Cuckoo

Dec 08, 2012 Bücherplanet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Das Cover des Buches sowie der Titel waren eigentlich die ausschlaggebenden Punkte für mich dieses Buch zu lesen. Der Titel kurz und prägnant - das Cover sehr schön gestaltet.

Zu den Personen: da hätten wir auf der einen Seite Rose, ihres Zeichens Hausfrau und Mutter von zwei Kindern, ihren Mann Gareth, seines Zeichens Künstler und mehr in seiner eigenen Welt als ins der Realität. Und dann wäre da noch Polly, beste Freundin aus Kindertagen, in Griechenland lebend mit ihrem Mann Christos und den z...more Das Cover des Buches sowie der Titel waren eigentlich die ausschlaggebenden Punkte für mich dieses Buch zu lesen. Der Titel kurz und prägnant - das Cover sehr schön gestaltet.

Zu den Personen: da hätten wir auf der einen Seite Rose, ihres Zeichens Hausfrau und Mutter von zwei Kindern, ihren Mann Gareth, seines Zeichens Künstler und mehr in seiner eigenen Welt als ins der Realität. Und dann wäre da noch Polly, beste Freundin aus Kindertagen, in Griechenland lebend mit ihrem Mann Christos und den zwei Jungs. Christos verunglückt tödlich, Rose bietet Polly (anfänglich ohne Gareths Unterstützung) ihre Hilfe und Unterschlupf an. und somit beginnt das Psycho-Spiel - schön langsam aber sicher - und für den Leser bereits mit einigen "Aha-Effekten".

Zum Inhalt: die Autorin schreibt in einem guten und leichten Stil, weiß geschickt die Anspannung zu steigern oder den Leser auch furchtbar wütend zu machen. Rose zum Beispiel hat mich oft überrascht - als mehr oder weniger biederes Hausmütterchen hat sie doch auch ihre "Schatten-Seiten". Die Spannung wird sehr gut aufgebaut und lässt einen oft fassungslos den Kopf schütteln. Oftmals empfand ich auch Wut und Unglauben auf Grund der gezeichneten Handlungen der einzelnen Charaktere - wobei die Wut oftmals Richtung Rose ging. Denn sie ist meines Erachtens nach der einzige Charakter der wirklich überrascht - mit ihrem Handeln und Denken. Polly hingegen hatte ich sehr schnell durchschaut - ihr Charakter wurde ziemlich schnell gut sichtbar. Gareth wiederum erfüllt meiner Meinung nach sämtliche Klischees eines freischaffenden Künstlers der nicht so recht in die ländliche und familiäre Idylle passt und somit irgendwie den Eindruck eines eingesperrten Vogels hinterlässt. das Ende selbst dann ist mir ein kleines bisschen zu unspektakulär - das wäre ausbaufähiger gewesen.

Punkteabzug: was mir überhaupt nicht gefallen hat ist der ständige Konsum von Alkohol sämtlicher Protagonisten. Warum die Autorin so darauf fixiert war ist mir ein Rätsel. Vor allem Rose, die stillt und sehr auf die Gesundheit ihrer Kinder achtet - dröhnt sich regelmäßig mit den anderen zu - und legt zwischendurch eine "Still-Pause" ein - für mich weder verständlich noch nachvollziehbar. Diese Handlungen empfand ich oft als störend. Und lenkte mich persönlich oftmals ab weil ich mich fragte: warum trinken die jetzt in dieser Situation? Vor allem eine Szene: Kind ist im Krankenhaus und Mann bringt Frau - die am Bett ihres Kindes wacht - Wein mit den sie gemeinsam trinken...und eine 2.Flasche für später wenn sie alleine ist. Man bekommt oft das Gefühl dass ohne Alkohol erstmal gar nichts geht.

Alles in allem ein gutes Buch, das ma schnell durchhat. am Ende jedoch bleiben einige Fragen, für mich selbst, offen.

Büchersammlerin von MexxBooks(less)

like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rose has a pretty perfect life - a large country house, two children she adores, a talented husband and happy marriage - and then her recently-widowed childhood friend Polly comes to stay with her two children...

