The Poison Tree

Jun 07, 2011

karen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-claiming-to-be-just-like-secr

hmm...

so i am giving this four stars because

1)there is no option for three-and-a-half
2)it was kind of the perfect book to suit my mood in the day-and-a-half it took me to read it
3)in the spectrum of "books that claim to be just like secret history" this one takes home high marks.

but really - it's just a fast-paced crime thriller and is not likely to stay with me for any real amount of time.

it gets points for having the central characte...more

like 34 likes

· see review

May 14, 2011

Misha rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, gothic, mystery-suspense-thriller, favorites, favorites-2011, similar-to-the-secret-history

Following The Secret History, there has been an avalanche of books claiming to be like it or inspired by it. My attention was first drawn to The Poison Tree, after I read a review comparing it to The Secret History. My interest was immediately piqued because The Secret History, as some of you may know, is one of my all-time favorites.

Though many elements of the book are reminiscent of The Secret History, The Poison Tree manages to hold its own. It's mesmerizing, unsettling and shocki...moreFollowing The Secret History, there has been an avalanche of books claiming to be like it or inspired by it. My attention was first drawn to The Poison Tree, after I read a review comparing it to The Secret History. My interest was immediately piqued because The Secret History, as some of you may know, is one of my all-time favorites.

Though many elements of the book are reminiscent of The Secret History, The Poison Tree manages to hold its own. It's mesmerizing, unsettling and shocking. It's definitely going to be on my "Best of 2011" list at the end of the year.

In 1997, Karen Clarke was what we call a "good girl". She had good grades and always did what her parents expected her to. All this changed when she met the charismatic Biba - stunning, carefree and so filled with life. Unlike Karen, Biba had a lifestyle that was glamorous and exciting. It made Karen's life look dull. What followed was that Karen was instantly and irresistibly drawn to Biba. Rex, Biba's brother, was exactly the opposite of her - overprotective and a worrier. Though he and his sister looked so alike, he almost disappeared next to his enigmatic sister. When Karen moved in with Biba and Rex in their home, she anticipated an adventure filled summer. Initially, it started off that way, but all that changed as the events of that summer turned out to have a life-changing impact. What Karen mistook for Biba's perfect story-book life was not so after all; Rex and Biba had a painful past. As Karen found out more about them, the more she became embroiled in a tangled web of secrets.

Ten years later, Karen is living a life of paranoia. She is constantly on the edge, sensing danger everywhere. She lives with her daughter, Alice, whom she is fiercely protective of. Rex, Alice's father has been recently released from the prison after he was arrested for murder ten years ago. Karen and Rex desperately want a chance of living a "normal" life, which they were denied before. What Rex doesn't know is that Karen has secrets which she can't even reveal to him. She is scared and trying her best to protect Alice and Rex from all harm. She's afraid that anything can happen any time, afraid that her past will come to haunt her again. Karen might be constantly worried about what might happen, but she knows that she will do anything to protect Rex and Alice.

As the story moves back and forth between 1997 and ten years later, more of the story is revealed and more edge-of-the-seat it gets. My heart was racing with every page I turned; I was almost as afraid as Karen of what was about to come. Tension increases with each chapter, as we get to know the events of the summer of 1997 which shaped Rex and Karen's present. The unexpected twists kept me glued to the book and sleep completely evaded me. We know that Rex went to prison for murder. What we don't know is whose murder it was. As questions after questions kept piling up in my head, I had to resist the urge to read the ending.

None of the characters are perfect - every one of them is deeply flawed. Still, I felt for Karen and Rex. I cannot imagine living your whole life in fear, for what what you did when you were so young and naive. Karen , in some ways, reminded me of myself. She always does the right thing, the "careful" thing. Yet somewhere inside, she's yearning for an exciting life. Biba is a character who will grab your attention - she mesmerizes and disturbed me at the same time. Her reckless, selfish and dramatic nature causes trouble and chaos. Despite that, Rex and Karen would do anything for her. By the end of the book, she almost seems inhuman to me and her selfishness is beyond shocking.

