Now a major motion picture starring Eva Green and directed by Jordan Scott
A beautiful schoolgirl mysteriously disappears into t... read full description
A beautiful schoolgirl mysteriously disappears into t... read full description
reviews
Sep 08, 2011
Rebecca
rated it: 
This is the first book I've ever read where I've liked the film better. The film's characters were more complex and well-developed, the storyline was cleaned up into a great narrative, and the dialogue was less cloying. As for the novel:
Wow, do I feel conflicted about this one. I love boarding school novels, and this one had an exceptionally lovely setting (South Africa in the 1960s, not England in the 1930s like the film,) and an interesting perspective (first person plural-- all " More...
Wow, do I feel conflicted about this one. I love boarding school novels, and this one had an exceptionally lovely setting (South Africa in the 1960s, not England in the 1930s like the film,) and an interesting perspective (first person plural-- all " More...
Mar 20, 2010
Natalie
rated it:
The book was an interesting concept. A group of eleven women reunite at their African high school many years later at the behest of the old headmistress. The school is having financial difficulties. One of the women is a character named Sheila Kohler, who is also an author. Inevitably, we learn that something very bad happened when the women were in high school: the disappearance of a girl named Fiamma.
The reader is moved back and forth through time in a vague, distant, we-point-of-view. More...
The reader is moved back and forth through time in a vague, distant, we-point-of-view. More...
Sep 15, 2009
Catherine
rated it: 
This is, hands down, among the worst books I have ever read. I have no idea what other people see in it. My gripes are many, but I'll try to limit them to things that people might find useful:
1) The narrative style -- it's written in first-person plural, which means the voice is always a "we", with no concrete sense of whom that includes. This makes is extremely difficult to conjure any sympathy for the narrator, which I imagine the reader should feel.
2) Lack of More...
1) The narrative style -- it's written in first-person plural, which means the voice is always a "we", with no concrete sense of whom that includes. This makes is extremely difficult to conjure any sympathy for the narrator, which I imagine the reader should feel.
2) Lack of More...
Sep 23, 2009
Jennifer
rated it: 
I read about this one in Vanity Fair. It is being made into a movie starring Eva Green (the sexy French woman from one of the recent Bond movies).
I found this little 165-pager really moving. I liked the use of the collective "we" as the narrator. The book was strangely moving for me. Even though these girls were so together and acted as a group in many ways, they were all hurting so much by being apart from their families. They all want the love and attention of Miss G More...
I found this little 165-pager really moving. I liked the use of the collective "we" as the narrator. The book was strangely moving for me. Even though these girls were so together and acted as a group in many ways, they were all hurting so much by being apart from their families. They all want the love and attention of Miss G More...
Aug 13, 2011
Miranda
rated it:
I cannot think of a single time I have ever said this, but in this instance you should probably just watch the movie. The book is about 160 pages with an interesting concept but Kohler offers little to no depth to the many characters and their actions. Characters are portrayed as two dimensional beings with one or two quirks in their personalities taking over the whole, their motives are barely skimmed over and when the final act that shapes the novel takes place the violent shift in the already
More...
Aug 26, 2010
Suna
rated it:
The euphemisms really got on my tits, they sounded so cuntish.
They were both insufferably insipid - boosie - and uselessly inaccurate -winkie-.
Even though they were meant to be expressions used by young girls, they ring implausible.
Unless I'm unaware that these words are commonly used by small children in white South African culture of that time. In which case they're still bloody annoying.
The story is beautifully crafted, well-set up and suspenseful. More...
They were both insufferably insipid - boosie - and uselessly inaccurate -winkie-.
Even though they were meant to be expressions used by young girls, they ring implausible.
Unless I'm unaware that these words are commonly used by small children in white South African culture of that time. In which case they're still bloody annoying.
The story is beautifully crafted, well-set up and suspenseful. More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 02, 2012
Daisy
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 16, 2009
Akemi
rated it:
Disturbing, concise, unusual first person plural POV.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 15, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
Hmm, this was good... but odd!!! Cracks is the tale of a group of young teenage girls at a South African boarding school back in the 60's. The weather is hot and dry, the school is isolated, and the girls don't have much in the way of strict supervision. The South African scenery was well-described, and I could absolutely feel the brutal summer heat radiating off the pages. Thirteen of the girls are chosen by Miss G to be on the swim team, including beautiful new-girl Fiamma, who keeps her d
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 05, 2011
Liz
rated it: 
Why haven't I read this book before now? It's dark, sensual, and definitely disturbing--in other words, a great read. A group of boarding school girls forms a clique around Miss G, their charismatic and sometimes domineering swimming coach. The new girl, Fiamma, throws a wrench in their machinations for Miss G's attentions. Part PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, part MEAN GIRLS, part A SEPARATE PEACE. Ultimately, this is an exploration of evil dressed in school uniforms.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 22, 2011
Bethan
rated it:
Lightly written but strange as heck (which may be how it's most interesting for me) and I really, really wanted to have some background or psychological depth given for the teacher Miss G. in it. It feels like a children's book or fairy-tale but with homoerotic adult themes. Tries unsuccessfully to be like Golding's Lord of the Flies but is too shallow or lacks the necessary dark force and build up to pull that off.