Seeds of doubt about Polly's motives are sown early and the atmosphere gets rapidly darker, so from the outset the reader is keen to know what happens. The sense of menace is compounded by Julia Crouch's vivid writing style - she makes it easy to picture Polly and Rose, husband Gareth an...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2012 Derek Bell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction

A deeply unsettling and sinister read. Crouch avoids falling into the complete Single White Female/Home Invasion cliche although at times you think she is heading straight for it. I had very little sympathy for any of the characters, including the children, and at times found myself wishing something bad would happen to them all. It seemed to me that Crouch was deliberately doing this, I felt increasingly ambiguous about Rose and that we were not being let into all her story but getting what she...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

A friend in need is a friend indeed . . . when Rose’s oldest and dearest friend becomes a widow, Rose is there with open arms and a shoulder to cry one. Rose thinks nothing of opening her home up to Polly and her two small boys who have just lost a father.

Rose has always loved Polly’s unique, non-conformist personality. But the longer she stays in Rose’s house, the more it seems she doesn’t quite fit the role of ‘grieving widow’. Polly isn’t acting the way a bereaved wife is supposed to. And whe...more A friend in need is a friend indeed . . . when Rose’s oldest and dearest friend becomes a widow, Rose is there with open arms and a shoulder to cry one. Rose thinks nothing of opening her home up to Polly and her two small boys who have just lost a father.

Rose has always loved Polly’s unique, non-conformist personality. But the longer she stays in Rose’s house, the more it seems she doesn’t quite fit the role of ‘grieving widow’. Polly isn’t acting the way a bereaved wife is supposed to. And when Rose starts to feel redundant in her own home, even neglected as a wife and mother, she can’t help but wonder if Polly is the cause...

Only one thing is certain; ‘their first mistake was inviting her in’.

‘Cuckoo’ is the debut novel from Julia Crouch.

This is one smart and sharp psychological thriller. What makes Crouch’s book such a shiveringly good read is that it’s mired in possibility. The ‘threat’ to our protagonist is a beloved best friend – a friend who has just suffered a crippling loss. Who amongst us wouldn’t lend a hand or open our doors to a friend who is suffering? Therein lays the scare at the heart of ‘Cuckoo’, as Crouch asks the question ‘how well do we know our friends’?

Polly’s disruption to Rose’s home-life is a slow-burning madness. Rose starts to feel insignificant as both a wife and mother when Polly insists on lending a helping hand around the house. Polly helps in looking after Rose’s children; she assists her husband with his work. She cleans the house and prepares dinner . . . and slowly, but surely, Rose starts to feel irrelevant. But how much of it can be attributed to Polly’s grief? Or is it all in Rose’s head?

Things had fallen apart. It was as if she had been brought in because of the absence of a mother. She had the feeling that there was a vacuum where the woman she had thought she was once stood, and that she was now beside it, looking on.
In that case, she thought, who fills the space I occupy now? And this was a question she really couldn’t bring herself to answer.

The blurb (reminiscent of ‘Single White Female’) and cover (complete with garish pink suitcase) and may scream ‘female readership’, but I disagree. Crouch’s debut is chilling and twisted enough to reach across genders and appeal to both men and women. No doubt women will connect more with Rose’s feelings of threatened wife and mother, but men will find a delicious whodunit in Rose’s spiraling paranoia and Polly’s corruption.

Crouch has tapped into a new thriller setting that has already enjoyed prime-time at the box office. ‘The Roommate’ came out recently, and focuses on similar frighteners as ‘Cuckoo’. The horror lies in the familiar – when we feel threatened in our own home, by the very people we call friend(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-read-in-a-day, favorites

I don't tend to write reviews because quite frankly i can never be bothered but this is a book that deserves one. I loved this book and i do mean LOVED it. I read it in 3 hours in one sitting and thought it was terrific. I found Rose rather annoying, and i didn't like the setting- having lived in Bath i can't quite picture what Crouch was trying to portray but i think that's my own bias and not anything to do with her writing style or skill- obviously i view that particular area in a totally dif...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2011 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Cuckoo by Julia Crouch is a seriously deep book, full of class, intrigue and a complexity that was so unexpected it was a delight to read – despite an overwhelming darkness that oozed from within. Published by Headline on March 3rd the book had me from the get go. On reading the accompanying blurb (below) and dust jacket I did wonder if the book was aimed at the female market (especially with the pink suitcase adorning the cover), but it soon became evident that the book is well suited to any ad...more

like · see review

May 05, 2013 Naomi rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Juliane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books-i-read, mystery-crime-and-thriller, vorablesen

Inhalt:

Das Leben von Rose scheint vollkommen: Mit ihrem Mann und ihren zwei Töchtern lebt sie in einem kleinen Cottage in England. Sie führt ein harmonisches Leben und versteht sich gut mit den Nachbarn. Dann bekommt sie die Schocknachricht: Der Mann ihrer besten Jugendfreundin ist in Griechenland verunglückt und gestorben. Sofort bietet Rose ihrer Freundin Polly an, zu ihr ins Cottage zu ziehen. Polly, die sowieso mit ihren zwei Söhnen zurück nach England wollte, nimmt das Angebot an. Zunächst...more

like · see review

Apr 22, 2011 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I won my copy of this book through Headline Publishing's March's (2011) recommended read competition.