The best thing about The Poison Tree is the atmosphere that the author has created. Throughout the book, there's a feeling of impending danger, something dark lurking in the background. I was constantly worried about what I might find out and at the same time, I could not wait to see what happens next. To say that the ending was unexpected will be an understatement. I NEVER saw it coming. I didn't think what happened was possible to happen. My heart was pounding all the while I was reading the ending.

The Poison Tree is one of the best psychological thrillers that I've read recently. The characters and the ending continued to haunt me long after I had finished reading the book. The morbid atmosphere of paranoia and fear that the author has created is definitely praiseworthy.

(less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Feb 07, 2011

Mary rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense

This book did not succeed for me, on several levels. Primarily I just didn't get the fascination the narrator, Karen, felt for the Capel siblings, Biba and Rex. Biba seemed spoiled and self-absorbed and Rex was jobless, wimpy, and ineffective at his self-appointed task of being Biba's caretaker. Their so-called Bohemian lifestyle was pretty tame by my child-of-the-70s's standards. There was drinking and a little pot-smoking, a couple hits of ectasy and a few lines of cocaine--hardly the drug-cra...more

like 6 likes

· see review

Jan 12, 2011

Jennifer Williams rated it

· review of another edition

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

like 6 likes

· see review

Dec 07, 2011

Robin rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: suspense-thriller

This terrific psychological thriller with many twists and turns is set in England and will be on my best of 2011 list. There are times when you want to smack some of the characters along side the head and ask "What are you thinking?" but this kept my interest right up to the twist at the end.

I'm looking forward to the author's next book due in Febrarury 2012, and be forewarned that the British title is THE SICK ROSE but the US release will be titled THE DARK ROSE.

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 21, 2011

C.E. Trueman rated it

· review of another edition

In The Poison Tree, Erin Kelly creates an assortment of compelling and convincing characters.

A year into her university degree, studious linguist Karen Clarke, the sensible and conservative narrator of the story, finds herself drawn into the chaotic and bohemian world of vivacious but self centred wannabe actress Biba Capel and her over protective brother Rex who live on their own in a ramshackle house in London following abandonment by their famous photographer father and the resulti...more

like

· see review

Aug 19, 2011

Yamma rated it

· review of another edition

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

like 2 likes

· see review

Jun 18, 2011

Connie rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well written and intelligently thought out but not as dark and exciting as advertised.

While the book wasn't excellent is was very good and engaging, many people who have reviewed it negatively are failing to comment on the strong character development that occurs during the book.

Biba is first starts out as glamorous and alluring while Karen is boring and naive and Rex is slightly dorky and annoying.... By the final chapter all the characters have grown into different people ...more

like

· see review

Jun 14, 2011

Vegantrav rated it

· review of another edition

I seriously hope that Erin Kelly, the author of The Poison Tree, is not one of those writers who read the reviews of their books here at Goodreads (as I know some writers do) because I really did not like this book at all. I feel as if I have been robbed of the opportunity to read good novels by wasting my time reading this dreck.

The Poison Tree is promoted as a brilliant, mysterious thriller. It is not.

It is an excercise in emotionally overwrought tedium and long-winde...moreI seriously hope that Erin Kelly, the author of The Poison Tree, is not one of those writers who read the reviews of their books here at Goodreads (as I know some writers do) because I really did not like this book at all. I feel as if I have been robbed of the opportunity to read good novels by wasting my time reading this dreck.

The Poison Tree is promoted as a brilliant, mysterious thriller. It is not.

It is an excercise in emotionally overwrought tedium and long-winded ridiculousness. It attempts to build more and more tension (and does so rather poorly) as the novel advances, but the atmosphere of forbidding and fear with which the author tries infuse her story is extremely weak, and the mystery that she does ever so very, very, very slowly elaborate is really not that mysterious at all and is dull--just dull, pure and simple. Several times I resolved to simply stop reading The Poison Tree, but then I would re-read the reviews on the back cover and be inspired with a hope that the plot would soon take off, and I would at last find myself in the midst of a compelling mystery. Alas, that never happened.

