite as well.

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  16. Oh no! The slow pacing and the unlikable characters are not a good combination. If a thriller has a fast pace I'm okay with not liking the characters but if it's dragging that better not be the case. I was really looking forward to this one so I'll be lowering my expectations considerably.

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    1. Katherine, it was just so different from what I expected and had experienced with her books before. Kind of a shock, but I know that some will like it quite well. I'm just not a good match for this one.

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  17. Oh dear, well this is disappointing! I haven't loved all of the Dublin squad books but most I've really enjoyed. I will probably check this out at one point but will remember to look for a print version vs. an ebook!

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    1. I feel a little bad about discouraging others from trying this one, but I suppose that's everyone's choice, right? Yes, I'd do print rather than audio.

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  18. Well, that's disappointing. I was hoping this one would be better. I imagine I will give it a try myself at some point, but it will not be any time soon.

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    1. I was disappointed that it didn't work better for me. Hopeful for what comes next for her though.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!