Their first mistake was inviting her in... is the front cover strapline and with the title Cuckoo, I already knew Polly was going to be a piece of work - no surprise there. I thought Rose was the fragile one to begin with, not Polly. Polly would snap like a twig in a storm but that means there is no soft vulnerability to her whereas Rose appears to want to please everyone and give her family the...more

like · see review

Mar 11, 2011 Sue G rated it 3 of 5 stars

There are tensions in the story from the start. Polly has been Rose’s friend since they were 6 and they’re now in their late thirties and you soon realise that their shared history is going to be significant to the story. Rose has a very ordered and domesticated life that she wants to immerse herself in and Polly, an ex-musician, couldn’t be more different. The arrival of Polly and her two sons throws the household into chaos.

As the story unfolds it becomes apparent that Rose is keeping secrets...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Mel Döring rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eines kann ich vorweg schon sagen, die Protagonistin Rose erinnert mich ganz stark an mich! :-)
Dadurch kann ich mich so gut in Rose hineinversetzen, so dass ich aber auch die ganze Zeit sehr misstrauisch gegenüber den anderen Beteiligten im Buch bin. Ich vermutete hinter jeder Tasse Tee, die Rose nicht selber zubereitet hat, einen “Anschlag”. Also dass jemand ihr Schlafmittel oder so in den Tee gibt, um sie zu verwirren und als Verrück darzustellen. Mit Jemand meinte ich, ihre beste Freundin aus...more Eines kann ich vorweg schon sagen, die Protagonistin Rose erinnert mich ganz stark an mich! :-)
Dadurch kann ich mich so gut in Rose hineinversetzen, so dass ich aber auch die ganze Zeit sehr misstrauisch gegenüber den anderen Beteiligten im Buch bin. Ich vermutete hinter jeder Tasse Tee, die Rose nicht selber zubereitet hat, einen “Anschlag”. Also dass jemand ihr Schlafmittel oder so in den Tee gibt, um sie zu verwirren und als Verrück darzustellen. Mit Jemand meinte ich, ihre beste Freundin aus Kindertagen, die nach dem Tod ihres Mannes bei Rose und ihrer Familie erst einmal unterkommt. Ich bin schon paranoid, obwohl ich nur Leser bin. Es ist alles sehr Mysteriös und auch gefährlich.

So jetzt hab ich Euch meine Meinung über das Buch schon gesagt, na ja fast, aber Ihr hab so gar keine Ahnung worum es geht.
Rose hat ein kleines Haus auf dem Land. Sie hat es mit ihrem Mann gerade in mühevoller Arbeit hergerichtet und dabei fast ihre Ehe aufs Spiel gesetzt. Sie hat 2 Kinder und nachdem das Haus endlich fertig ist, hat ihre Ehe auch die Krise überwunden, bis Polly, ihre Jugendfreundin, wieder in ihr Leben tritt. Mit Pollys Ankunft beginnt die Katastrophe, allerdings nur schleichend.

Ich finde, das Buch kommt etwas langsam in Fahrt und es bleibt leider auch nicht durchgängig spannend. Ungefähr ab einem Drittel des Buches wird es spannend, davor war es einen nette Erzählung von einer eher durchschnittlichen Familie und ich dachte immer: “wann geht es denn jetzt los”. Die Spannung wird nicht gehalten, aber nach und nach kommen auch einige Geheimnisse ans Licht. Insgesamt wird man aber schon in das Buch gezogen, und wie oben erwähnt, wurde ich auch immer misstrauischer und bekam Verfolgungswahn.

Dieses Buch eignet sich gut für Zwischendurch und es schadet auch nicht, wenn man es mal einen Tag oder so aus der Hand legt und etwas anderes macht. Dadurch langweilt man sich nicht, wenn es mal wieder zu einer langen Beschreibung von irgendetwas kommt, die total uninteressant ist. Ein nettes Buch für nebenher halt.