The secrets that the narrator, Karen, keeps, which she refers to often but without revealing their nature until near the end of the novel, lead the reader to believe that Karen is hiding some grave, serious sins. She is not: her secrets are actually things that she has done which are very praiseworthy and not even remotely bad; she also keeps us in the dark with a secret about her lover, Rex, which is also a secret that shows, basically, what a great guy Rex is instead of being some deep, dark, wicked secret about him.

Karen, moreover, is one of the most socially inept, completely naive characters that I have ever encountered in literature. For example, Karen portrays herself as being, until she meets Rex and Rex's sister, Biba, a rarther quiet, shy person who has few really close friends. Upon meeting Rex and Biba, Karen immediately attaches herself to them and begins to act as if she has known them for years and, in fact, moves in with them within a matter of only a week or so of knowing them. And Karen is gravely hurt at the smallest slight and utterly thrilled at the subtlest praise from Biba, and after meeting Rex and Biba's friends--Nina, Tris, Jo--only a few times, Karen speaks of them as if she has known them for years and is very close friends with all of them and deeply concerned about every aspect of their lives. She barely knows these people and interacts with them for no more than a few days (with Rex and Biba's friends) or a few months (with Rex and Biba), yet she seems to think that they are all best friends and deeply concerned with each other and each other's lives. The immediate intimacy and tight-knit friendships that form among these characters in almost no time at all is not remotely realistic: it is so ludicrous that it borders on the incredible even for a work of fiction.

The prologue to the novel sets a frightening tone that promises dark secrets, possibly even murder, and revenge as the heroine and narrator, Karen, flees from a grave danger. This tone ends with the prologue as the rest of the novel, until the very last few pages of the last chapter, proceeds in torpid fashion, challenging even the most charitable of readers to stay awake and to finish this exercise in boring drivel.

****SPOILER ALERT****

The only redeeming value in this novel is the climax. Here at last, Biba, an awful, horribly unbelievably selfish, shallow character gets her proverbial just desserts when Karen actually does something that we readers can finally cheer: Karen murders Biba. Finally, Karen, you have a real dark secret that you need to keep. (less)

like 1 like

· see review

May 02, 2011

Kathy Hiester rated it

· review of another edition

The Poison tree is well-written, psychological thriller, one that just cries out to be read and discussed. Although I found it a bit disconcerting with early chapters switching between two time periods, it is really essential in the storyline. This ploy simply increases the building suspense as the story unfolds.

An unusual storyline from the voice of the protagonist, Karen Clarke, a young normal girl who just happens to be fluent in several languages, and throw her suddenly into a com...moreThe Poison tree is well-written, psychological thriller, one that just cries out to be read and discussed. Although I found it a bit disconcerting with early chapters switching between two time periods, it is really essential in the storyline. This ploy simply increases the building suspense as the story unfolds.

An unusual storyline from the voice of the protagonist, Karen Clarke, a young normal girl who just happens to be fluent in several languages, and throw her suddenly into a completely different culture and what is she to do? She meets the most eccentric person she can. Her meeting with Biba opens a whole new world to her, one she is not only introduced to, but embraces wholeheartedly. In 1990s London, the beautiful and bubbly Biba lives her life fully and dramatically, essentially the actress she wants to be. When she meets Karen, she brings her to her house, which is a domicile of many characters, some of whom live there with Biba and her brother Rex. Soon Karen is a constant visitor.

The book begins near the end, and then switches back to this carefree and exciting life, time and time again. We learn of old secrets that have a distinct effect on the brother and sister, and later newer secrets come between them. Karen can not tell her story alone without telling the story of Rex and Biba. Their lives and stories are tangled as one. These three are the main characters, but there are more roles to be played by lesser players. Still, they are all bigger than life and all play their parts boldly. The story unfolds between this wild beginning, fraught with suspense and lies, racing toward an unknown and unexpected tragedy. Clues and portents are sprinkled between these carefree days of one summer, building and building to an excruciating level. Murder, prison, life, loss, all wrapped up in one great read. Descriptive, alluring, and definitely atmospheric, characteristics run the range from innocence and trust to parties, drugs, drama, sex and lies. This is an extraordinary start to what I believe will be the first of many great reads from this author.

