an amazing book that stays with you for ever it is more than ten years since i read it but I still refer to it. the main thrust is nurture or nature in bringing up children. it also has a background of do all mothers love all their children. the events are shocking but intentionally so and the ending was a complete surprise to me. i thought the film was awful btw.
@Lesley i enjoyed the book so much i thought it was worth a try but you are probably right it just didn’t handle it in my view. the book was almost chronological despite the odd flashback but the film appeared to me to start somewhere. i couldn’t decide if it was the end or middle. the mother in the film did match my imagining but it was so dark i suppose intentionally due to the content i just found it difficult to see anything.
In my top 10. I found her writing style took some adjustment, but once I got used to it I couldn’t put it down! Loved her honesty in how she felt about parenting.
Scary
Disturbing.
Perfect ?
Slow-going to start with but worth persevering
I almost gave up on it, but I was glad I didn’t. Worth reading
Thought it was excellent. Will stay with you for a long time
I found it very disturbing and really didn’t like it.
Most memorable, interesting, thought provoking read of my life- but yes, slow and disturbing.
Heavy going but worth reading ?
Didn’t enjoy it
Disjointed, disturbing, unpleasant and ultimately worth the journey
Exactly how I felt
Liked!
My first psycho thriller, hard to read from memory but absolutely Brilliant
Very good book thought provoking but quite a difficult read
One of my best.
Hated it.
Def disturbing!
Hard work but worth it
Very good
Stopped half way through which I hate doing. Badly written.
Dark and disturbing but worth the trouble. So much more intense than the film.
Amazing book.
Dark. Disturbing. Slow to begin but worth reading. One of those books you won’t forget.
Very disturbing!
It was darkly unforgettable and it permanently lingers. Every now and then ideas and insights from the book will spring up. Worth reading
Agree I read it a number of years ago and it’s one of those that keeps coming back to me
I read it 10 years ago and still think about it
me too!
Me too
About six years for me but same.
Have to give another go – couldn’t get into at all & gave up
Brilliant if disturbing.
Questioned every view of being a mother and what it entails.
Brilliant book
an amazing book that stays with you for ever it is more than ten years since i read it but I still refer to it. the main thrust is nurture or nature in bringing up children. it also has a background of do all mothers love all their children. the events are shocking but intentionally so and the ending was a complete surprise to me. i thought the film was awful btw.
I deliberately didn’t see the film; There’s too many emotive issues involved in the book to portray on film.
@Lesley i enjoyed the book so much i thought it was worth a try but you are probably right it just didn’t handle it in my view. the book was almost chronological despite the odd flashback but the film appeared to me to start somewhere. i couldn’t decide if it was the end or middle. the mother in the film did match my imagining but it was so dark i suppose intentionally due to the content i just found it difficult to see anything.
Interesting read which asks more questions than it answers! 🙂
Brilliant, but you need to persevere through the first third of the book! I nearly put it down a few times till it picked up momentum.
AMAZING!
Grim and challenging with a ghastly twist
Excellent book very disturbing and conflicting I kept feeling sorry for the mum one minute and then thinking is this her fault the next ?
One of the best !
Loved it. Heavy, but well worth sticking with.
Stick with it ?
One of the most unsettling and disturbing books I have ever read.
I agree. Provoked a lot of discussion in my reading group and in my working life as a counsellor – nature vs nurture
One of the only books that I consider amazing but so disturbing and unsettling (perfect adjectives) I wish I’d never read it!
Does it interest anyone what draws us to the dark side?
Interests me….
Me too just always wonder y
Excellent read … disturbing and thought provoking …
In my top 10. I found her writing style took some adjustment, but once I got used to it I couldn’t put it down! Loved her honesty in how she felt about parenting.
Miserable and cold and unpleasant.
Amazing
Disturbing and impactful
Stressful but worth it
Sorry, I struggled to get into this so quit
Couldn’t get into it
Disturbing
Who needs to talk about me?
Excellent read thought provoking
Adored the film massively
A real stand out, which is more than can be said for the rest of her books.
Disliked it intensely.
Great book loved it …. great discussions about it
Loved this book!
Loved book and film x
I liked it!