Auch wenn das jetzt nicht so positiv klingt, kann ich das Buch nur empfehlen, da es einen am Ende noch richtig mitnimmt und man schon überlegt, ob man sich das alles nur eingebildet hat. Also ich fühle mich ja mit der Protagonistin sehr verbunden (wie oben erwähnt) und sehe überall nur Gefahr und Misstrauen. Gleichzeitig denke ich aber auch, wird sie langsam verrückt? Was ich nicht verstehe ist, warum sie sich keine Unterstützung von ihren neuen Freunden und Nachbarn holt. Es können sie ja nicht alle für Verrückt halten. Seid also gespannt wie es ausgeht. :-)

Bis zum nächsten Buch
Mel(less)

like · see review

Mar 09, 2011 For Books' Sake rated it 3 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, the title rather gives away the plot as the irresistibly charismatic Polly gets herself settled in to Rose’s life in ways that would discourage anyone from inviting an old friend to stay for longer than 48 hours. And yet, perhaps there are more layers to this tale of paranoia, betrayal and deceit than it may at first seem…

Essentially I just found Rose quite irritating, not to mention hypocritical and judgmental, whereas despite (or more likely because of) her manipulative nature,...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2011 Paula rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed 'Cuckoo' immensely, the characters were realistic and enthralling. Polly has to be the most selfish, manipulative friend ever with as many skeletons in her closet as Rose and Gareth had, which made for interesting reading, everyone had something to hide and Polly had the ability to bring individual's fears to the surface which she does subtlely, especially with Rose, who she constantly reminds that she knows things that Rose does not want anyone (especially Gareth) to know. As the stor...more

like · see review

Feb 14, 2011 Jenni rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-author

When I sat down to start reading Julia Crouch's debut novel I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The synopsis appears to give you an idea of what the book is but as you get drawn deeper and deeper within the book the plot almost seems to swallow you in. I found that the further into the book I got the harder it was to put down, I was more and more gripped with the more I read.

The major characters are all really well written. I found them to be very three dimensional, no character was all good...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 16, 2011 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I found the description of this book intriguing. And when I read that the author actually wrote it during NaNoWriMo, I couldn't wait to get stuck into it...

Rose has recently settled into the new house she's enjoyed renovating in the countryside with her husband and two daughters. She's enjoying getting into some sort of family routine and is finally in a comfortable place with her artist husband, Gareth. However, when her best friend Polly becomes a widow, Rose invites her and her two sons to st...more I found the description of this book intriguing. And when I read that the author actually wrote it during NaNoWriMo, I couldn't wait to get stuck into it...

Rose has recently settled into the new house she's enjoyed renovating in the countryside with her husband and two daughters. She's enjoying getting into some sort of family routine and is finally in a comfortable place with her artist husband, Gareth. However, when her best friend Polly becomes a widow, Rose invites her and her two sons to stay with them until they get themselves settled.

Although Rose's husband isn't thrilled with the idea, because he doesn't particularly like Polly, she still comes to stay. And things start going downhill from there. Rose and Polly have a very odd friendship. They've known each other since they were kids and seem to share a very toxic presence in each other's life. The lives of these two women are intertwined in a series of shocking events. Their connection is filled with wicked manipulation, and sick games. One that actually puts Rose's baby in the hospital.

Suddenly, everything in Rose's life is out of control and she can't get on top of things, but Polly is there to take over and settle the household...

This book is so well written that I was instantly sucked in. The story got under my skin so much that I couldn't wait to read more. But I have to admit, Rose frustrated me. A lot. She was in total denial about her friend's actions and motivations, and let Polly pretty much run riot and ruin her life so much she ends up losing just about everything. Though, Rose isn't as innocent as she first appears. She's very fickle, easily led, and has done plenty of Pollyesque-type things herself.

Cuckoo is a very clever book, with a very spooky story of two friends with so many secrets between them that one of them feels obliged to let the other pop into her life periodically to ruin it. The tension is so thick, I turned every page anticipating what awaited me... all the way to the very shocking conclusion.

I have to admit that the end of the book made me groan, though. Yet, it made perfect sense. This was a great debut!(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Kirsty Hill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While half way through this book my dad told me of a documentary he watched about cuckoos. A male cuckoo will call a different species of bird away from its next of eggs so that the female cuckoo can sneak in and lay an egg amongst the others. The cuckoos leave their young to be raised by this other bird. The cuckoo egg will almost always hatch first. The cuckoo chick grows large quickly, usually around three times the size of the 'host' bird. Because of this it needs to monopolise on the food c...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Stephanie Dedhar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cuckoo is a surprising, frustrating, engrossing psychological thriller. I added this to my holiday reading list, having seen it recommended by Sophie Hannah – one of my favourite authors of the genre – so I had high hopes. And, while I perhaps wasn’t quite as bowled over by this debut as I was by Little Face, I found myself thinking about the unresolved questions and trying to explain the complicated plot to my other half several days after finishing it, which for me is a sign of a good book.

Ros...more Cuckoo is a surprising, frustrating, engrossing psychological thriller. I added this to my holiday reading list, having seen it recommended by Sophie Hannah – one of my favourite authors of the genre – so I had high hopes. And, while I perhaps wasn’t quite as bowled over by this debut as I was by Little Face, I found myself thinking about the unresolved questions and trying to explain the complicated plot to my other half several days after finishing it, which for me is a sign of a good book.

Rose and her husband Gareth have moved away from London and created a picture-perfect life for themselves in the countryside – big renovated farmhouse, impeccably well-behaved daughters, plenty of money (despite him being a not-overly-successful artist and her being a stay-at-home mum) to enjoy the finer things in life. So, when Rose discovers that her oldest friend, Polly, has recently lost her husband, Gareth is wary of upsetting their idyllic existence by inviting Polly and her two sons to stay.

But Rose insists, opening up her home to Polly, Nico and Yannis. Everything seems to go surprisingly well: Gareth and Polly manage to be civil towards one another; the boys – though a little more ‘feral’ than Rose’s daughter Anna – are challenging and charming in equal measure; Polly is obviously still grieving and on medication, but seems to be recovering in her new surroundings with Rose’s help. Even when an accident results in Rose spending a few days away in hospital, the repercussions don’t appear to be as bad as she might have feared. Until she returns home, that is, and begins noticing changes. Just how far has Polly infiltrated Rose’s perfect home and family? Is she really to blame for the fact that Rose’s life is unravelling at the edges? Or is Gareth right to be worried about Rose herself?

Everything is told from Rose’s third person perspective, and there is no omniscient narrator to fill in the gaps or answer the questions. We as readers become confused and disoriented alongside Rose, one minute convinced that Polly is deliberately wreaking havoc on her life and the next recalling the depth of this friendship and telling ourselves that it’s just paranoia. The whole novel is unsettling; even the epilogue opens up more uncomfortable questions than it answers. But I like this: I like not knowing exactly what happened and why, and I like the fact that these are interesting characters who can’t easily be labelled ‘good’ and ‘bad’ or ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

Having said that, there were some unexplained turns of events which just didn’t ring true. Gareth’s character transformation mid-way through wasn’t entirely convincing. Nor was the fact that Rose – who dived into the role of surrogate mother to Nico and Yannis – apparently abandons any kind of duty of care towards them at the end of the novel. And – for all the satisfying ambiguity – the final denouement and subsequent epilogue are a little too neat in some respects.

There are even some elements of Rose herself which stretch the bounds of believability. The transformation from drug-taking wild-child into wholesome domestic goddess wouldn’t itself be a problem; it’s that she is so very smug about her domestic goddess-ness. There’s a lot of brand name dropping (Rose doesn’t cook in a casserole dish, she cooks in her Le Creuset, for example) and she’s almost allergic to the thought of supermarket shopping, rowdy children or clutter in the kitchen. Although we learn that she’s not quite the angel she professes to be, all of this makes it pretty hard to imagine her living the rock-and-roll lifestyle with Polly a few years earlier.

The other thing I really didn’t like was the baby’s name: Flossie. Really? We’re supposed to buy that a respectable, prim-and-proper mother, whose first child was named Anna, would give her new baby a name more suited to a rabbit?

These are relatively small complaints, though. I raced through Cuckoo in a couple of days, trying (unsuccessfully) to anticipate what was coming and work out the truth. The final few chapters in particular throw up some completely unexpected surprises, the character quirks keep it interesting and unpredictable, and the writing is so descriptive that it’s easy to conjure up vivid mental images of the farmhouse and village. I’ll definitely be buying Julia Crouch’s next offering, Every Vow You Break.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 16, 2011 Chrissi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This book is truly amazing. I can't believe that it was Julia Crouch's first novel. It is very very deep and disturbing. It is written so well I devoured it quickly. It may seem like it is geared towards a female audience but I don't think it is, I think males could enjoy this book too. It's extremely compelling.

The characters are wonderfully written. Some I absolutely hated and wanted them to get what they deserved. Others I empathised with. I was shocked by the ending which I got to quit...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 01, 2011 Daisy Chain Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

Great debut! One hell of a toxic friendship! *shudders*

1 like · like · see review

Dec 03, 2012 Bill Kupersmith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’d wanted to read one of Julia Crouch’s novels because they kept cropping up on amazon.co.uk as choices by English readers who enjoyed some of my favourites, especially Elizabeth Haynes’s Revenge of the Tide. As Julia Crouch has not yet found favour with the editors in New York who decide what we Yanks are allowed to read (at least with affordable postage), I had to make do with a used copy that had to be shipped over. And I very much enjoyed Cuckoo.

The character Polly was a marvellous (quite l...more I’d wanted to read one of Julia Crouch’s novels because they kept cropping up on amazon.co.uk as choices by English readers who enjoyed some of my favourites, especially Elizabeth Haynes’s Revenge of the Tide. As Julia Crouch has not yet found favour with the editors in New York who decide what we Yanks are allowed to read (at least with affordable postage), I had to make do with a used copy that had to be shipped over. And I very much enjoyed Cuckoo.

The character Polly was a marvellous (quite literally a marvel) creation. Despite being in her late thirties, anorexic and undernourished, and displaying on her body all the ravages of heavy drug use, Polly has an irresistible sexual allure. She can literally have any man she wants. That Julia Crouch can make her so believable without excessive detail is a tribute to her artistry. In the Middle Ages Polly’s preternatural attractiveness would have been called “glamour” and she could be a sister to Morgan le Fay or Nineve. Perhaps Polly’s affinity for mediaeval romance excuses Julia Crouch for giving the unlikely Arthurian name of Gareth to an American character who is anything but chivalrous. (By the way, even we uncouth Yanks know that shooting foxes is not quite likely to endear Gareth to the local MFH.)

We might think of Polly as a witch or as a dark goddess, or even a succubus. She has no conception whatever of morality and whilst she does some very wicked things, she is impossible to judge. Rose is a different matter. I wish we had been given more of her bad girl back story earlier in the novel; it would have spoiled nothing and accounted for her long attachment to Polly. She has now become a rather conventional substitute maths teacher who spends most of her time cleaning, cooking, and child minding, which activities Julia Crouch describes in glacially slow detail. Some readers think the ending is rushed, but I was grateful that the story finally gathered momentum.

I found the ending thoroughly satisfying morally and aesthetically, with a hint of menace on the horizon.
(less)

like · see review

Feb 27, 2012 Lxxo rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 07, 2012 Lisa (scarlet21) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Definately a 'read-in-one-sitting' book! They don't come much darker, more disturbing or more ambiguous than this!
As the blurb says Rose appears to have it all, an idyllic country home, two gorgeous daughters, a handsome, talented husband...and then her oldest friend comes to stay and things take a nose-dive. Polly, recently widowed (make your own mind up about that) comes to stay indefinately with her two wild sons and the two families become entwined in a series of mishaps that lead them all i...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2011 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Melanie by: Writing Magazine

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. By chapter three I was hooked and couldn't stop reading. Rose & Polly have been best friends since school. Now in their late 30's Rose seems to have it all, country house, hunky artistic husband and two children. Polly's life has taken a turn for the worst with her husband Christos killed in a road accident, leaving her alone with their two sons. Polly, who has been living in Greece takes comfort in her old friend Rose and her family. As soon as Polly sets foo...more

like · see review

May 06, 2011 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, read-in-2011

Reviewed at JudgingCovers.co.uk

Julia Crouch’s debut novel, Cuckoo, is about two childhood friends, Rose and Polly. Inseparable in their youth, Rose doesn’t think twice before inviting Polly and her children to stay with her family when they have nowhere else to turn. But soon, everything in Rose’s life starts to go wrong – and it seems like Polly is behind it all.