4 Stars(less)

like

· see review

Apr 11, 2011

Blair rated it

Shelves: mystery-thriller-etc, read-on-kindle, secret-history-esque, past-and-present

The Poison Tree had been on my Amazon wishlist for months, and this sunny weekend I finally decided to treat myself to it. I was happy to find that, true to my expectations, it was hugely readable, so much that I'd finished it within 24 hours of my purchase. The book is divided up into two stories, flipping back and forth between the long, hot summer of 1997 and the present day. Both are narrated by Karen; in the 1997 story, she is a naive 20-year-old and, having recently finished her degree, be...moreThe Poison Tree had been on my Amazon wishlist for months, and this sunny weekend I finally decided to treat myself to it. I was happy to find that, true to my expectations, it was hugely readable, so much that I'd finished it within 24 hours of my purchase. The book is divided up into two stories, flipping back and forth between the long, hot summer of 1997 and the present day. Both are narrated by Karen; in the 1997 story, she is a naive 20-year-old and, having recently finished her degree, becomes entangled with the decadent, overdramatic Biba Capel and her older, more reserved brother Rex. In the present-day plotline, we find Karen in her early thirties, living in a small country village with her nine-year-old daughter Alice, and adjusting to a new life with Rex, who has just been released from a long stint in prison (this isn't a spoiler, we learn it very early on). The rest of the book brings the two strands together, exploring exactly what happened in that fateful summer to lead to Rex's incarceration and Karen's paranoia - which, it quickly becomes clear, now dominates her life.

The 1997 sections of the book, I absolutely loved. The atmosphere of this cloying, dreamlike summer is conjured with such flair; Karen's passion for Biba and Rex's lifestyle, how she falls in love with the two siblings and their romantic, ramshackle house, her transition from straight-laced student to companion of the hedonistic Biba and the feelings of power, release and abandon this gives her. The whole thing seems desperately romantic and utterly enchanting; I could easily appreciate how thoroughly Karen was drawn into the Capels' world because, as a reader, I was consumed by it too. Even when I put the book down, images of chaotic house parties, Highgate streets and sweltering summer days were so vividly imprinted on my mind I felt like I'd been there. I'm sure anyone of my generation will appreciate the way in which Kelly accurately portrays a time not long past and yet suffuses it with great nostalgia. I loved Karen, too; she's very believable and the narrative really gets under the character's skin. She's a self-confessed unremarkable girl who's had a sheltered existence, cosseted by a trio of vacuous friends and an equally boring boyfriend throughout university, and her revelatory entrance into a life where she no longer feels 'invisible' is wonderfully evoked. While there are some slightly irritating inconsistencies and mistakes (such as when Karen is given her first ecstasy tablet, has a wonderful time partying all night and then has absolutely no comedown?!), the overall effect is so arresting that small errors don't really dent its power.

The present-day story is, however, much weaker. It has all the hallmarks of those chick-lit-cum-thriller books that seem to be so popular these days - told in present tense, there's a first-person female narrator, secrets involving a crime/murder, usually a child or family involved somewhere, the woman will do ANYTHING TO PROTECT HER FAMILY, etc. I don't really like this genre and found the style a turn-off; I think present tense is quite difficult to pull off effectively and, while I can understand that it made sense to differentiate the past from the present in this way, it didn't work for me. I can also understand why Karen's character was different, having been altered as a result of all she'd experienced, but I'm afraid I found this version of her quite dull. Whenever one of the present-day segments popped up I found myself comparatively bored, desperate to get back to the past; they seemed like unwanted interruptions in an otherwise flawless narrative. They didn't ring entirely true, either - I wasn't convinced that after so much time in prison, Rex would move straight into Karen's home and start playing happy families with a daughter he'd only previously encountered through short visits every few months. Crucially, I also disliked the ending. Where I had related to the younger Karen so much, I found the older version's final actions impossible to sympathise with.

For me, this is a book of two halves - one half I consider worthy of five stars, the other is more like three (no prizes for guessing which is which), hence the overall rating of four. I hope that if Erin Kelly writes anything else, she draws on the original, fascinating portrayal of human relationships and new experiences demonstrated in the past segments of this novel, rather than the much more pedestrian and uninteresting (if perhaps more likely to shift units...) thriller element represented by the present segments. (less)

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 15, 2011

Jeanette Stingley rated it

· review of another edition

The Poison Tree is one of the best debut novels I have read in the past couple of years. Author Erin Kelly has really set the bar high for herself. In this novel we explore the world of laid back, free spirited college kids whose lives get turned upside down.

The book actually begins near the end of the story, then switches back to this carefree and exciting life, time and time again. Normally, I do not like books that switch each chapter back and forth between present and past beca...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 15, 2011

Alix marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Reviewed by Maureen Corrigan
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, January 10, 2011

"The Poison Tree" is graced with a distinctly druggy power. Kelly burrows deep into Karen's young life and vividly dramatizes the anxiety of an isolated first-generation college student who's out of her league in terms of looks and polish. When Biba appears and offers a mishmash of a family for Karen to join, the euphoria of belonging sweeps all caution out to sea.

Slowly, th...more

like

· see review

Jan 07, 2011

Joe Murray rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Erin Kelly’s impressive debut novel, The Poison Tree, tells the tale of seemingly prim and straight-A language student Karen Clarke who has just finished her final year at university in London. Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend for another girl and abandoned by so-called friends, she is feeling isolated and betrayed. Up till now, Karen’s life has been uncomplicated and risk-free, but that’s all about to change dramatically. By chance she meets the exotic, free spirited Biba Capel, a bohemi...moreErin Kelly’s impressive debut novel, The Poison Tree, tells the tale of seemingly prim and straight-A language student Karen Clarke who has just finished her final year at university in London. Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend for another girl and abandoned by so-called friends, she is feeling isolated and betrayed. Up till now, Karen’s life has been uncomplicated and risk-free, but that’s all about to change dramatically. By chance she meets the exotic, free spirited Biba Capel, a bohemian orphan and actress. Biba lives in a crumbling old mansion in Highgate, London, with her enigmatic and somewhat creepy brother, Rex, and a host of other dodgy if somewhat colorful characters. She also just happens to be looking for someone with knowledge of German to help her with an upcoming play, and Karen fits the bill perfectly. Using her newfound freedom as an opportunity to extend herself beyond her comfortable friendship group, impressionable Karen is drawn into the siblings’ chaotic lifestyle of hedonism, and moves into their crumbling mansion. Shortly afterward she begins a relationship with Rex, believing she has discovered a heavenly Utopia in this world of sex, alcohol, drugs, and mystery. Unfortunately, she is totally oblivious to the family secrets—suicides and other unhealthy events—and it’s not too long before something dreadful happens resulting in death. Heaven suddenly and violently becomes hell, and Karen’s life will change irrevocably, possibly for the worse. Told skillfully in Karen’s perspective between the past and the present, this intelligent psychological thriller begins when Karen and her nine-year-old daughter, Alice, pick up Rex who has just completed a ten-year term in prison for murder. When events from her past come back, threatening to destroy the life it has taken Karen years to build, she knows she must do whatever it takes to protect that life. Whose murder was Rex charged with? And more importantly, was he actually guilty of the crime? This is only one of the many intriguing hooks Kelly masterfully uses to capture the reader from the very start. Kelly’s descriptive prowess of depicting London’s 1990s and in particular the Highgate area, is evocative and skillfully constructed, and while some readers may find the juxtaposition of past and present narration slightly disconcerting, others will probably find that it actually increases the suspense and page-turning lure. Hints and decoys are used sparingly and rarely interfere with the flow of the storytelling. Apart from the three main players, there is also a grand and motley crew of memorable characters assembled, some endearing and others borderline despicable. Disturbingly foreboding, The Poison Tree is an atmospheric crime novel delivering edgy and unpredictable heart-stopping twists and turns we never see coming until we are punched in the gut. A refreshingly new and original voice in thriller writing, Kelly’s a name to watch for in the future.(less)

like

· see review

Jun 27, 2010

Shell rated it

Karen Clarke is a straight A language student, sensible and level headed, sharing a house with her 3 girlfriends and spending time with her sporty, handsome boyfriend, faithfully ringing her parents to keep them informed of what she is up to. When she is dumped for another girl and her friends side with the boyfriend, she is feeling isolated until, by chance she meets Biba Capel, an actress looking for someone to help her with German pronounciation for an up-coming play. Thus begins a friends...more

