My review does not contain spoilers.
I devoured this book in four days! Reading only in the
morning for a while and then the evening.
This was my first read of a B.P Walter novel (although I
have The Dinner Guest and Notes on a Murder) waiting for me on my
Kindle and I am excited to read them even more so now!
Often, after I finish a book, I read other reviews to (a)
see if my opinions compare, (b) support other book bloggers, (c) ensure my
review on retail/review sites is unique and personalised.
Whilst I will have an ‘even better if’ opinion, I avoid
leaving hugely negative reviews and instead like to post reviews for books that
I recommend. Recently, a NetGalley read was dire, so I simply left my one-star
review there and haven’t posted it to my blog.
Why am I putting this as part of this book review? Well, let me explain…
As I said in my opening, I sped through this book and
couldn’t wait to read more. I enjoyed it! I had just finished an awful book
and, in contrast, The Garden Party was the light to the shade of that
book. It was an easy read, and I knew who each character was, what was
happening and was thoroughly comfortable with Walter’s style.
If you sense a ‘but’ coming, you are right. Here it is: BUT,
there are a few things that I would say would make it even better if.
For example, if a TV company picked up the rights to it then the changes that I
am about to list would be welcomed on my part. Whereas changes to books when
transferred to screen often bug me.
1.
The prologue (I can’t explain why - I said no
spoilers) but I would just remove it all together. The first chapter is strong
and gripped me anyway.
2. The ending. Other reviews that I have read say
what I felt – it feels a little rushed. I don’t mean this in a truly negative
way though as I was SO enjoying the book that I would have willingly read on
and on and on. I wanted to see more of what was going to happen rather than be
told or have it implied. Therefore, I WOULD want to see this on screen playing
out, extending the ending.
Often, I am disappointed when I finish a
good book – a bit like saying goodbye to family/friends after a lovely day/time
etc. Here, I ‘turned’ the page and was like ‘Oh!’ as it ended so abruptly! Some
people would say the inference of what follows is there. I agree. I just didn’t
want it to end and was disappointed that it did!
3. I can’t explain this point fully or I will create a spoiler so all I will say is that although I guessed ‘who’ does something you do get to read ‘why’ they do it. So, in that sense, it works, but I do think if it would be more powerful if you didn’t guess (I imagine most readers will). I expected a twist and to be wrong…yet there wasn’t one and I wasn’t wrong either.
Now, on to what I really liked about it!
As I said at the beginning of this review, I really enjoyed The
Garden Party overall. I think the front cover is beautiful – with the red
wine playing homage to Walter’s red and white themed covers and the green
making it feel like the perfect summer read. I am glad that I read this one
whilst I had more spare time as I know I would’ve been annoyed waiting to get
back to it as it had me keen to read on!
There were some unexpected scenes that I thought were
sensitively written. At other points of the book, I would say it’s ‘nearer the
mark’ in its explicitness, but, again, I think Walter has delivered these
scenes with good effect.
Personally, I really felt for the character of Harris and,
without going into detail, I think that this was a strength of the book – the
way the characters are shown and developed. All characters – minor or major –
are distinctive and memorable to the point where I could pick who I would cast
as them if this were to be on TV.
Moreover, I liked how the three sections detail the ‘crimes’
of certain characters and thought this to be a unique way to present the novel.
Due to this, it does mean the time frame jumps about but the helpful time frame
notes at the start of each chapter allows you to know where you are. I didn’t
get muddled at all.
Walter’s description is appropriate – not too much, not too
little. Just the right balance to allow me to picture the scenery, the scene
itself and the characters within in. For me, the dialogue is also effective and
pitched well to match the characters you are introduced to.
So, if you like a ‘dark’ (Cooper, C) and enjoyable read, with
some brutal family reveals that tug on the heartstrings, then I recommend you
giving it a read as there’s no doubt that Walter’s style is one that many
readers will enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment