SPOILER ALERT: (Note that I have edited my review and increased my initial rating. See below for the additional insights).
This is the second mystery novel I've read in the last few days in which the mystery was not resolved. Are writers getting lazy? Do they just get tired of writing and decide, "Well, that's it, I quit. Let the readers figure it out." Jewel leaves clues, but many questions are unanswered, with nothing to indicate how the victim ended up with an overdose of sleep medication in her system. It appears that the primary suspect had accomplices, but we're left with no clear idea of how it all went down. Granted, it's not a murder mystery. The victim survives and wants the case dropped, so it's dropped. The police investigators were blatantly incompetent, seemingly more determined not to offend anyone and disrupt their nice summer day any more than they have to.
The book is really more of a study in family and communal neighborhood dynamics than it is a mystery novel or suspense thriller. It focuses on the relationships of adolescent children, especially the girls, with the one boy in the group apparently clueless. 'Boys are so dumb and girls are so mean' seems to be the moral of the story. So if you approach it from that perspective, you may accept it, but there's still no reason for leaving so much hanging at the end. Just because the young victim doesn't want anyone to know what happened doesn't mean the reader shouldn't know. Meanwhile, I'm getting tired of anticlimactic endings.
* Note that I wrote the above review after finishing this book two or three days ago, then read the book again and picked up on some clues I missed. The ending is still not completely resolved, but seems to be a little more obvious that it was in my initial reading. The book benefits from an additional perusal, (Beware of spoilers here). There is an obvious main culprit, but she has some obvious assistance, and it's pretty clear who they were. (I think there were two accomplices, although there may have been only one). The writer leaves it to the reader to figure it out, although no one in the story seems to know for certain, except possibly for the victim, and she ain't telling.
The most interesting and disturbing character in the book is 13 year old Tyler, a girl who is neglected by a narcissistic mother. and who becomes jealous of a new girl who seems to be taking the males in her life away from her. The end of the book leads to speculation about what this girl will do next, as she's obviously a very troubled child, yet very vengeful and manipulative, one who may illicit your pity but watch out! You might want to take her in your arms and hug her, but be careful, she bites. All the characters are fascinating and well developed, but she's the one for whom I felt a combination of love and fear, a child crying out for love and affection but who is potentially dangerous, especially as she heads into adolescence like an out of control freight train. Danger ahead, I predict. Would love to read a sequel to this book.
Meanwhile, I've changed my rating from 2 stars to five stars. Sorry I missed some things on my initial reading of the book, and even though I still have mixed feelings about the ending, I think that in many situations, the pieces of the puzzle never fall completely into place the way we expect. However, I think there are enough clues to put most of it together. It's a great book for a group discussion, as everyone will likely have a different opinion.
The Girls in the Garden: A Novel
4 4 out of 5 stars | 8,701 ratings
Price: 23.54
Last update: 07-01-2024
About this item
Imagine that you live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people's houses. You've known your neighbors for years and you trust them. Implicitly. You think your children are safe. But are they really? On a midsummer night, as a festive neighborhood party is taking place, preteen Pip discovers her 13-year-old sister Grace lying unconscious and bloody in a hidden corner of a lush rose garden. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?
Top reviews from the United States
Alan E. Thornton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give us a resolution, not just clues left unresolved
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2021Katseye1977
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
Imagine moving into a communal type housing. As outsiders, it is daunting. For Grace and Pip, it is tougher because they don't have a dad because he's in treatment for mental illness. The girls manage to win the other kids over and the parents are so accepting. But rivalries develop. Will history repeat itself in this small little area? Are there dark secrets hidden here? A great story with complex characters that work well together. The ending was interesting. I don't want to give too much away, so just read it! Highly recommend
Vanessa Morse
3.0 out of 5 stars
**3 Secrets Beheld, Stars**
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2024
I must say, I’m a little disappointed in the ending…a little lackluster, and too tidy for my liking in a thriller. Call me dark and/or morbid, but the meat of this story gave me hope that I would see justice in the end…nope, not here.
But, I did enjoy the story as a whole. It intrigued me enough that although the words seemed nothing more than mundane happenings among the characters, I kept reading. I couldn’t stop. And I’m glad I finished, although, I had it figured out long before “the end”.
Lisa Jewell is a favorite of mine. Her stories are just twisty enough to make you think and written in a way that you have to pay attention…she’s a fantastic writer and while I’m not thrilled with the ending of this one, it won’t deter me from reading her other stories. She keeps me engaged, which means the most when reading for me.
But, I did enjoy the story as a whole. It intrigued me enough that although the words seemed nothing more than mundane happenings among the characters, I kept reading. I couldn’t stop. And I’m glad I finished, although, I had it figured out long before “the end”.
Lisa Jewell is a favorite of mine. Her stories are just twisty enough to make you think and written in a way that you have to pay attention…she’s a fantastic writer and while I’m not thrilled with the ending of this one, it won’t deter me from reading her other stories. She keeps me engaged, which means the most when reading for me.
stacey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Such an intense read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2020
The Girls In The Garden
“Faithful to the thriller genre, Jewell makes liberal use of red herrings and plot twists… The answer to the whodunit is a sly—and satisfying—surprise.” —The New York Times
I read A LOT of books and most of them are awesome, this The Girls In The Garden was a truly amazing read for me. I was hooked by the first page in, and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to devour the entire book in one sitting. The writing was fantastic, the storyline was thrilling and suspenseful and twisted, which is my favorite type of genre.
This book made me enraged at points at how often these adults leave their children to their own devices in a world like today. When I have children, I don’t think I would even trust them to walk down the street without me present. These kids were gallivanting through the communal park all day, every day, until late hours in the night. And they never expected anything bad to happen?
Clare and her two girls Grace and Pip move into a new neighborhood where everyone is in everyone’s business and everyone hangs out together. There is a communal area with rose gardens and a park where everyone gathers. You meet many of the neighbors and learn about their stories. The rose gardens and park have their own backstory.
Clare is estranged from her husband, Chris, after he had a schizophrenic breakdown and set the family house on fire to save them from a alien rat invasion, not knowing his his wife and kids were even in the house at the time. He is at a facility getting the help he needs and Clare is starting her life over.
After a block party, Pip finds her sister Grace in the garden, covered in blood, unconsciousness and half dressed. The book goes through the timeline heading up to that event as well as the timeline after the event, to find out who hurt Grace.
This was an intense read and I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down!!!
“Faithful to the thriller genre, Jewell makes liberal use of red herrings and plot twists… The answer to the whodunit is a sly—and satisfying—surprise.” —The New York Times
I read A LOT of books and most of them are awesome, this The Girls In The Garden was a truly amazing read for me. I was hooked by the first page in, and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to devour the entire book in one sitting. The writing was fantastic, the storyline was thrilling and suspenseful and twisted, which is my favorite type of genre.
This book made me enraged at points at how often these adults leave their children to their own devices in a world like today. When I have children, I don’t think I would even trust them to walk down the street without me present. These kids were gallivanting through the communal park all day, every day, until late hours in the night. And they never expected anything bad to happen?
Clare and her two girls Grace and Pip move into a new neighborhood where everyone is in everyone’s business and everyone hangs out together. There is a communal area with rose gardens and a park where everyone gathers. You meet many of the neighbors and learn about their stories. The rose gardens and park have their own backstory.
Clare is estranged from her husband, Chris, after he had a schizophrenic breakdown and set the family house on fire to save them from a alien rat invasion, not knowing his his wife and kids were even in the house at the time. He is at a facility getting the help he needs and Clare is starting her life over.
After a block party, Pip finds her sister Grace in the garden, covered in blood, unconsciousness and half dressed. The book goes through the timeline heading up to that event as well as the timeline after the event, to find out who hurt Grace.
This was an intense read and I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down!!!
stacey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Such an intense read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2020
“Faithful to the thriller genre, Jewell makes liberal use of red herrings and plot twists… The answer to the whodunit is a sly—and satisfying—surprise.” —The New York Times
I read A LOT of books and most of them are awesome, this The Girls In The Garden was a truly amazing read for me. I was hooked by the first page in, and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to devour the entire book in one sitting. The writing was fantastic, the storyline was thrilling and suspenseful and twisted, which is my favorite type of genre.
This book made me enraged at points at how often these adults leave their children to their own devices in a world like today. When I have children, I don’t think I would even trust them to walk down the street without me present. These kids were gallivanting through the communal park all day, every day, until late hours in the night. And they never expected anything bad to happen?
Clare and her two girls Grace and Pip move into a new neighborhood where everyone is in everyone’s business and everyone hangs out together. There is a communal area with rose gardens and a park where everyone gathers. You meet many of the neighbors and learn about their stories. The rose gardens and park have their own backstory.
Clare is estranged from her husband, Chris, after he had a schizophrenic breakdown and set the family house on fire to save them from a alien rat invasion, not knowing his his wife and kids were even in the house at the time. He is at a facility getting the help he needs and Clare is starting her life over.
After a block party, Pip finds her sister Grace in the garden, covered in blood, unconsciousness and half dressed. The book goes through the timeline heading up to that event as well as the timeline after the event, to find out who hurt Grace.
This was an intense read and I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down!!!
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Stephanie Bair
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2023
Wonderful story! I couldn’t put it down! Very well written and kept my attention till the very end. Highly recommend!!