like

· see review

Aug 04, 2011

marg rated it

· review of another edition

While the overall quality of this novel ranges more in the 3-3.5 zone, I couldn't put it down and therefore bump it up to four.
TPT reminded me, sort of, of The Secret History and other works like it - literary murder quasi mysteries where the essence of the story is not so much whodunnit as why and what the consequences were.
TPT, aside from the obvious connection to the Blake poem, calls to mind (well, my mind at least) other works such as The Great Gatsby and Les Miserables (as wel...moreWhile the overall quality of this novel ranges more in the 3-3.5 zone, I couldn't put it down and therefore bump it up to four.
TPT reminded me, sort of, of The Secret History and other works like it - literary murder quasi mysteries where the essence of the story is not so much whodunnit as why and what the consequences were.
TPT, aside from the obvious connection to the Blake poem, calls to mind (well, my mind at least) other works such as The Great Gatsby and Les Miserables (as well as this French film I saw once called I've Loved You So Long). The premise is a back and forth slowly unfolding and often surprising tale of a life changing summer for Karen Clarke, a brainy and quiet student who always finds herself the wallflower when she meets Biba, the stupidly named charismatic yet deeply selfish tragic girl under whose spell Karen falls, as well as Biba's older brother and their artsy Bohemian life, and present day, ten years later, when brother Rex is being released from prison for a double murder and working his way back into a normal life with Karen and daughter Alice.
The Les Mis part was how Kelly touched upon the struggles of an ex con who has ostensibly paid his debt to society to actually make a new life for himself (all he wants is to work an honest living for his family yet no one will ever hire him), and the French film was how something as black and white as murder takes on a whole new dimension as the pieces come together (which is also where the Gatsby part comes in but I'll leave that alone).
Biba's colorful amazingness was sort of lost on me - she was so narcissistic and not someone I would ever want to be friends with, but that might be my contrary response to a character I am supposed to fall in love with, or at least understand why someone would. I also think we have all been there at some point, being willing to give, and forgive, someone in ways we don't for others because of the magic they seem to possess.
Also at times the story was over the top - but it was also gripping and so I got over that.
The back and forth of alternating chapters was at times inconsistent which was a little confusing, but overall it was compelling and did not feel gimmicky like, say, Sarah's Key.
Karen as a narrator was detached enough to tell the story well but in some ways too distant - yet this also suited her somewhat stoic personality - and though I wondered a bit about her relationship with Rex, and some things felt a little too convenient, I ultimately really enjoyed reading this and recommend it.(less)

like

· see review

Mar 02, 2011

Carol rated it

· review of another edition

Erin Kelly's Poison Tree is publicized as a "tight psychological thriller". I'd drop the word thriller as this denotes to me a more fast paced tempo than is the case here. I'd read it alone for its in depth psychological character study. Erin Kelly gets this just right. Beginning at the end, the story flashes backwards and forwards in a space of ten years, rapidly and without warning, and yet it is easy to follow. I quickly became engrossed with the three main characters, Karen, Biba a...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 27, 2011

Natalie rated it

· review of another edition

I was fascinated by this story from beginning to end. The story jumps back and forth between the present and the past, but Ms. Kelly's style makes it easy to keep up...most of the time. Admittedly, there were moments where I would read the opening of a paragraph two or three times before I felt comfortable in the time frame the characters were in, but part of that had to do with being unfamiliar with London. The periods are separated by not only by time, but by location, and a familiarity with...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 18, 2011

Lolly LKH rated it

· review of another edition

Eh. I enjoyed a few chapters. Karen meets Biba and is enthralled by her life, and falls too for her strange brother Rex. Drugs, parties, characters, rambling old house and suicidal tendencies. We know disaster will strike soon as foreshadowed throughout the novel in flashbacks. I had a hard time with Rex, because I couldn't decide what the writer wanted him to be, damaged and neurotic or mature and sensitive? Biba was your typical beautiful wild child much overplayed in literature. Karen was mor...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Apr 05, 2011

Kim rated it

· review of another edition

GREAT psych mystery/thriller!