Nov 14, 2010
Vanessa
rated it:
There was something very whimsical about the whole book. It was intimate and detailed, and it kept me turning the pages. However, it left me more than a little unsatisfied at the end. Everything I wanted to know was kept from me, and emphasis was placed on things I didn't really care for. I was really looking forward to reading this book too. The idea is fascinating, but the execution just didn't meet my expectations.
Dec 19, 2009
Anna
rated it:
This is a really good book for a rainy day or an insomnia-plagued late night. It's short and easy to read, yet it's extremely provocative. I'm excited to see the movie adaptation that's coming out soon (particularly since the setting is relocated to Ireland). As for the three stars, I think the prose was repetitive and slightly infantile, even for fourteen-year-old girls.
Mar 10, 2011
Issa
rated it:
I picked up this book because I saw a trailer for the movie version that is coming out and it looked interesting. In the future I should probably read more about a book, especially some reviews. I did not like this book. I finished it because I can't leave a book unfinished but it was difficult. The plural first person voice of the book was annoying. I didn't connect with any of the characters because none of them were really developed. Additionally, the writing style had the feel of a cli
More...
Aug 31, 2009
Yuk. double yuk, not worth the $ buck at the used book store. It's about an all girls school in South Africa, a child molester teacher, girls who want to be molested by her and the one who gets molested by her who doesn't want it, jealous feelings and death. Nothing, not one bit of this do I ever want to fill my head with again!
Aug 03, 2011
Sadaf
rated it:
When they're not swimming, the members of the team amuse themselves by torturing new girls and taking turns fainting in chapel, until Fiamma Coronna throws everything off balance. Very different from the books I have read so far. It was haunting and I liked the use of the collective "we" as the narrator. But is definitely not striking.
Sep 17, 2011
Kirsty
rated it:
I prefer this book to the film as I think it is subtler and less hammered home, plus they whimp out of the utter grimness of it all in the film, cowards. I found it fascinating rather than enjoyable, but would recommend it as a jolly fine read in the same vein as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Interesting stuff.
Apr 16, 2009
Margaret
rated it:
Purchased from the $1 shelf at The Strand, mostly because I heard that the author is working on a novelization of the life of Charlotte Brontë (something on the order of the movie 'Becoming Jane' about Austen) and I was curious. After reading this, I'm not sure I will be up for the new book. Wish I could get my dollar back and use it to buy something more useful, like a soda to rot my teeth.
Aug 29, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Brilliantly dark and haunting. Fantastically written. One of the best books I've ever read, I couldn't put it down. I loved the first person plural and the lengthy descriptions of the South African landscape. Wonderfully creepy, and a shock of an ending. Pure brilliance.
Jul 07, 2011
Jenna
rated it:
Reminds me so much of something that happened in real life that I was obsessed with for awhile...also of a few things I started writing and never finished. First book in like a YEAR that I found really hard to put down.
Aug 20, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
Interesting book. I found some of the characters a little annoying. Fiamma was lovely. Honestly... I liked the film a ton more than the book. That isn't very normal for me but in this case...
Sep 05, 2011
Miriam
rated it:
I think I actually liked the movie better than the book. Still an interesting read. :)
Apr 05, 2011
Divine-Asia
rated it:
Richly disturbing. Reminscent of Sleepers, The Kite Runner and Lolita.
May 03, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Most decidedly not for me and I cannot think of who I would recommend this book to.
Dec 07, 2009
Veda
rated it:
Beautifully written - incredibly scary and mesmerizing.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 03, 2008
Bachyboy
rated it:
This was a distinctly uncomfortable read. A beautiful schoolgirl disappears into the South African veldt and 40 years later the members of her swimming team gather at their old boarding school for a reunion. The women relive the horror of Fiamma's disappearance. I found it hard to believe the character of Miss G, their swimming teacher. Not a book I would recommend.
Dec 23, 2009
K
rated it:
Virgin Suicides. Lord of the Flies. LUGs.
If you watch the movie trailer you can probably guess what happens.
If you watch the movie trailer you can probably guess what happens.