I can’t reveal too much of the plot without spoiling anything – this is, after all, a thriller, and a twisty plot is to be expected. S...more Reviewed at JudgingCovers.co.uk

Julia Crouch’s debut novel, Cuckoo, is about two childhood friends, Rose and Polly. Inseparable in their youth, Rose doesn’t think twice before inviting Polly and her children to stay with her family when they have nowhere else to turn. But soon, everything in Rose’s life starts to go wrong – and it seems like Polly is behind it all.

I can’t reveal too much of the plot without spoiling anything – this is, after all, a thriller, and a twisty plot is to be expected. Stories and secrets from the women’s past are gradually revealed throughout the book, each one unpredictable and proving that not everything is as it seems.

At the start, I assumed that Rose was ‘good’ and Polly was ‘bad’ – even from the synopsis, you expect to feel sorry for all the terrible things happening to Rose’s family – but it’s soon clear that she’s just as flawed as her friend. To a certain extent I found this quite depressing, as I found I couldn’t sympathise with Rose or her husband when they both had so many characteristics I disliked. I usually struggle with books when I don’t like any of the characters, but Crouch’s writing is so beautiful that Cuckoo manages to get away with it. If anything, my doubts about Rose added to the mounting suspense in the novel, as I was never really sure what each character was capable of.

The quality of writing is Cuckoo‘s main selling point. Every scene is described in such detail that I could perfectly visualise the house and the characters… almost as if I was there, living it. It was this attention to detail that meant the majority of the book was very creepy. You know that feeling when you’re watching a horror movie and you’re convinced something is about to jump out and scare you to death? I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced that before with a novel, but it happened a number of times with Cuckoo, which is a massive compliment to the author. I felt uneasy throughout, almost to the point that I wasn’t sure if I was enjoying it.

Despite a shocking climax, I did feel a bit disappointed at the end. There were a number of things that I felt hadn’t been fully explained, and I still had lots of questions. I suppose that’s the downside to such detailed writing – I had picked up on lots of little things I thought might be relevant later, but turned out not to be! Even so, Crouch is certainly an author to look out for.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 Wendy Unsworth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rose and Polly are old friends; when Polly's husband is killed Rose invites Polly and her children to stay for a while until she gets 'back on her feet.' At first Rose seems to have ambitions to make one big happy family out of this situation in her large, comfortable country home but soon we see the faults and cracks in all the characters and the lines between who to root for become less clear.
I reallly enjoyed this story and the writing style but wanted a more defined ending and something mayb...more

like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Julia Crouch certainly has the skill to write the breakdown of a family. This book has a very sinister touch to it, by the end of it you'll question your closest friendships and the people you think you know. Because it isn't all as it seems, as is explored in this book. However whilst the pages were addicting at the start, as the book drew to a close it became less and less believable with eventually a very lazy and 'cop out' of an ending drawing it to a close. This was a huge shame, because it...more

like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Nicci rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about Rose and her friend Polly who comes to stay with her after Polly's husband dies. The book in itself is ok. The scene is set very well and the author is good at setting the atmosphere. However the story is a little bland and although I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it because I wanted to know more but things were never fully explained properly with some unnecessary details mentioned that I thought might become relevant, but didn't. I was a little disappointed at the book as a whole onc...more

like · see review

Jan 10, 2012 Vidiiaa Bebe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. I was so intrigued by the characters and life stories.. I couldn't put this book down and was dying to know what happened at the end... However, when I finished reading it, I was a little disappointed with the twisted ending....I really wanted Rose to kill Polly but she ends up killing her husband. How crazy is that.. Other than the crappy ending , great book.

like · see review

Sep 30, 2012 Pollyanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: thrillers, read-in-2012

I could not put this book down, I just had to know what was up with this Polly character. Such a creepy book and I found myself really wanting to shout at the book at times to stick up for Rose. I have to say the ending was not what I expected and I don't know how I feel about it really but still a fantastic read, will look out for more from Crouch.

like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Susanna Quinn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Haven't enjoyed a book so much in years. The writing is magical, and the characters utterly original and believable. The sinister Polly character is just right as the cuckoo in the nest - not over the top bad, but very dark and dangerous. Completely thrilling, I promise anyone, male, female, young, old, this book won't disappoint!

1 like · like · see review

title link	preview: Cuckoo
avg rating	preview: Cuckoo Goodreads rating: 3.50 (437 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10227033-cuckoo?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328019684l/10227033.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10227033-cuckoo?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Cuckoo by Julia Crouch[/url]

Cuckoo

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (11)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Julia Crouch

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (11)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Julia Crouch

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Cuckoo

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (11)