Don't give up on this after the first few chapters~! I liked it okay but wasn't 'gelling' with the story or characters until maybe the 4th chapter. At that point you really begin to see the characters for who they are & you begin to understand them as you would your close personal friends. The story begins to engulf you & it is very difficult to put down.

The plot itself is not a completely unique one, but the connection you form with th...more

like

· see review

Aug 10, 2011

Khaya rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Khaya by: marg

Shelves: ebooks, mysteriesthrillers, intense-sad-or-dark

I always appreciate a decent pageturner with a fast-paced plot, well-done suspense, and enough characterization and psychological dynamics to hold my interest. For me, this fit the bill.

When we first meet Karen she and her daughter are reuniting with her lover Rex, released from prison after serving a long sentence for murder. As the plot unfolds we gradually learn more about Karen's initial meeting with Rex and the events that followed, up to and including the murder which is not ...more

like

· see review

Jul 17, 2011

Beth Shapeero rated it

· review of another edition

The Poison Tree looks very exciting from the cover with reviews from The Times and Stephen King using words like ‘dark’ and ‘haunting’. The narrative follows Karen, the protagonist, as she falls into the live of mysteriously attractive and bohemian brother/sister pair Biba and Rex. The storey oscillates between a jumpy paranoid Karen in the present and the storey of her summer living with the siblings and its fatal conclusion ten years past.

Drip fed hints about the happenings that f...more

like

· see review

Sep 17, 2011

Carly Thompson rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, anglophilia, suspense

A psychological thriller that seems to have been heavily influenced by The Secret History. The novel is narrated by Karen Clarke, a conventional "good girl" who is content to follow the path set out for her in life until she meets Biba Capel, a captivating bohemian. Karen falls for Biba and her older brother, Rex, and soon moves into their crumbling North London home and spends a summer with them. The action moves between the summer Karen spends with Rex and Biba in 1997 and ten years ...more

like

· see review

Jun 08, 2011

Pamela rated it

· review of another edition

I could barely put this book down. It was beautifully and cleverly written, with strong character development and a compelling story line. I found myself traveling back to an earlier time in my life when I could identify with Karen's (the main character) inner struggles and search for self. As the story unfolds, she is someone who has lived a comfortable, structured, highly predictable life, and has a seemingly auspicious future ahead of her. But when her boyfriend of four years dumps her, s...more

like

· see review

Jun 07, 2011

Kate rated it

· review of another edition

This book was interesting to me since the story was told from the heroine's perspective and jumped from past to present every chapter. That way you were always learning little bits of the back story as the current story was progressing. I will say that it took me about 50-60 pages to really get into the book but once I did I didn't want to stop reading.

Karen meets Biba and her brother Rex the summer after she finishes her undergraduate degree and moves into their home for the summer ...more

like

· see review

Jan 07, 2012

CoffeeBook Chick rated it

· review of another edition

I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to read it.

In this engrossing psychological thriller and stunning debut from Erin Kelly, Karen Clarke is a brilliant young woman with a passion for language. Even at a young age, picking up a new language was a snap for her, and in her later years, it's no different. Even her daughter Alice, at nine-years-old, speaks Spanish fluently. Karen has raised this little girl alone, all while the father, Rex, has been in prison serving out a sentence ...moreI'm kicking myself for waiting this long to read it.

In this engrossing psychological thriller and stunning debut from Erin Kelly, Karen Clarke is a brilliant young woman with a passion for language. Even at a young age, picking up a new language was a snap for her, and in her later years, it's no different. Even her daughter Alice, at nine-years-old, speaks Spanish fluently. Karen has raised this little girl alone, all while the father, Rex, has been in prison serving out a sentence for murder. And now he's coming home.

Ten years prior, in 1998, Karen was a few months shy from graduation at the top of her class. While Karen's plan was to get a wonderful job, or even go to grad school, things are delayed when she meets Biba Capel. While Karen is quiet and unassuming, a person who fades into the background as others easily ensnare the spotlight, she feels compelled to talk to Biba and offer her language services. Biba needs a coach, someone who can correct her German while she practices for a role in an upcoming play. This chance encounter shifts Karen's summer, and ultimately, her entire future. Before that day is done, she's tutored Biba in her first session, paid for the entire meal along with Biba's train ride home, and been invited to Biba's upcoming birthday party, where she meets Biba's brother, Rex.

The friendship between Karen, Biba, and Rex begins in the Capel's childhood home at Highgate in London, a crumbling mansion which has its own story to share. In a scant three months, Karen becomes a part of their tiny unit and she and Rex fall in love. It's an odd arrangement in the house, three people who are so very different. Biba is adventurous, wild, and recklessly charming. Rex is thoughtful, passionate in his protection of his sister and for those he cares about, his emotional strength making him a self-assured lover for Karen. And Karen, while innocent and naive to this new life, is drawn to the feeling of true friendship and real love. She's comfortable with spending her summer with these siblings, who have taught her more about life and ultimately, herself, than she ever thought possible. But there are secrets with the siblings, and even Karen has one years later, one that if the truth ever were to come out, could change everything. And mixed up in this is the unanswered question of who Rex killed, and why?

It is this very manner of slowly unfolding the story and all of its secrets that is so captivating. Expertly maneuvering between past and present, from one summer of 1998 to ten years later, Erin Kelly keeps the narrative quickly paced and easily engaging. It's a psychological thriller on the edge, a ticking time bomb of fierce passion, secrets, and insecurity which demands all attention to keep reading until the end unfurls with a sadness that was difficult to experience. I was left quite morose, impressed with the story and quiet for the characters' twisted and unfortunate paths taken. Without question, Erin Kelly's talent easily resonates with every page, the events and uncomfortable moments leaving you anxious to find out what happens next, and I will eagerly look for her next work. I highly recommend this book and encourage all who enjoy psychological thrillers, suspenseful reads, and mysteries to read it.(less)

like

· see review

Jan 11, 2011

Tom Cassidy rated it

· review of another edition

Kelly’s descriptive prowess of depicting London’s 1990s and in particular the Highgate area, is evocative and skillfully constructed, and while some readers may find the juxtaposition of past and present narration slightly disconcerting, others will probably find that it actually increases the suspense and page-turning lure. Hints and decoys are used sparingly and rarely interfere with the flow of the storytelling. Apart from the three main players, there is also a grand and motley crew of memor...more

like

· see review

Sep 06, 2011

Linster rated it

· review of another edition

The space between 3 stars and 4 is where I would rate this book, because I liked it quite a lot but it left me wanting a bit more. That said, The Poison Tree is a nicely paced mystery, not always a page turner but compelling enough that you want to know what happens next. Karen reminded me a bit of myself when I was in my 20s: very conservative but wanting not to be. I, too, met an unconventional, iconoclastic woman who drew me into her world and I was changed. Thankfully, my story didn't go to ...more

like

· see review

Jun 22, 2011

Karensi rated it

· review of another edition

I was considering whether or not to change my rating to three rather than two stars. To a point I was enjoying the book.

I don't actually understand why Karen found Biba so fascinating. The need to feel accepted just didn't sit right with the character because in many other ways she was so strong. I can understand a weaker person falling under another's spell. The character Biba herself I found to be a little irritating. Same with Rex and the relationship between Rex and Karen seemed ...more

like

· see review

Jul 17, 2011

Booksdingle rated it

· review of another edition

I have mixed feelings about this book - I found the idea interesting but the story very drawn out and in some parts irritated me - for example I never quite got why Karen would have been so enthralled by Biba or how and why Karen and Rex got together in the first place, to me it would have made sense had Karen befriended Biba and become obsessed with Rex and it all unravelled from there, we never got any detail as to how or why the Karen/Biba relationship was meant to be so strong and on that ...more

like

· see review

title link	preview: The Poison Tree
avg rating	preview: The Poison Tree Goodreads rating: 3.55 (1108 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7049159-the-poison-tree?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328093770m/7049159.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7049159-the-poison-tree?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly[/url]

The Poison Tree

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (12)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Erin Kelly

Books by Erin Kelly

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Poison Tree

Groups That Shelved The Poison Tree